TABLE OF CONTENTS
Descriptive Summary of the Collection
Scope and Content of the Collection
Series 1: Autographs, 1820-1911
Series 2: Bookplates, Clippings, Memorabilia and Miscellaneous, 1885-1944
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Inventory of the Thomas Conolly Papers, 1800-1944
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Lisa Janssen, 2007. ©2007. |
Descriptive Summary of the Collection |
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| Creator | Conolly, Thomas |
| Title | Thomas Conolly Papers |
| Dates | 1800-1944 |
| Extent | 1.3 linear feet (3 boxes) |
| Abstract | Material collected by Thomas Conolly, decorative plasterer and handyman for fifty-two years at the Auditorium Building in Chicago, which consists mainly of autographs and autographed historical letters. Also, bookplates, clippings, miscellaneous memorabilia, a few items relating to the Chicago Civic Opera Company and the Auditorium Theater, several photographs and pictures, and a group of personal letters to Conolly. |
| Language | Materials are in English. |
| Repository | Newberry Library, Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections |
| Collection Call Number | Midwest MS Conolly |
| Collection Stack Location | 3a 38 4 |
Administrative Information
Cite As
Thomas Conolly Papers, The Newberry Library, Chicago.
Provenance
Gift of Thomas Conolly, 1945.
Processed by
Virginia H. Smith, 2006.
Access
The Thomas Conolly Papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).
Ownership and Literary Rights
The Thomas Conolly Papers are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.
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Biography of Thomas Conolly
Chicago decorative plasterer.
Born in England in 1856, Thomas Conolly emigrated to Chicago in 1889, where he immediately began work as a decorative plasterer on the new Auditorium building, a job he held for fifty-two years. His hobby as a collector of autographs and countless rare books developed into a life-long passion, and grew to include broadsides, opera and theater playbills and programs, rare manuscripts and memorabilia, pictures and photographs of stage stars and other famous people, and all sorts of unusual and/or valuable miscellany.
Conolly married Laura Houghton, an expert in cosmetics. She opened a little beauty shop in the Auditorium building, selling a face-cream of her own recipe, which became a favorite with the operatic and theatrical professions. The profits from this modest business allowed Conolly to increase his avid collecting of books and whatever else appealed to him, nearly half of which related to the theater, both English and American. A small fireproof bungalow on Exchange Avenue in Chicago and a cottage on Oglesby Avenue, served as repositories for his vast collection.
Thomas Conolly died in 1945.
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Scope and Content of the Collection
Mainly British autographs, autographed letters and two autograph books, plus a collection of bookplates, some newspaper clippings, letters received by Conolly relating to his collecting activities and other miscellaneous correspondence, likely retained for the signatures. There are a few pictures and photographs, including three tiny stereo photos taken by Arctic explorer Frederick Cook in 1908. Also, material relating to the Auditorium Theater and the Chicago Civic Opera, and letters from Business Manager Herbert M. Johnson while talent scouting in Europe. Also, three advertising booklets for Laura Conolly’s beauty products, and a small amount of miscellaneous memorabilia, including 1895 advertising and review of hypnotist Professor Arthur (Howton), the “Boy Phenomenon.”
Narrative descriptions of the subject matter, types of material, and arrangement of each series are available through the Organization section of the finding aid.
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Organization
Papers are organized in the following series:
- Series 1: Autographs, 1820-1911. Box(es) 1-2
- Series 2: Bookplates, Clippings, Memorabilia and Miscellaneous, 1885-1944. Box(es) 2
- Series 3: Correspondence, 1800-1943. Box(es) 3
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Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Newberry Library's public catalog. Researchers desiring additional materials on a particular topic should search the catalog using these headings.
Names
- Auditorium Theater (Chicago, Ill.)
- Beatty, Harry W.
- Campanini, Cleofonte
- Chicago Civic Opera (Chicago, Ill.)
- Conolly, Thomas
- Conolly, Laura Houghton
- Cook, Frederick Albert, 1865-1940
- Dufau, Jenny
- Harte, Bret, 1836-1902
- Howton, Arthur
- Johnson, Herbert M.
- Lewis, W. S. (Wilmarth Sheldon), 1895-1979
- Marlowe, Julia, 1868-1950
- Ross, Charles
- Sothern, E.H. (Edward Hugh), 1859-1933
- Terry, Ellen, Dame, 1847-1928
Subjects
- Autographs
- Bookplates – Undated
- Collectors and collecting – Illinois – Chicago
- Correspondence – 1801-1850
- Correspondence – 1851-1900
- Correspondence – 1901-1950
- Cosmetics – Illinois – Chicago
- Manuscripts, American--Illinois--Chicago
- Opera – Illinois – Chicago – History – 20th century – Sources
- Photographs – 1901-1950
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Container List
Series 1: Autographs, 1820-1911 |
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| Clipped autographs from envelopes with postal franks of British political figures, 1820-1840. Two autograph books, one with various cartes de visite added, 1868, the other of mostly music and theater material, 1911. Also, miscellaneous 18th and 19th century letters apparently retained for the signatures, and a collection of clipped autographs, undated. | |||||||||||
| Arranged by type of material. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Book with music and theater material, 1911 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Book with signatures and cartes de visite, 1868 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3-7 | British political figures: signatures and postal franks clipped from envelopes, 1820-1840 | |||||||||
| 2 | 8 | Letters with autographs, ca. 1800s | |||||||||
| 2 | 9 | Letters with autographs, ca. 1900s | |||||||||
| 2 | 10-11 | Miscellaneous clipped autographs, n.d. | |||||||||
Series 2: Bookplates, Clippings, Memorabilia and Miscellaneous, 1885-1944 |
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| Collection of bookplates, clippings related to Ellen Terry, Edward H. Sothern, and Thomas Conolly; memorabilia consisting of advertising, notes, some pictures and other assorted items. Miscellaneous material includes notes and documents relating to the Auditorium Theater and the Chicago Civic Opera, Laura Conolly’s beauty products booklets; an article and advertising for hypnotist Professor Arthur Howton and photographs of several actors, plus three small stereo photographs of Frederick Cook’s Arctic trip in 1908. | |||||||||||
| Arranged type of material. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 2 | 12 | Bookplates, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 13 | Clippings relating to Ellen Terry, 1928 | |||||||||
| 2 | 14 | Clippings relating to Edward H. Sothern, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 15 | Clippings related to Thomas Conolly, 1925-1944, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 16-17 | Memorabilia, 1819-1942, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 18 | Miscellaneous: material relating to Auditorium Theater and Chicago Civic Opera Company | |||||||||
| 2 | 19 | Miscellaneous: booklets for Laura Conolly's beauty products | |||||||||
| 2 | 20 | Miscellaneous: article and advertising for hypnotist Professor Arthur Howton, the "Boy Phenomenon", 1895 | |||||||||
| 2 | 21 | Miscellaneous: four photographs of actors, 1920's and undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 22 | Miscellaneous: stereo photographs of Frederick Cook's Arctic Trip, 1908 | |||||||||
Series 3: Correspondence, 1800-1943 |
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| Correspondence is a mixed collection. Many of the letters are directed to Conolly while others are neither to or from him. A number of more important individuals and institutions are filed separately, a few with pertinent documents appended. Among these are Harry W. Beatty, Chicago Civic Opera Technical Director; Cleofonte Campanini, orchestra conductor; Jenny Dufau, opera singer; Bret Harte; Herbert M. Johnson, Chicago Civic Opera Business Manager; W.S. Lewis; Library of Congress; Julia Marlowe and Edward H. Sothern; New York Public Library; Charles Ross; Ellen Terry and her caregiver Hilda Barnes. Miscellaneous and unidentified letters are grouped together at the end of the collection. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 3 | 23 | Beatty, Harry W., 1923-1926 | |||||||||
| 3 | 24 | Campanini, Cleofonte, 1913-1917 and undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 25 | Conolly, Thomas: outgoing, 1938 and undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 26 | Conolly, Thomas: incoming A-B, 1924-1943 | |||||||||
| 3 | 27 | Conolly, Thomas: incoming C-F, 1922-1941 | |||||||||
| 3 | 28 | Conolly, Thomas: incoming G-K, 1929-1942 | |||||||||
| 3 | 29 | Conolly, Thomas: incoming L-Q, 1927-1943 | |||||||||
| 3 | 30 | Conolly, Thomas: incoming R-Y, 1927-1938 | |||||||||
| 3 | 31 | Dufau, Jenny, 1914-1916 | |||||||||
| 3 | 32 | Harte, Bret, March 3, 1892 | |||||||||
| 3 | 33 | Johnson, Herbert M., 1923-1926 | |||||||||
| 3 | 34 | Lewis, W. S., 1933-1939 | |||||||||
| 3 | 35 | Library of Congress, 1932-1945 | |||||||||
| 3 | 36 | Marlowe, Julia and Sothern, Edward H, 1933-1943 and undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 37 | New York Public Library, 1930-1940 | |||||||||
| 3 | 38 | Ross, Charles, 1887-1922 and undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 39 | Terry, Ellen & Barnes, Hilda, 1925, 1926-1928 | |||||||||
| 3 | 40 | Miscellaneous letters A-P, 1800-1937 | |||||||||
| 3 | 41 | Miscellaneous letters R-Unidentified, 1819-1938 | |||||||||