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Louise St. John Westervelt Collection of Theatrical and Musical Photographs

 Collection
Identifier: Midwest-MS-Westervelt

Scope and Content of the Collection

Collection of photographs, mainly cabinet photographs but also a few cartes de visite and a few reproductions, of international musical and theatrical performers of the nineteenth century. All photographs date from before 1894 with the exception of a photograph of dancer Ruth Page taken in 1930. Includes photographs of Sarah Bernhardt, Edwin Booth, Lilli Lehmann, Anton Rubinstein and Theodore Thomas.

Dates

  • Creation: 1869-1930
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1869 - 1891

Creator

Language

Materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

The Louise St. John Westervelt Collection is open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).

Ownership and Literary Rights

The Louise St. John Westervelt Collection is 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.

Biography of Louise St. John Westervelt

Chicago music teacher.

Louise St. John Westervelt was born in New York on Sept. 25, 1869 to John C. and Mary St. John Westervelt. After studying music in America and Europe, Westervelt taught voice in Davenport, Iowa, moving to Chicago sometime in the early 1900s. She was a faculty member at the Columbia School of Music and served as the conductor of the Columbia School Chorus. Westervelt retired in 1949 after 26 years as director of music for the National College of Education in Evanston, and moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin where she continued to be an instructor of voice. She died on May 22, 1961 in Kenosha.

Extent

0.6 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Abstract

Photographs, mainly cabinet photographs, of nineteenth-century musical and theatrical persons.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically with unidentified at the end.

Collection Stack Location

1 36 2

Provenance

Gift of Louise St. John Westervelt, 1938.

Processed by

Virginia H. Smith, 2003; Catherine Grandgeorge, 2018.

Title
Inventory of the Louise St. John Westervelt Collection of Theatrical and Musical Photographs, 1869-1930, bulk 1870-1891
Status
Completed
Author
Virginia H. Smith
Date
©2004.
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
60 West Walton Street
Chicago Illinois 60610 United States
312-255-3512