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COLLECTION Identifier: MS Thr 549

William Pleater Davidge collection of photographs

Overview

Photographs of the Davidge family and theatrical people collected by William Pleater Davidge and other members of the Davidge family.

Dates

  • Creation: 1867-1922.

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on physical access to this material.

Extent

3 linear feet (8 boxes)

Includes portraits, group portraits, photographs, tintypes, cabinet photographs, cartes-de-visite, lithographs, and printed images of the Davidge family and other actors and actresses. Collection of images are primarily from late 19th-century, with some earlier and later.

Biographical / Historical

William Pleater Davidge (1814-1888) was an English-born comic actor, dramatist, and author who emigrated to the United States in 1850. His son, William Thomas Davidge (1847-1899) was also a comic actor and was married to actress Maggie Harold Davidge (1852-1907).

Arrangement

Arranged by box number, then alphabetically by name of subject of image. Unidentified photographs are at end of each box listing.

Physical Location

b

Immediate Source of Acquisition

69M-147. Purchased with the F.E. Chase fund from Mr. and Mrs. William B. Davidge, 223 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, New York 11701. Purchased through Barbara Falk, P.O. Box 87, 58 New Street, Huntington, New York 11743; received: 1970 March.

Related Materials

See also: William Pleater Davidge Papers (bMS Thr 283) and William Pleater Davidge Additional Papers (2006MT-126r).

Processing Information

Processed by: Monique Duhaime, with the assistance of Melanie Wisner and Bonnie B. Salt

Collection was partially listed by box many years before finding aid was created. Organization by box number was retained to produce this finding aid. Collection is only minimally processed as many photographs remain unidentified.

Title
Davidge, William Pleater, 1814-1888. William Pleater Davidge collection of photographs, circa 1867-1922: Guide.
Author
Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
und
EAD ID
hou02043

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