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COLLECTION Identifier: MS Thr 766

Correspondence and other papers of Arthur Sullivan, W. S. Gilbert, and related persons

Overview

19th and 20th-century correspondence and papers of Arthur Sullivan, W. S. Gilbert, and other related persons.

Dates

  • Creation: 1834-1979

Language of Materials

Collection materials are primarily in English. Some materials in French and German.

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on physical access to this material.

Extent

1.25 linear feet (4 boxes and 1 portfolio box)

The bulk of this collection is comprised of 19th and 20th-century correspondence from Arthur Sullivan, W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert, and their peers in the theater and music world including F. C. (Francis Cowley) Burnand, Rupert D'Oyly Carte, George Grossmith, and Sir Arthur Wing Pinero, among others. Additional papers in this collection include manuscript music, librettos, drawings, contracts, and signatures. All materials in the collection relate in some manner to Gilbert and Sullivan, their work, and/or their peers. Many items include dealer information and pricing.

Biographical / Historical

Arthur Sullivan was an English composer. W. S. Gilbert was a English dramatist.

Arrangement

Arranged into the following series:

  1. I. Correspondence
  2. II. Other papers

Physical Location

b, pf

Immediate Source of Acquisition

2010MT-11. Gift of Thomas Garrett ; received: 2010 October 9.

Forms part of the Fredric Woodbridge Wilson Collection of Gilbert and Sullivan (Harvard Theatre Collection).

Processing Information

Processed by: Ashley M. Nary

Title
Correspondence and other papers of Arthur Sullivan, W. S. Gilbert, and related persons, 1834-1979: Guide.
Author
Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
und
EAD ID
hou02273

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