Lester Donahue Performing Arts Collection

William H. Hannon Library
Loyola Marymount University
One LMU Drive, MS 8200
Los Angeles, CA 90045-8200
Phone: (310) 338-5710
Fax: (310) 338-5895
Email: special.collections@lmu.edu
URL: http://library.lmu.edu/
© 2013
Loyola Marymount University. All rights reserved.

Lester Donahue Performing Arts Collection

Collection number: 011

William H. Hannon Library

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California
Processed by:
Unknown Librarian
Date Completed:
perhaps 1995
Encoded by:
Alvaro González
© 2013 Loyola Marymount University. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Lester Donahue Performing Arts Collection
Dates: 1852-1963
Collection number: 011
Creator: Donahue, Lester
Collection Size: 7 archival document boxes and 14 oversize boxes 20 linear feet
Repository: Loyola Marymount University. Library. Department of Archives and Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90045-2659
Abstract: The Lester Donahue Collection consists of materials on performing artists that Donahue, himself a concert pianist, collected. The collection also contains a substantial amount of material pertaining to Madame Helena Modjeska, the nineteenth-century actress who immigrated from Poland to the Orange County area in 1876 and became a star of theater in the United States.
Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Access

Collection is open to research under the terms of use of the Department of Archives and Special Collections, Loyola Marymount University.

Publication Rights

Materials in the Department of Archives and Special Collections may be subject to copyright. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, Loyola Marymount University does not claim ownership of the copyright of any materials in its collections. The user or publisher must secure permission to publish from the copyright owner. Loyola Marymount University does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or of publication rights held by the original author or artists or his/her heirs, assigns, or executors.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Series number, Box and Folder number, Lester Donahue Performing Arts Collection, Collection 011, Department of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University.

Acquisition Information

Lester Donahue originally collected the materials in this collection. Loyola Marymount University (then Loyola University) acquired them in 1964 from Count Daniel and Countess Bernardine Donohue, who had been close friends of Donahue and who served as executors of his estate. Lester Donahue had stipulated in his will that the materials go to Loyola University (now Loyola Marymount University). Accession number 1995.18.

Lester Donahue Biography

Lester Donahue (1892-1964) was a Los Angeles-born concert pianist. A protégé of the actress Madame Helena Modjeska, Donahue studied piano in Los Angeles, Berlin, and Switzerland. His first concert tour was in the United States, with the coloratura soprano Ellen Beach Yaw; this was only the first of many tours throughout the United States and also Europe for Donahue in the 1910s and 1920s.
Donahue also served as the president of the Los Angeles Municipal Arts Commission. His interest in autographs and concert and musical programs and ephemera is reflected in the content of this collection.

Collection Description

This collection consists of several boxes of playbills, programs, and clippings pertaining to theater and film personalities from circa 1880 to circa 1950, with an emphasis on artists of 1910-1930.. Also in the collection are journal issues pertaining to performing arts, papers of Lester Donahue (including correspondence, certificates, articles written by him, etc.), sheet music, book jackets and artifacts
The collection also contains a substantial amount of material pertaining to Madame Helena Modjeska (1840-1909), the nineteenth-century actress who immigrated from Poland to the Orange County area in 1876 and became a star of theater in the United States. This fact reflects Lester Donahue's status as a protégé of Modjeska. Materials on Madame Modjeska include books, photographs, letters, playbills, scrapbooks, typescript biographies, and several artifacts belonging to the actress. See: Series One: Clippings, box 3, folder 171. Series Two: Programs, Box 5, folders 24, 42, and 43; box 6, folder 62; box 14ov, folder 8. Series Five: Portraits, Subseries B: Helena Modjeska; Series Seven: Music Box 9ov, folders 1 and 2. Series Eight: Scrapbooks Series. Nine: Artifacts, Box 12ov, folders 13-16.

NOTE: These books, shelved by call number, are part of the Lester Donahue Collection.

  • 1995.18.15 Robida, A. The City of Carcassonne. [192-?]. DC801 .C24 R6313 1920
  • 1995.18.16 Ford. DuBarry. c. 1902. DC135 .D8 F6 1902
  • 1995.18.17 Drew. Autobiographical Sketch of Mrs. John Drew. 1899. PN2287 .D63 A3 1899
  • 1995.18.18 Amiens La Cathédrale. 1918. NA5551 .A45 L4 1918
  • 1995.18.19 Lee. A Life of William Shakespeare. PR2894 .L4 1899
  • 1995.18.20 Brown. Joint Owners in Spain. PS1127 .J6 1925
  • 1995.18.21 Agard. The Glory that Was Greece. DF 77 .A5 1930
  • 1995.18.22 Patterson. Maude Adams. c1907. PN2287 .A4 P38 1907

The collection is arranged in the following series and subseries based on subject and format of materials. This may be the original order that Lester Donahue conceived.

  • Series One Clippings
  • Subseries A: People
  • Subseries B: Miscellaneous
  • Series Two Programs
  • Series Three Serials
  • Series Four Book Jackets
  • Series Five Portraits
  • Subseries A: General
  • Subseries B: Helena Modjeska
  • Series Six Lester Donahue Papers
  • Series Seven Music
  • Series Eight Scrapbooks
  • Series Nine Artifacts

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Donahue, Lester, 1892-1964
Modjeska, Helena, 1840-1909
Entertainers -- Biography
Actors -- Biography
Actresses -- Biography


 

Series 1: Clippings. Undated

Series Description

This series consists of newspaper clippings arranged into two subseries. Subseries A is "People," and contains items on actors and actresses, musicians, and authors.
 

Series 1, Subseries A:  People undated

Box:Folder 1:1

Adams, Maude

Box:Folder 1:2

Alda, Frances

Box:Folder 1:3

Anderson, Mary

Box:Folder 1:4

Anglin, Margaret

Box:Folder 1:5

Antheil, George

Box:Folder 1:6

Arditi, Luigi

Box:Folder 1:7

Arliss, George

Box:Folder 1:8

Armsby, Leonora Wood

Box:Folder 1:9

Arnold, Edward

Box:Folder 1:10

Arthur, Julia

Box:Folder 1:11

Auer, Leopold

Box:Folder 1:12

Bailey, Frankie

Box:Folder 1:13

Baring, Maurice

Box:Folder 1:14

Barry, Philip

Box:Folder 1:15

Barrymore, Diana

Box:Folder 1:16-17

Barrymore, Ethel

Box:Folder 1:18

Barrymore, John

Box:Folder 1:19

Barthelmess, Richard

Box:Folder 1:20

Basil, Wassily de

Box:Folder 1:21

Bauer, Harold

Box:Folder 1:22

Beecham, Sir Thomas

Box:Folder 1:23

Beerbohm, Max

Box:Folder 1:24

Beethoven

Box:Folder 1:25

Belasco, David

Box:Folder 1:26

Berlioz, Hector

Box:Folder 1:27

Bernhardt, Sarah

Box:Folder 1:28

Boardman, Eleanor

Box:Folder 1:29

Bond, Carrie Jacobs

Box:Folder 1:30

Booth, Edwin

Box:Folder 1:31

Bordoni, Irene

Box:Folder 1:32

Bori, Lucrezia

Box:Folder 1:33

Bos, C.V.

Box:Folder 1:34

Boulanger, Nadia

Box:Folder 1:35

Brady, William A.

Box:Folder 1:36

Brian, Donald

Box:Folder 1:37

Buhlig, Richard

Box:Folder 1:38

Burke, Billie

Box:Folder 1:39

Calvé, Emma

Box:Folder 1:40

Campbell, Mrs. Patrick

Box:Folder 1:41

Carpenter, John

Box:Folder 1:42

Carreno, Teresa

Box:Folder 1:43

Caruso, Enrico

Box:Folder 1:44

Casals, Pablo

Box:Folder 1:45

Castle, Irene

Box:Folder 1:46

Cather, Willa

Box:Folder 1:47

Cavallieri, Lina

Box:Folder 1:48

Chaliapin, Feodor

Box:Folder 1:49

Chaplin, Charlie

Box:Folder 1:50

Chatfield, Taylor, Hobart

Box:Folder 1:51

Chatterton, Ruth

Box:Folder 1:52

Chenal, Marthe

Box:Folder 1:53

Cochran, Charles B.

Box:Folder 1:54

Cohan, George M.

Box:Folder 1:55

Collier, Constance

Box:Folder 1:56

Colton, John

Box:Folder 1:57

Cornell, Katherine

Box:Folder 1:58

Cortot, Alfred

Box:Folder 1:59

Coward, Noel

Box:Folder 1:60

Cowles, Eugene

Box:Folder 1:61

Craig, Edward Gordon

Box:Folder 1:62

Crane, William H.

Box:Folder 1:63

Cuevas, Marquis de

Box:Folder 2:64

Damrosch, Walter

Box:Folder 2:65

Danilova, Alexander

Box:Folder 2:66

Debussy, Claude

Box:Folder 2:67

DeFalla, Manuel

Box:Folder 2:68

DeMille, Agnes

Box:Folder 2:69

Donahue, Lester

Box:Folder 2:70

Draper, Muriel

Box:Folder 2:71

Dressler, Marie

Box:Folder 2:72

Drew, John

Box:Folder 2:73

Duchin, Eddy

Box:Folder 2:74

Duncan, Isadora

Box:Folder 2:75

Duse, Eleonora

Box:Folder 2:76

Eagles, Jeanne

Box:Folder 2:77

Eames, Emma

Box:Folder 2:78

Elliott, Maxine

Box:Folder 2:79

Fairbanks, Douglas

Box:Folder 2:80

Farrar, Geraldine

Box:Folder 2:81

Fiske, Harrison Grey

Box:Folder 2:82

Fiske, Minnie Maddern

Box:Folder 2:83

Fitch, Clyde

Box:Folder 2:84

Flagstad, Kirsten

Box:Folder 2:85

Fokine, Michel

Box:Folder 2:86

Forbes-Robertson, Sir Johnston

Box:Folder 2:87

Forrest, Edwin

Box:Folder 2:88

Forrester, Izola

Box:Folder 2:89

Fowler, Gene

Box:Folder 2:90

Frank, Herman W.

Box:Folder 2:91

Fremstad, Olive

Box:Folder 2:92

Friedman, Ignaz

Box:Folder 2:93

Fry, Christopher

Box:Folder 2:94

Galli-Curci, Amelita

Box:Folder 2:95

Garden, Mary

Box:Folder 2:96

Gentle, Alice

Box:Folder 2:97

Gershwin, George

Box:Folder 2:98

Godowsky, Leopold

Box:Folder 2:99

Golden, John

Box:Folder 2:100

Goldwyn, Samuel

Box:Folder 2:101

Grainger, Percy

Box:Folder 2:102

Granville-Barter, Harley

Box:Folder 2:103

Greene, Patterson

Box:Folder 2:104

Guilbert, Yvette

Box:Folder 2:105

Guitry, Sacha

Box:Folder 2:106

Hammond, John Hays, Jr.

Box:Folder 2:107

Hampden, Walter

Box:Folder 2:108

Hart, William S.

Box:Folder 2:109

Hayes, Helen

Box:Folder 2:110

Henschel, George

Box:Folder 2:111

Herbert, Victor

Box:Folder 2:112

Herne, Chrystal

Box:Folder 2:113

Heyman, K. H.

Box:Folder 2:114

Hofmann, Josef

Box:Folder 2:115

Honegger, Arthur

Box:Folder 2:115.1

Hopper, Edna Wallace

Box:Folder 2:116

Hopper, Hedda

Box:Folder 2:117

Howard, Kathleen

Box:Folder 2:118

Howard, Leslie

Box:Folder 2:119

Huberman, Bronislaw

Box:Folder 2:120

Huneker, James Gibbons

Box:Folder 2:121

Hurok, S.

Box:Folder 2:122

Hutcheson, Ernest

Box:Folder 2:123

Irving, Henry

Box:Folder 2:124

Janis, Elsie

Box:Folder 2:125

Jefferson, Joseph

Box:Folder 2:126

Jeritza, Maria

Box:Folder 2:127

Jones, Isabel

Box:Folder 2:128

Joseffy, Rafael

Box:Folder 2:129

Joyce, Peggy Hopkins

Box:Folder 2:130

Kaufman, George

Box:Folder 2:131

Kendal

Box:Folder 2:132

Korngold, Erich

Box:Folder 2:133

Kreisler, Fritz

Box:Folder 2:134

Kubelik, Jan

Box:Folder 3:135

Lamond, Frederic

Box:Folder 3:136

Landowska, Wanda

Box:Folder 3:137

Langtry, Lillie

Box:Folder 3:138

Lasky, Jesse

Box:Folder 3:139

Lauder, Harry

Box:Folder 3:140

Lawrence, Gertrude

Box:Folder 3:141

LeGallienne, Eva

Box:Folder 3:142

Lehar, Franz

Box:Folder 3:143

Lehmann, Lilli

Box:Folder 3:144

Leichtentritt, Hugo

Box:Folder 3:145

Levant, Oscar

Box:Folder 3:146

Lhevinne, Josef

Box:Folder 3:147

Lind, Jenny

Box:Folder 3:148

Lindgren, Lydia

Box:Folder 3:149

Lunt, Alfred

Box:Folder 3:150

McArthur, Charles

Box:Folder 3:151

McCarthy, Lillah

Box:Folder 3:152

McCormack, John

Box:Folder 3:153

MacDowell, Marian

Box:Folder 3:154

Maeterlinck, Maurice

Box:Folder 3:155

Mansfield, Richard

Box:Folder 3:156

Mantle, Burns

Box:Folder 3:157

Marbury, Elisabeth

Box:Folder 3:158

Marlowe, Julia

Box:Folder 3:159

Martin-Harvey, John

Box:Folder 3:160

Martinelli, Giovanni

Box:Folder 3:161

Matthay, Tobias

Box:Folder 3:162

Maude, Cryil

Box:Folder 3:163

Maugham, W. Somerset

Box:Folder 3:164

Maxwell, Elsa

Box:Folder 3:165

May, Edna

Box:Folder 3:166

Melba, Nellie

Box:Folder 3:167

Mendl, Elsie de Wolfe

Box:Folder 3:168

Mengelberg, Willem

Box:Folder 3:169

Mistinguett

Box:Folder 3:170

Miura, Tamaki

Box:Folder 3:171

Modjeska, Helena

Box:Folder 3:172

Moiseiwitsche, Benno

Box:Folder 3:173

Molnar, Ferenc

Box:Folder 3:174

Montez, Lola

Box:Folder 3:175

Moore, Grace

Box:Folder 3:176

Mordkin, Mikail

Box:Folder 3:177

Moussorgsky

Box:Folder 3:178

Mowett, Anna Cora

Box:Folder 3:179

Mozart

Box:Folder 3:180

Nathan, George Jean

Box:Folder 3:181

Nazimonva, Alla

Box:Folder 3:182

Nielson, Alice

Box:Folder 3:183

Nijinsky, Vaclav

Box:Folder 3:184

Nordica, Lillian

Box:Folder 3:185

Novello, Ivor

Box:Folder 3:186

Odets, Clifford

Box:Folder 3:187

O'Neill, Eugene

Box:Folder 3:188

Ortero, La Belle

Box:Folder 3:189

Pachmann, Vladimir de

Box:Folder 3:190

Paderewski, Ignace Jan

Box:Folder 3:191

Painter, Eleanor

Box:Folder 3:192

Parker, Louise N.

Box:Folder 3:193

Patti, Adelina

Box:Folder 3:194

Payne, Theodore

Box:Folder 3:195

Pemberton, Brock

Box:Folder 3:196

Pickford, Mary

Box:Folder 3:197

Pierrot

Box:Folder 3:198

Pinza, Ezio

Box:Folder 3:199

Power, Tyrone

Box:Folder 3:200

Prokofieff, Sergei

Box:Folder 4:201

Rachmaninoff, Sergei

Box:Folder 4:202

Raisa, Rosa

Box:Folder 4:203

Rambova, Natacha

Box:Folder 4:204

Reinhardt, Max

Box:Folder 4:205

Renard, Rosita

Box:Folder 4:206

Reszke, Jean de

Box:Folder 4:207

Richardson, Henry Handel

Box:Folder 4:208

Ristori, Adelaide

Box:Folder 4:209

Robertson, W. Graham

Box:Folder 4:210

Robeson, Paul

Box:Folder 4:211

Rogers, Will

Box:Folder 4:212

Romberg, Sigmund

Box:Folder 4:213

Rosenthal, Moriz

Box:Folder 4:214

Russell, Lillian

Box:Folder 4:215

Scheff, Fritzi

Box:Folder 4:216

Schmitz, E. Robert

Box:Folder 4:217

Schnabel Artur

Box:Folder 4:218

Schoenberg, Arnold

Box:Folder 4:219

Schumann-Heink, Ernestine

Box:Folder 4:220

Shattuck, Arthur

Box:Folder 4:221

Sheldon, Edward

Box:Folder 4:222

Sherwood, Robert

Box:Folder 4:223

Skinner, Cornelia Otis

Box:Folder 4:224

Skinner, Otis

Box:Folder 4:225

Sothern, E. H.

Box:Folder 4:226

Sousa, John Philip

Box:Folder 4:227

Spalding, Albert

Box:Folder 4:228

St. Denis, Ruth

Box:Folder 4:229

Stanislavsky, Kinstantin

Box:Folder 4:230

Stevens, Ashton

Box:Folder 4:231

Stock, F. A.

Box:Folder 4:232

Stojowski, Sigismond

Box:Folder 4:233

Stokowski, Leopold

Box:Folder 4:234

Stokowski, Olga S.

Box:Folder 4:235

Strange, Michael

Box:Folder 4:236

Strauss, Richard

Box:Folder 4;237

Stravinsky, Igor

Box:Folder 4:238

Sullivan, Arthur

Box:Folder 4:239

Sylva, Marguerita

Box:Folder 4:240

Talmadge, Norma

Box:Folder 4:241

Taylor, Deems

Box:Folder 4:242

Taylor, Laurette

Box:Folder 4:243

Terry, Ellen

Box:Folder 4:244

Tetrazzini, Luisa

Box:Folder 4:245

Teyte, Maggie

Box:Folder 4:246

Thibaud, Jacques

Box:Folder 4:247

Tibbet, Lawrence

Box:Folder 4:248

Tree, Iris

Box:Folder 4:249

Toscanini, Arturo

Box:Folder 4:250

Tyler, George C.

Box:Folder 4:251

Ulanova, Galina

Box:Folder 4:252

Van Druten, John

Box:Folder 4:253

Vanbrugh, Irene

Box:Folder 4:254

Veiller, Bayard

Box:Folder 4:255

Verne, Adela

Box:Folder 4:256

Victoria, Vesta

Box:Folder 4:257

Wadsworth, Mary Mannering

Box:Folder 4:258

Wagner, Charles

Box:Folder 4:259

Wagner, Friedelind

Box:Folder 4:260

Warde, Frederick

Box:Folder 4:261

Warren, Leonard

Box:Folder 4:262

Watters, Gordon W.

Box:Folder 4:263

Whitty, Dame May

Box:Folder 4:264

Wood, Peggy

Box:Folder 4:265

Woods, A. H.

Box:Folder 4:266

Woollcott, Alexander

Box:Folder 4:267

Wright, Cobina

Box:Folder 4:268

Yurka, Blanche

 

Series 1, Subseries B:  Miscellaneous. 1926-1963

Box:Folder 5:269

Mass, Color, Life: The Russians Make Brilliant Beginning, [re: Russian Ballet], Boston Transcript January 18, 1926

Box:Folder 5:270

Testing Memories of Music Lovers, [re: music memory contests sponsored by women's clubs], Chicago Sunday Tribune February 21, 1926

Box:Folder 5:271

Ancient Town to Celebrate:Carcassonne, in France, Now 2000 Years of Age..., ; Carcassone to Celebrate 2000th Birthday, Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles School Journal [1928?]

Box:Folder 5:272

The Theatre, New Yorker January 19, 1929

Box:Folder 5:273

Ballet Theater Includes this City in Tour by Isabel Morse Jones, Los Angeles Times September 6, 1942

Box:Folder 5:274

[Newspaper picture of La Scala Theatre in Milan after allied attack], New York Times Sept. 11, 1943

Box:Folder 5:275

Britten's New Opera Potent, by Patterson Greene [ re: the Metropolitan Opera Production of Peter Grimes], Los Angeles Examiner April 16, 1948

Box:Folder 5:276

Di Stefano Artistry Hailed, by Patterson Greene [re: Manon at the Shrine Auditorium], Los Angeles Examiner April 21, 1948

Box:Folder 5:277

The Book Report, by Robert Kirsch [re: All the King's Ladies by John Harold Wilson], September 18, 1958

Box:Folder 5:278

Historic Chords Cover Keyboard, by Albert Goldberg. (Book review: The Great Pianists: From Mozart to the Present) Los Angeles Times December 22, 1963

 

Series 2: Programs. 1895-1963

Series Description

This series consists of programs for plays, movies, symphonies.
Box:Folder 14ov:1

Abbey's Theatre. The Chieftain; MacBeth beginning October 21, 1895; beginning Oct. 29, 1895

Box:Folder 5:1

Aida. Opera in four acts by Giusepe Verde. 2 copies October 26, 1955

Box:Folder 5:2

Anderson, Dame Judith, in the Major Scenes from MacBeth, Tower Beyond Tragedy, Medea. Huntington Hartford Theatre, opening Nov. 13, 1961.

Box:Folder 5:3

Ariadne auf Naxos. Opera in one act with prologue by Richard Strauss. 3 copies. Nov. 1 1957

Box:Folder 5:4

Auditorium [Los Angeles theater]. Program for La Tosca, Otello, Rigoletto, and Barber of Seville. Undated

Box:Folder 5:5

Auntie Mame. A new comedy by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. Biltmore Theatre 1958

Box:Folder 5:6

Ben-Hur. By General Lew Wallace. Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1926

Box:Folder 5:7

Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward. Biltmore Theatre. Undated

Box:Folder 5:8

Bolshoi Ballet. Shrine Auditorium May 19 through 30, 1959 and October 5 through October 16, 1962

Box:Folder 5:9

Boris Godounoff. Music drama in four acts...by Modeste Moussorgsky. n.y. Monday, Nov. 5

Box:Folder 5:10

British American War Relief Fund. Century Theatre. February 1st, 1916

Box:Folder 5:11

Callas, Maria Meneghini with symphony orchestra, Nicola Rescigno conductor. Shrine Auditorium. November 29, 1958

Box:Folder 5:12

The Carmelites. Opera in three acts...by Francis Foulenc. 3 copies. Oct. 29 1957

Box:Folder 5:13

Community Civic Music Association of Los Angeles. February 1961

Box:Folder 5:14

The Corn is Green by Emlyn Williams. National Theatre, New York; Biltmore Theatre. May 4, 1941; Undated

Box:Folder 5:15

Cosi' Fan Tutte. Opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 3 copies Wed. Nov. 6, 1957

Box:Folder 5:16

La Danse. Adeline Genee World-Famed Danseuse Assisted by M. Volinin and Corps de Ballet. (Souvenir program) Undated

Box:Folder 5:17

Dear Liar. A comedy of letters by Mrs. Patrick Campbell and Bernard Shaw. Huntington Hartford Theatre. (2 copies) Opening Nov. 16, 1959.

Box:Folder 5:18

Die Frau ohne Schatten. Opera in three acts by Richard Strauss. November 16 , 1960

Box:Folder 5:19

Die Walkure. Opera in three acts. Music and text by Richard Wagner. November 2, 1949

Box:Folder 14ov:2

Don Giovanni. Opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Metropolitan Opera House. Jan. 13, 1899

Box:Folder 5:20

Don Giovanni. Opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 2 copies. November 5, 1955 and October 28, 1962

Box:Folder 14ov:3

Donna Diana. A Spanish comedy of Moreto, adapted by Westland Marston. Globe Theatre Boston. Featuring Modjeska. March 1st to 6th, 1886

Box:Folder 5:21

Elektra. Opera in one act by Richard Strauss. 1958 1958

Box:Folder 5:22

Faust by Goethe. Pilgrimage Outdoor Theatre, Los Angeles. Also clippings from the Los Angles Times and Los Angeles Examiner. 1938

Box:Folder 5:23

Garden District. [By] Tennessee Williams. Nov. 1958

Box:Folder 5:24

Hamlet. Chicago Opera House. Edwin Booth as Hamlet and [Helena] Modjeska as Ophelia March 17, 1890 March 17, 1890

Box:Folder 5:25

Hamlet. 1958

Box:Folder 5:26

Heifetz- Piatigorsky Concerts with Leonard Pennario and guests. Scottish Rite-Masonic Temple September 14, 22, 29, No Year

Box:Folder 14ov:4

Henschel, Mr. and Mrs. Georg vocal recital January 10. 1901

Box:Folder 5:27

Henry V by William Shakespeare Oct. 1958

Box:Folder 5:28

I Know My Love. A new play by S. N. Behrman...Biltmore Theatre beginning March 28, No Year

Box:Folder 5:29

Junior Patriots of America. Hippodrome 8 April 1917

Box:Folder 5:30

Leningrad Kirov Ballet. Shrine Auditorium. November 21 through December 3, 1961.

Box:Folder 5:31

Long Day's Journey into Night. [By] Eugene O'Neill. Biltmore Theatre April 28, 1958

Box:Folder 5:32

Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Symphonies Under the Stars. July 30, 1958

Box:Folder 5:33

MacBeth. Opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. [By] William Shakespeare, February 24; Wednesday Oct. 30 1957; Tuesday Nov. 1

Box:Folder 5:34

A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt. Greek Theatre Association, July 22 through August 3, 1963

Box:Folder 5:35

The Man Who Came to Dinner. A new comedy by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman. Biltmore Theatre Feb. 12, 1940

Box:Folder 5:36

Manon. Opera in five acts. Book by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille. Music by Jules Massenet. April 20, 1948

Box:Folder 5:37

Mary Stuart [by] Friedrich Schiller. Biltmore Theatre, beginning Oct. 19, 1959

Box:Folder 5:38

Measure for Measure. Hollis St. Theatre. Modjeska accompanied by Mr. Eben Plympton and Her Own Company. March 26th to March 31st, 1888

Box:Folder 5:39

Medea. Opera in three acts by Luigi Chrubini. Freely adapted from "Medea" of Euripides by Robinson Jeffers Nov. 7 1958

Box:Folder 5:40

The Miracle. Book by Karl Vollmoeller, score by Engelbert Humperdinck, The Theatre International Seasons 1926-1927

Box:Folder 5:41

Das Mirakel von Carl Vollmoeller, mufic von Engelbert Humperdinck. Undated

Box:Folder 5:43

Modjeska, Helena. Performances at the Garrick Theater, two weeks beginning. Camille and Measure for Measure. October 7, 1895

Box:Folder 5:44

Moiseyev Dance Company. Shrine Auditorium. May 24-29 1958

Box:Folder 5:45

Moscow State Symphony. Shrine Auditorium. February 17 and 18, 1960

Box:Folder 14ov:5

Music Hall, Founded by William Carnegie. Sixteenth Season. 1893-1894

Box:Folder 5:46

My Fair Lady. Adapted from Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. Books and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. Music by Frederick Loewe. Los Angeles Civic Light Opera Association. Philharmonic Auditorium.

Box:Folder 5:47

Il Nerone de Arrigo Boito. 1924.

Box:Folder 5:48

Nude with Violin by Noel Coward. Belasco Theatre, premiere performance; Huntington Hartford Theatre. (2 copies); Also a menu from the Hotel Algonquin: "The Algonquin warmly welcomes Noel Coward[,] the Company and Friends on the opening of `Nude with Violin'" Nov. 14, 1957; two 1957 newspaper clippings; letter from Peggy Wood to Lester [Donahue] Nov. 14, 1957; March 11, 1958; Npv.14, 1957; 1957; Undated

Box:Folder 6:49

The Old Vic Company in a repertory of plays by William Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw. Orpheum Theatre. April 17 through May 5, 1962.

Box:Folder 6:50

Paderewski. Twentieth American tour. Souvenir Program. Shrine Auditorium, April 2, 1939 and April 9, 1939. April 2, 1939 and April 9, 1939

Box:Folder 6:51

Paris '90. Music and lyrics by Kay Swift. (Cornelia Otis Skinner in Her New Solo Production) Undated

Box:Folder 6:52

Peter Grimes. Opera in three acts and prologue. From the poem of George Crabbe. Words by Montagu Slater. Music by Benjamin Britten. 2 copies. April 15, 1948

Box:Folder 6:53

The Pleasure of His Company. A comedy by Samuel Taylor with Cornelia Otis Skinner with John Napier, Carolyn Groves. Biltmore Theatre Feb. 29, 1960

Box:Folder 6:54

Reinhardt, Max. Gilbert Miller presents Max Reinhardt New York Repertory Season, Signed by Reinhardt. 1927-1928

Box:Folder 14ov:6

Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner. Jan. 12th - Feb. 16th, No Year

Box:Folder 14ov:7

Romeo et Juliette. Metropolitan Opera House. Supplementary season of Grand Opera. April 1, No Year

Box:Folder 6:55

Friday Oct. 28 [1955?] 2 copies

Sunday Oct. 27 [1957?] 3 copies

Box:Folder 6:56

Rubinstein, Artur. Undated

Box:Folder 6:57

Russian Ballet, Royal Opera Covent Garden. July 2-10, 1920.

Box:Folder 6:58

San Francisco Opera. Shrine Auditorium. Southern California Symphony presents the San Francisco Opera; Shrine Auditorium. Southern California Symphony Association presents the San Francisco Opera. October 23 through November 10, 1959.; October 27 through November 19, 1961.

Box:Folder 6:59

San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Monteus, conductor. War Memorial Opera House. Tenth Program. February 20-22, 1947

Box:Folder 6:60

Scherzo. By Henry Cruse. Burbank Stage. Undated

Box:Folder 6:61

Sonfín und der Haupttreffer. Theater in der Josefstadt. 1924

Box:Folder 6:62

Testimonial Tendered by Her Friends to Madame Modjeska. Metropolitan Opera House. May 2, 1905

Box:Folder 6:63

Tosca. Opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini. November 18, 1962

Box:Folder 6:64

Tphigenie. Theater in der Josefstadt . 1928

Box:Folder 6:65

Tristan und Isolde. Opera in three acts. Music and text by Richard Wagner. October 18, 1949

Box:Folder 6:66

Trouilus and Cressida. Opera in three acts by William Walton. Nov. 4, 1955

Box:Folder 6:67

Turandot. Opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini. Nov. 5, 1957

Box:Folder 14ov:8

Twelfth Night. Globe Theatre (Boston), Featuring Modjeska. March 1-6, 1886

Box:Folder 6:68

Under Two Flags by Paul M. Potter. [A collections of photographic scenes from the play] Cover signed by Blanch Bates. Clippings about Bates are glued to inside front and back covers. 1901

Box:Folder 6:69

The Visit. A play by Friedrich Duerrenmatt. Adapted by Maurice Valency. Biltmore Theatre, beginning (2 copies); Also three newspaper clippings about the performance. Nov. 17, 1959; Nov. 18-19, 1959

Box:Folder 6:70

Wozzeck. Opera in three acts by Alban Berg. Undated

 

Series 3: Serials. 1894-1934

Series Description

This series consists of journals and magazines concerning the arts that Lester Donahue collected. The titles are arranged alphabetically.
Box:Folder 7:1

Comoedia, anno 6, no. 9 . May 10, 1924

Box:Folder 14ov:9

Eikones. Undated

Box:Folder 7:2-4

The Marie Burroughs Art Portfolio of Stage Celebrities, parts 1-14. 1894

Box:Folder 7:5

Paris Comet, vol. 2, no. 4 . [There is a picture of Lester Donahue on p. 47] September 1928

Box:Folder 7:6

The Philharmonic Review, vol. 9, no. 2 . November 1911

Box:Folder 7:7

Social Service Review. 1937-1939

vol. 1, no. 1 (October 1937). See p. 12: "Stokowski" by Lester Donahue

vol. 1, no. 4 (May 1938). See p. 10: "Artur Rubinstein" by Lester Donahue

vol. 2, no. 1 (October 1938). See p. 11: "Little Old Los Angeles" by Lester Donahue

vol. 2, no. 2 (December 1938). See p. 7: "Little Old Los Angeles" by Lester Donahue (continued from October issue)

vol. 2, no. 3 (March 1939). See p. 7: "Little Old Los Angeles" by Lester Donahue (continued from December issue).

vol. 2, no. 4 (May 1939). See p. 9: "Little Old Los Angeles" by Lester Donahue (the fourth and concluding article by Mr. Donahue on the theater in early days of Los Angeles)

Box:Folder 14ov:10

Le Theatré et Comoedia Illustré, 27 anneé, no. 33 . May 1, 1924

 

Series 4: Book Jackets. Undated

Series Description

This series consists of book jackets that Lester Donahue collected. The titles are arranged alphabetically.
Box:Folder 7:1

Costain, Thomas B. The Silver Chalice. Undated

Box:Folder 7:2

Falk, Bernard. Rachel The Immortal. Undated

Box:Folder 7:3

Fisher, Anne B. Cathedral in the Sun. Undated

Box:Folder 7:4

Nijinsky, Romola. The Diary of Vaslav Nijinsky. Undated

Box:Folder 7:5

Sheean, Vincent. Oscar Hammerstein 1: The Life an Exploits of an Impresario. Undated

Box:Folder 7:6

Sichel, Pierre. The Jersey Lily: The Story of the Fabulous Mrs. Langtry. Undated

Box:Folder 7:7

Thomas, Augustus. The Print of My Remembrance. Undated

Box:Folder 7:8

Woon, Basil. The Real Sarah Bernhardt Whom Her Audiences Never Knew. Undated

 

Series 5: Portraits. 1894-1934

Series Description

This series consists of portraits concerning the arts that Lester Donahue collected. The titles are arranged alphabetically.
 

Series 5, Subseries A:  General 1841-1948

Box:Folder 1ov:1

Alvares, Margarite d' [?], photograph, 21 x 15 cm. Inscribed "To Lester...." Undated

Box:Folder 1ov:2

Bernhardt, Sarah, (printed picture), framed 17 x 11 cm. "Sarah Bernhardt 1891" written under picture. 1891

Box:Folder 1ov:3

Campbell, Mrs. Patrick, photograph, framed 22 x 15 cm. "When I was young!" above picture. "Ophelia" and an inscription to Donahue written below picture. On back of frame: "Mrs. Patrick Campbell. Her Christmas card." 1932

Box:Folder 1ov:4

Duse, Eleanora (printed picture), framed 37 x 17 cm. On verso: "Eleanora Duse looks out over the dead city, in the play La Citta Morta." Undated

Box:Folder 1ov:5

Duse, Eleanora, photograph, framed 16 x 11 cm. Undated

Box:Folder 1ov:6

Hammond, John Hays, photograph, framed 23 x 15 cm. Undated

Box:Folder 1ov:7

Hofmann [?], Josef, printed photograph?, 16 x 11 cm. Written on image: "To Lester Donahue with best greetings and wishes. Josef Hofmann [?]. Los Angeles 1948." 1948

Box:Folder 2ov:8

Mossell, Herndon, 18 x 26 cm. Inscription under photograph: "Madame Helena Modjeska as a small token of respect and friendship for her ardent admirer Herdon Mossell. On Verso: "To my dear and kind friend. Helena Modjeska from hers my truly Herndon Mossell. London, Eng. July 20th 1880." Undated

Box:Folder 2ov:9

Paderewski, I. J., print of sketch?, framed 34 x 29 cm. Written under picture: "To Lester Donahue with every good wish from I. J. Paderewski...1939. 1939

 

Series 5, Subseries B:  Helena Modjeska 1883-1901

Box:Folder 4ov:19

Print of sketch, 26 x 20 cm. “Helena Modjeska” printed under image. Mounting board Undated

Box:Folder 4ov:20

Photograph, framed 23 x 12 cm. “Helena Modjeska” written under photograph. Undated

Box:Folder 4ov:21

Printed picture, framed 23 x 17 cm. On verso: “Madame Modjeska as `Mary Stuart’ Undated

Box:Folder 4ov:22

Printed picture, framed 20 x 15 cm. On verso: “Madame Modjeska as `Ophelia’ Undated

Box:Folder 4ov:23

Printed picture (lithograph?) Undated

Box:Folder 4ov:24

Photograph, mounted 31 x 26 cm. “Home of Madame Modjeska, Bay Island” Undated

Box:Folder 5ov:25

Photograph [?] of sketch, in oval frame, 35 x 30 cm. Written on verso: “Modjeska in private life--artist Wyatt Eaton, 1883 Century Mag.” 1883

Box:Folder 6ov:26

Photograph, framed, 49 x 43 cm. Written on verso: Mme. Helena Modjeska…as Constance in Shakespeare’s “King John” produced in 1901.” 1901

Box:Folder 7ov:27

Photograph, framed, 48 x 43 cm. Undated

 

Series 6: Lester Donahue Papers. 1894-1934

Series Description

This series consists of papers and letters concerning Lester Donahue's life.
Box:Folder 8ov:1

Lester Donahue’s First Holy Communion certificate. St Vincent’s Church 7 June 1903.

Box:Folder 8ov:2

Certificate appointing Lester Donahue as a member of the Los Angeles Board of Municipal Arts Commissioners. 24 July 1945.

Box:Folder 8ov:3

Certificate appointing Lester Donahue as a member of the Los Angeles Board of Municipal Arts Commissioners. 24 July 1950.

Box:Folder 7:1

Letter, George Arliss to Donahue. April 17, 1933.

Box:Folder 7:2

Letter, Charles L. Wagner to Donahue. February 11, 1939

Box:Folder 7:3

Letter, Elsie Mendl to Donahue. Undated

Box:Folder 7:4

“Letters to my grandmother from her parents in Ireland”: Oct. 1, 1883; Sept. 29, 1852; March 12, 1854; Oct. 25, 1909.

Box:Folder 7:5

“Modjeska Memoir” by Lester Donahue (4 copies)

Box:Folder 7:6

“Poland’s Noblest Daughter” by Lester Donahue

 

Series 7: Music Undated

Series Description

This series consists of sheet music that belonged to Lester Donahue
Box:Folder 9ov:1

Sheet music in leather folder. Most of the pieces have Helena Modjeska’s name written and/or stamped on the cover. Includes works by John Alden Carpenter, Chopin, Dvorak, and Schubert. Undated.

Box:Folder 9ov:2

Sheet music: Slavische Danze von Anton Dvorak, 1887. “Helena Modjeska” written on cover. Undated

Box:Folder 9ov:3

George Migot, Suite Pour Piano et Orchestre. Handwritten and bound in leather cover. “Lester Donahue” embossed on lower right of cover. Undated.

Box:Folder 9ov:4

Songs. Tom Dobson. Original Mss. [Bound] Undated.

 

Series 8: Scrapbooks 1907-1940

Series Description

This series consists of two scrapbooks. The first scrapbook highlights Helene Modjeska and the second highlights Lester Donahue's trip to Europe in 1928
Box:Folder 10ov:1

Modjeska Scrapbook. Contains articles and photographs pertaining to the unveiling of the Modjeska statue in Anaheim Park (1935); many printed portraits of Modjeska and her home; various postcards addressed to Lester Donahue; a letter from Helena Modjeska to Mrs. Donahue (Lester Donahue’s mother); two letters from Modjeska to Anna Feld Heinrich (1907); one letter from Charles Modjeska (grandson of Helena Modjeska) to Lester Donahue (1940); articles about Helena Modjeska’s funeral (April 12, 1909). 1907-1940

Box:Folder 15ov:1

Scrapbook of Lester Donahue’s 1928 European concert tour. The scrapbook contains snapshots and postcards of Paris and cities in Italy that Donahue visited on this tour. Purchased in 2001. Accession # 2002.50. 1928

 

Series 9: Artifacts 1893-1937

Series Description

This series consists of artifacts that belonged to Donahue, many once belonged to Helena Modjeska.
Box:Folder 11ov:1

Ribbon: Remembrance of First Holy Communion, St. Vincent’s Church Undated

Box:Folder 11ov:2

Ribbon: Boys Sodality of the Blessed Virgin, St. Vincent’s Church, Los Angeles, Undated

Box:Folder 11ov:3

Medal: Municipal Art Commission, City of Los Angeles (in small hinged case) Undated

Box:Folder 11ov:4

Small metal curved container with loose metal sculpture in the shape of a flower inside. Undated

Box:Folder 11ov:5

Round photograph of an unidentified man made into a pin. Undated

Box:Folder 11ov:6

Small metal figure of an angel slaying a dragon. Undated

Box:Folder 11ov:7

Small wooden carved crucifixes Undated

Box:Folder 11ov:8

Small gold pin with moon (“L.A.H.S.”) and star (“10”) Undated

Box:Folder 11ov:9

Straight gold pin with three small round metals attached Undated

Box:Folder 11ov:10

8 glass table place holders (?) Undated

Box:Folder 11ov:11

Two bronze Lincoln bookends. “Lincoln, 1809-1865.” Undated

Box:Folder 12ov:12

Pin cushion decorated with beads “From Niagara Falls 1893” 1893

Box:Folder 12ov:13

Helena Modjeska’s carved wooden music box. “Mont Pelerin” carved on cover. Note in box says “Music box (Helena’s) from Father and Virge in 1938. (Mount Pellerin) [sic] engraved on box front--not sure where box was purchased--in Poland or Amerika. Anelka [?]” Note also refers to the handkerchief (see next item): “Madame Helena Modjeska. Helena’s Handkerchief--I carried it when I was married. (From Poland.) Ralph and I married 1938--Witnesses[:] Virginia G. Modjeska[,] Lorena Weis. 1938

Box:Folder 12ov:14

Helena Modjeska’s handkerchief. (See note above, following music box.) Undated

Box:Folder 12ov:15

Helena Modjeska’s palette Undated

Box:Folder 13ov:16

Helena Modjeska’s candle holder. Note taped to bottom: “Candle holder belonged to Madame Helena Modjeska--Polish Shakespearean actress. Mother of Ralph Modjeska, Engineer on San Francisco Bridge, 1936-1937. 1936-1937

Box:Folder 14ov:1-10

This box contains oversized materials from Series Two (Programs) and Series Three (Serials). The materials are itemized above, under the lists for the two series. Undated

Box:Folder 15ov:1

This box contains a scrapbook of Donahue’s 1928 European tour from Series Eight. 1928