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COLLECTION Identifier: MS Thr 450

Arks Smith papers

Overview

Playbills for theater events, and photographic prints and negatives of various theater performances, taken by Arks Smith and others.

Dates

  • Creation: 1924-2022

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on physical access to this material. Collection is open for research.

A portion of this collection is stored off-site. Please consult Houghton Library Public Services for more information.

Extent

16 linear feet (25 boxes)

Contains photographic negatives, as well as photograph albums, scrapbooks, posters, and programs relating to theater and dance (primarily Rudolf Nureyev). The photographic negatives include performances of various ballet companies, including American Ballet Theatre, Bolshoi Ballet, Royal Ballet, and National Ballet. Also includes photographs of Daniel Pinkham from the musical Oklahoma! at Lincoln Center, rehearsals of the American Ballet Theatre, and of a dressing room birthday party for Rudolf Nureyev, among other items. The photograph albums are mainly focused on Nureyev and are accompanied by scrapbooks relating to Nureyev and other ballet performers and performances, a collection of souvenir ballet programs, and film and theatre magazines.

Biographical / Historical

Arks Smith (also known as Anne Rosemary Kathleen Smith) is a Massachusetts-based photographer.

Arrangement

Arranged into two series: I. Negatives and II. Additions to collection.

Physical Location

Harvard Depository

Immediate Source of Acquisition

2003MT-151. Gift of Arks Smith; received: 1986.

2011MT-14. Gifts of Arks Smith, 1985-2004.

2011MT-25. Gift of Arks Smith, 2009.

2015MT-28. Gift of Arks Smith, 2015. 2024MT-54. Gift of Arks Smith, 2024 March 12.

Processing Information

Negatives (series I) are identified by their roll number.

Processing Information

Aleph ID / Alma ID

009719372

222096290870003941

Processing Information

MS Thr 450 consisted only of a single gift from Arks Smith until 2024. In March, 2024, all accruals were added to this collection and minimally described by Betts Coup.

Title
Smith, Arks. Arks Smith papers, 1924-2022: Guide.
Status
completed
Author
Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
Date
2024 March 22
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Language of description
eng
EAD ID
hou01565

Repository Details

Part of the Houghton Library Repository

Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Houghton Library’s Reading Room is free and open to all who wish to use the library’s collections.

Contact:
Harvard Yard
Harvard University
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2440