Resources for the 19th Century

Resources

• The 19th Century London Stage: An Exploration Since 1995, a work in progress by PhD students and faculty at the University of Washington. Developed from a collection of more then 1800 British acting editions in the University Library.

• African American Artists. "This website is for African American Artists and an on-line portal for both African America Artists and African American History. The primary aim of this website is to encourage research activity on people of African descent and to provide information to the study of the African Diaspora." A site rich in resources.

• On-line biographic study of Michael Balfe, 19th century composer of The Bohemian Girl. "This site covers the life, times and works of the eminent Dublin born, 19th century composer, Michael W. Balfe. He wrote 28 operas, many of which have been performed around the world during the past 165 years." A site maintained by Basil Walsh, writer and biographer. Mr. Walsh is also the author of Catherine Hayes (1818-1861): The Hibernian Prima Donna.

• The Michael Booth Collection of 19th Century theatrical posters, paintings, playbills, costumes and designs, collected by Professor Michael Booth, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. In the University of Newcastle Department of Drama, NSW, Australia. Back on-line after a year long hiatus, thanks to the efforts of Professor Victor Emeljanow and the staff of the University of Newcastle Media Production Unit.

• Down Under in the 19th Century. "Scholarly" may be too strong an appelation, but this fantastical and whimsical site may lead the curious student of the theatre to more well documented resources. Maintained in New Zealand by Mr. Mel Moratti.

• Footlight Notes, a British Music Hall Web Ring Site, maintained by John Culme, devoted to the theatre between 1850 and 1920. Interesting biographical notes on actors and performers; historical studies of performance and production.

• "Hunderttausend Thaler" - Öffentliche Vergnügungen in Berlin 1848. A chronology of public performances in Berlin in 1848.

• James Robinson Planché (1794-1880) Notes on the author and his life. [Site posted by Paul J. Buczkowski in 1999. Last updated in 2005.]

• The Victoria Research Web, an excellent resource containing links to Victorian studies sites world-wide . The site is maintained by Professor Patrick Leary in the History Department of Indiana University.

• The Victorian Web created and maintained by George P. Landow, Professor of English and Art History, Brown University, a leading authority on Victorian art and literature and the author of numerous works on hypertext theory and application.

  The Victorian Literary Studies Archive, a Hyper-Concordance. A site maintained by Mitsuharu Matsuoka, Graduate School of Languages and Cultures, Nagoya University, Japan.

• The Victorian & Edwardian Theatre Collection's Theatre History Resources at the Templeman Library, University of Kent at Canterbury, and the Theatre History Collection. Excellent links to 17th, 18th and 19th century resources, with a special section on the Savoy Operas.

Music

• 19th Century Opera and Theatre Music, form the collection in the Department of Music, University College, Cork Ireland. At this same site is the more comprehensive Music At UCC: Web Resources for Study and Research in Music, which includes music materials from the Middle Ages to the present.

• African American Music. African American Musical theatre sheet music from the Brown University collection. "This collection consists of 1,305 pieces of African-American sheet music dating from 1850 through 1920." Excellent resource.

• Music History of the 19th Century. Part of the "Music History On-Line" series.

19th Century Woman

• British Women Playwrights Around 1800. Professors Tom Crochunis and Michael Laplace-Sinatra, General Editors. This site has been subsumed by the more general "Romanticism on the Net." Has some useful links, however.

• Mrs. Leslie Carter, 1862 - 1937. A biographical study of the "American Sarah Bernhardt", the work of Craig D. Clinton, Reed College, Portland OR

• Life and Times of Actress EJ Phillips (1880s & 1890s); "Her dramatic career, cross-country travels, family life, Golden Age of the American theatre & Arrival of the 20th century." The site created by Em Turner Nickinson Kuhl and Mary Glen Kuhl Chitty. This site is a treasury of late 19th century American theatrical information, with copious links to major theatrical figures, theatres and productions of the period.

Victorian Ephemera

• Cheyne Walk Limited, Fine Art publishers. Victorian Subjects and musical instruments.

• Victoriana: Resources for Victorian Living. This commercial site includes an excellent "library" of Victorian web-sites and a fine listing of Victorian museums and Historical Societies.

• Go Antiques Excellent commercial resource for antique lighting instruments, many from the 19th century collection.

  Toy Theatres

  • Fritz Kannik's Toy Theatre Page An unusual and whimsical site, with links to costume and pattern production, and to 18th century reenactment activities.

Victorian Database Online

• Victorian Database Online Listing of British studies, more than 100,000 books, articles and dissertation abstracts published between 1970 and 1999. The database has an excellent search engine (try theatre and drama as keywords), and in its present beta version provides good bibliographic information.

• 19th Century Theatre, Theatre Database Resources. Links to contemporary 19th century resource materials.

Theatres

The Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre Project, 1806-1900, with a section on the Adelphi Theatre today. Eastern Michigan University under the general editorship of Albert L. Nelson and Gilbert B. Cross, with contributors nationwide. Contents include history, management, authors and titles of pieces performed; performers and bibliography, plus extensive information regarding the present operation of the theatre. An excellent site.

The Birdcage Theatre

• Tombstone, Arizona's 19th century Birdcage Theatre.

  Part of A Ghost in My Suitcase: Your Guide to Haunted Travel in America, a site with links to a grand assortment of haunted venues throughout North America.

  This resource has photos that should prove invaluable to scenic artists.

The Chestnut Street Theatre

• Chestnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia. Although opened in 1794, the Chestnut Street is more to be regarded as a 19th than an 18th century theatre. The hay day of its company was from 1800 'til 1835, and the building was not completed until 1805, and lit by gas in 1816.

  This study has been developed around a 3D computer model of the building, and focuses on the theatre building rather than on the acting company or the production staff.

The Paris Opera

• Paris Opera House Four excellent black and white reproductions of the interior of the opera house, located on The Phantom of the Opera Appreciation Site, maintained by Christine Daae, who promises to add additional pictures to this site "soon."

• In the Great Buildings Collection of Architecture, Design, History, Images, and 3D Models. This is an excellent resource in which to find information about architects and their buildings. Biographies, photographs and models. Charles Garnier's Paris Opera is represented in this collection with a biography of the architect, a photo of the building, and a photo of the sectional model in the Musee d'Orsay.

The San Diego Theatre
• San Diego Theatre, Theatre History in the 19th Century; a site maintained by the San Diego Historical Society. Solid account.

The Woodward Opera House

• The Woodward Opera House, "America's oldest authentic 19th century opera house." (Mt.Vernon, OH) Detailed exploration of the theatre and its history, with an excellent photo tour of the building.