RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE PRINT COLLECTION

T

HE late Auguste Lepère's etching of Amiens Cathedral stands out with a special and striking interest in the exhibition of "Recent Additions" to the print collection. It forms part of a group of accessions to the S. P. Avery collection, which includes also an etching of the Library itself by John C. Vondrous, A. F. Affleck's "Burgos Gateway," two wood-engravings in color by C. W. Bartlett, one showing the "Taj Mahal" by moonlight, and three of Rudolph Ruzicka's characteristic New York City scenes in wood-engraving, illustrating his work in black-and-white, in color, and in chiaroscuro.

American etchers represented are G. E. Burr, A. W. Heintzelman, and J. C. Nicoll. With the exception of Spenser Pryse's capital "Flight by Sea,” the lithographs in the show, particularly numerous, are all by Americans. The list includes Bolton Brown (whose interest in the process is contagious, and who has paid special and successful attention to printing), Vernon Howe Bailey (who furnishes a graphic record of our war industries), John Sloan, Ernest Watson, Leo Mielziner (portrait of General Pershing), and Adolph Treidler. Americans, again, have signed the wood-engravings here shown: Timothy Cole, R. Ruzicka, Charles M. Johnson, J. J. Lankes. Likewise American are the designers of the book-plates: Franklin Booth, E. B. Bird, E. D. French, Ruzicka, A. N. Macdonald, W. F. Hopson, and Jay Chambers. Mezzotints in color by W. G. Blackall and C. R. James emphasize the interest in this kind of work, particularly in England, since the days of Morland.

A pendant to Lepère's "Amiens" is formed by Wenzel Hollar's seventeenth century etching of Antwerp, a large plate by that honestly capable craftsman. The next century is represented by a caseful of small portraits in engravings by Mathey, the elder Ravenet, Alix, Perefixe and Retz.

A different world is opened up by the selection from the Japanese prints given by Mr. Samuel Colman, which range from the primitives to the nineteenth century, and include both black-and-white and color prints. Morikuni, Yeishi, Masanobu, Sukenobu, and Hokusai, are to be seen in characteristic examples.

Finally, there are some exhibits especially of historical interest: early views of San Francisco, A. H. Ritchie's large steel engraving of "Martha Washington's Reception," S. L. Smith's engraved reproduction of Paul Revere's "Colleges in Cambridge," G. F. C. Smillie's steel-plate portrait of President Wilson, and some drawings by Louis Maurer. Maurer was intimately connected with lithographic production during what may be called

the Currier and Ives period and later, having done, for example, many of the cartoons during the presidential campaigns of 1856 and 1860. One of the present drawings shows the grand stand on the old Union Race Course, with Hiram Woodruff and others driving trotting horses. Maurer's large lithograph, "Preparing for Market," illustrates a farmyard in New York State over 60 years ago.

It will be seen, therefore, that this year's show is more miscellaneous than ever, and if the visitor will but choose what he likes and pass the rest, various tastes may be satisfied.

NEWS OF THE MONTH

GIFTS

URING the month of May, 1919, the Library received as gifts a total of 2,605 volumes, 4,886 pamphlets, 40 maps and 39 prints. Some of the

more important and interesting of these gifts were the following:

Mr. Ellwood Hendricks of New York presented to the Library 40 autograph letters from Lafcadio Hearn written from Japan to Mr. Hendricks, during the years 1891, 1893 to 1898, 1902.

From the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, Prof. James T. Shotwell, Librarian, came a collection of propaganda material circulated by the different delegations at the Peace Conference, 1919, comprising 4 volumes and 80 pamphlets; from Mrs. Ella Dexter McCrea of Evanston, Ill., came a volume containing. 98 portraits of prominent men of the Civil War period engraved by H. D. Hall, John A. O'Neill, J. W. Paradice, and issued by Elias Dexter (grandfather of the donor). This was Mr. Dexter's own copy. Prof. Henry Fairfield Osborn gave the Library a collection of Russian newspapers, posters, broadsides, leaflets, including translations from Russian papers and mainly relating to the early period of the Revolution and to the negotiations at Brest-Litovsk.

From Mr. Frederick S. Dellenbaugh of New York came the autograph manuscript diaries of Almon Harris Thompson and wife on the exploration of the Green and Colorado Rivers and adjacent country, 1871 and 1873, also art catalogues, prints, programmes, menus, etc. Miss Isabel F. Hapgood gave the Library a collection of manuscript material, clippings, etc., including 25 letters (from J. W. Mackail, Julia Cantacuzène-Speransky-Grant, E. G. Narishkin, Mistress of the Robes to the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, etc.). From Mrs. Alfred Meyer of New York came a letter from John S. Kennedy,

3 June, 1896, announcing to Mrs. Meyer his purchase of the Emmet Collection for The New York Public Library; and a letter from Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet in which he informs Mrs. Meyer of Mr. Kennedy's purchase.

From Mr. Carl Fischer of New York came a collection of music published by him; and from Witmark & Sons came 36 pieces of vocal sheet music published by them.

Mr. Henry S. Adams, editor of "The Spur," New York, gave a collection of theatrical souvenir albums, portraits of composers and theatrical celebrities; Mrs. Claude Greppo of New York gave a miscellaneous collection of French books; Mr. Finley J. Shepard, a miscellaneous collection of books, prints, etc., comprising 108 volumes, 85 pamphlets, 30 prints and 1 map; and Mr. Takeshi Doki, of Tokio, a copy of the Biography of Prince Tokugawa Keiki (Hitotsu-bashi Yoshinobu) 1837-1897, in eight volumes. From Mr. Seth Thomas, jr., of Morristown, N. J., came 190 volumes, including works on art, exploration, music, etc.

D

ADDITIONS AND USE OF THE LIBRARY IN MAY, 1919

URING the month of May, 1919, there were received at the Library 13,980 volumes and 5,561 pamphlets. (These include the additions to both Reference and Circulation Departments.) The total number of readers recorded in the Central Building was 75,377. They consulted 187,492 volumes. Visitors to the building numbered 222,751.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCENIC ART

AND STAGE MACHINERY

A LIST OF REFERENCES IN THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

COMPILED BY WILLIAM BURT GAMBLE

Chief of the Technology Division

THIS

PREFACE

HIS work is the result of numerous requests made in the Technology Division for information concerning stage machinery and lighting. In an effort to compile a short list which should satisfy ordinary wants, many references to excellent material on scene-painting, scenic history, pictures, and other matters of interest were noted. As these seemed too valuable to omit it was decided, through an extension of the list into the fields of literature, history, travel, and art, to enlarge the scope of the first plan.

The work had not progressed far before a large number of references to stage pictures had been catalogued. These were published in 1917 under the title: "Stage scenery: a list of references to illustrations since 1900" (New York Public Library Bulletin, May and June, 1917, v. 21, nos. 5 and 6. Also issued as a separate). References to pictures antedating 1900, still in manuscript, may be consulted on application to the Technology librarian in Room 115.

The following list directs the reader into many byways of interest: stage technique of the ancients and the archaeological investigations and controversies concerning it; the mediaeval stage and the various accounts of the quaint apparatus and properties used; the Elizabethan playhouse and the discussions as to its true character; the Oriental stage, including the marvellous shadow puppets of the Javanese; stage development in England, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia, and America; practical scene painting; scenic history from its crude beginnings, through the days of Sir William D'Avenant and of De Loutherbourg, down to the modern conceptions of Gordon Craig, Granville Barker, Leon Bakst, and Max Reinhardt, including the technique of the "art theatres," especially of Munich, Paris, and Moscow; the history and present art of stage mechanics in which it may be noted that many of the devices which we claim as modern are not so modern after all; and finally, references to the remarkable development of the open-air theatre.

A few words concerning the dramatic collection of the Library may not be out of place:

The number of printed plays is large, embracing many languages. These are listed in the public catalogue (Room 315) under the heading Drama, as: Drama (American), Drama (English), etc. References to the dramas of certain Oriental countries may be found under the literature heading, as: Arabic literature: Drama. The following sources should also be noted:

(1): List of American dramas (New York Public Library Bulletin, Oct., 1915, v. 19, no. 10, p. 739-786, also issued as a separate). Room 315.

:

(2): List of dramas relating to the Jews, and dramas in Hebrew, Judeo-Spanish, and JudeoGerman, together with essays on the Jewish stage (New York Public Library Bulletin, Jan., 1907, v. 11, no. 1, p. 18–51, also issued as a separate). Room 315. (3) List of works relating to the Oriental drama (New York Public Library Bulletin, April, 1906, v. 10, no. 4, p. 250–256, also issued as a separate). Room 315. (4): Pageants in Great Britain and the United States, a list of references (New York Public Library Bulletin, Oct., 1916, v. 20, p. 753-791, also issued as a separate). Room 315.

(5) United States Copyright Office: Dramatic compositions copyrighted in the United States, 1870-1916. Washington, 1918. 2 v. Room 315.

(6) The Dramatic index, 1906-date, an exhaustive annual covering books as well as the principal and special periodicals of America and England. Room 315. (7): Reginald Clarence's stage cyclopedia, “an alphabetical list of plays and other stage pieces of which any record can be found since the commencement of the English stage." Room 315.

(8): For records of modern productions see Theatre magazine, New York; the Stage yearbook, London; Das Theater, Berlin; Le théâtre, Paris; Yezhegodnik Imperatorskikh Teatrov, St. Petersburg. Room 315.

:

(9) The Becks collection of prompt-books used by famous actors. A list of these was published in The New York Public Library Bulletin, Feb., 1906, v. 10, p. 101-148, also issued later as a separate. Room 315.

(10) See also the following headings in the catalogue, Room 315: Stage; Actors and acting; Amateur theatricals; Amphitheatres; Stage machinery; Fires in theatres; Opera houses; Stage scenery; Panoramas; Magic; Legerdemain; College theatricals; Pantomime; Tableaux; School entertainments; Moving pictures; Ballet; Folk plays; Costume; Masks; Miracle plays; Passion plays; Puppet plays; Theatres; Vaudeville; and Theatre (Open air).

The Library is rich in early editions of Shakespeare (all of the folios and a good selection of quartos), also many later editions, as well as books about Shakespeare. See heading Shakespeare in the catalogue, especially Shakespeare. - Staging of. Worthy of note is the Ellison collection of works on magic and legerdemain, one of the best of its kind, including twenty-five scrap-books of letters, clippings, and magazine articles. Room 315.

The reader should also consult:

(1) Art Room (313): A clipping collection of stage pictures as well as extra-illustrated works containing portraits of old-time actors and actresses. Here are also the works on costume, theatre architecture, and the art and architectural cyclopedias containing biographies of scene-painters and architects.

(2) Music Room (323): A card index of stage pictures, principally of the opera; also books about opera and a collection of portfolios containing pictures of the decorations for the Bayreuth productions.

(3) The Main Reading Room: Reference books of general interest to students of the drama; also biographical and general cyclopedias.