Guide to the Edwin Booth Family Collection

Special Collections & Archives

University Library

California State University, Northridge

18111 Nordhoff Street

Northridge, CA 91330-8326

URL: https://library.csun.edu/SCA

Contact: https://library.csun.edu/SCA/Contact

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Contributing Institution: Special Collections & Archives

Title: Edwin Booth Family Collection

Creator: Booth Family

Identifier/Call Number: SC.EBF

Extent: 8.31 linear feet

Date (inclusive): 1865-1962

Abstract: Edwin Booth was a 19th century American actor from a well-known acting family that also included his thespian brothers Junius Brutus Jr. and John Wilkes Booth. Booth made his stage debut in 1849, and his great granddaughter Edwina Booth Waterbury Cutting continued the family vocational tradition by pursuing an acting career of her own in the 1930s and 1940s. The Edwin Booth Family Collection contains ephemera and photographs related to Edwin Booth's acting career and the personal and professional lives of his descendants.

Language of Material: English

Family History:

Actor Edwin Booth (1833-1893) was well-known for his work as a tragedian, especially playing Shakespeare's Hamlet. Booth was son of actor Junius Brutus Booth, and sibling to actors Junius Brutus Booth, Jr., John Wilkes Booth, and writer Asia Booth Clarke. Edwin made his stage debut in 1849 with his father Junius. After his father's death in 1852, Edwin toured Australia and Hawaii, earning stage recognition during his 1856 engagement in Sacramento, California. He is remembered today for his Shakespeare performances, particularly his Hamlet in 1864-1865, which he produced with brothers Junius and John.

In 1861, Edwin married Mary Devlin and they had one daughter Edwina (1861-1938). Edwina married banker Ignatius Grossman in 1885. They had two children, Clarence Edwin Booth Grossman, an artist, and Mildred Booth Grossman (1886-1960). During World War I, some family members changed their last name from Grossman to Crossman due to anti-German sentiment. Mildred had three marriages, with the first to Fordham C. Mahony in 1907. She married Cleveland Livingston Waterbury in 1916, and they had two children, Booth (1917-1974) and Edwina (1918-1985). Mildred's third husband was Arthur C. Tilton. Mildred's daughter Edwina is referred to as "Hope" in early family albums. She married actor Richard H. Cutting in 1951.

Scope and Contents

The Edwin Booth Family Collection contains photographs, correspondence, and ephemera related to Edwin Booth and his descendants. The collection is arranged into two series: Series I: Edwin Booth (1865-1891), Series II: Booth Family (1870-1962).

Series I, Edwin Booth, consists of correspondence written by Edwin, theater programs, autographs, and ephemera from Edwin's lifetime, as well as photographs of Edwin and contemporary actors. Materials are arranged chronologically.

Series II, Booth Family, contains correspondence written by Edwin's family members and newspaper clippings collected by family members about Edwin's career and legacy after his death. It also includes correspondence and ephemera related to Booth's granddaughter Mildred Booth Grossman Waterbury Tilton, great granddaughter Edwina Booth Waterbury Cutting, Edwina's stepfather Arthur Colburn Tilton, and other relatives. The press, photographs, and publications document the installation of the Edwin Booth statue in Gramercy Park, Mildred's husband Cleveland Livingston Waterbury's World War I training, family trips on the RMS Lucania in 1894, trips to Jamaica, and Mildred's last husband Arthur C. Tilton's Harvard College ephemera. There are also a small number of materials related to the Players Club founded by Edwin in 1888, Edwin's home Boothden built in 1883 in Middletown, Rhode Island, and the Booth family home Tudor Hall in Bel Air, Maryland. Materials are arranged chronologically, with female family members described by their maiden names.

Arrangement of Materials:

Series I: Edwin Booth, 1865-1891

Series II: Booth Family, 1870-1962

Conditions Governing Access:

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use:

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Edwina Booth Cutting. 1972.

Preferred Citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materials guide.

Processing Information:

Tony Gardner, 2010

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Ephemera

Documents

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Audiovisual materials

Series I: Edwin Booth, 1865-1891

Box 1, Folder 1

Hamlet Winter Garden Programs, 1865 March 22-1866 January 3

Box 1, Folder 2

Hamlet Program, 1866

Box 1, Folder 3

Booth, Edwin to G.H. Howard Correspondence, 1879 November 9

Box 1, Folder 4

Boothden House Photograph, 1886

Box 1, Folder 5

Booth, Edwin with Edwina and Mildred Grossman at Boothden Photographs, ca. 1886-1887

Box 1, Folder 6

Booth, Edwin Photograph, 1889 September 10

Box 1, Folder 7

Booth, Edwin and Edwina Booth, Mildred, Clarence, and Bella Grossman at Rosalind, Narraganset Pier Photograph, ca. 1889

Box 1, Folder 8

Booth, Edwin Photograph, ca. 1889

Box 1, Folder 9

Booth, Edwin at Boothden Photograph, August 1889

Box 1, Folder 10

Booth, Edwin Photograph, ca. 1890

Box 1, Folder 11

Booth, Edwin with Mildred and Clarence Grossman Photograph, ca. 1890

Box 1, Folder 12

Booth, Edwin Calling Cards and Comp Tickets to National Academy of Design and Grolier Club, ca. 1890-1891

Box 1, Folder 13

Booth, Edwin with Edwina Booth and Mildred Grossman Photograph, 1891

Box 1, Folder 14

Booth, Edwin to Mildred Grossman Correspondence, 1891 March 20

Box 1, Folder 15

Booth, Edwin and Lawrence Barrett Signatures

Box 3, Folder 1

Booth, Edwin as Hamlet Etching, ca. 1865-1890

Box 3, Folder 2

Othello and Hamlet Boston Theatre Program, 1886 May 10-15

Box 3, Folder 3

Booth, Edwin Photograph, ca. 1889

Box 3, Folder 4

Booth, Edwin Photograph, ca. 1889

Box 3, Folder 5

Modjeska, Helena Photograph, ca. 1891

Box 4, Item 1

Humidor

Box 5, Item 1

Metal and Wood Strong Box

Box 6, Item 1

Stamp Box

Folder 1

Booth, Edwin and Lawrence Barrett Photograph, ca. 1890

Folder 2

Booth, Edwin and Lawrence Barrett Photographs, ca. 1890

Series II: Booth Family, 1870-1962

Box 1, Folder 16

Booth, Edwina at Notre Dame Academy, Philadelphia, ca. 1870

Box 1, Folder 17

Booth, Edwina Photograph, ca. 1873-1884

Box 1, Folder 18

[Booth, Edwina] Photographs, ca. 1877-1884

Box 1, Folder 19

Booth, Edwina Photograph, ca. 1880-1884

Box 1, Folder 20

Grossman, Ignatius and Edwina Booth Honeymoon Photograph, 1885

Box 1, Folder 21

Booth, Edwina Photograph, 1886

Box 1, Folder 22

Grossman, Mildred Photograph, ca. 1886

Box 1, Folder 23

Grossman, Mildred [Gelatin Dry Plate] Transparency, ca. 1886

Box 1, Folder 24

Booth, Edwina and Mildred Grossman Photograph, ca. 1886

Box 1, Folder 25

Grossman, Mildred Photographs, ca. 1886

Box 1, Folder 26

Grossman, Ignatius and Mildred Photograph, ca. 1886

Box 1, Folder 27

Booth, Edwina, Mildred, and Clarence Grossman Photograph, ca. 1887

Box 1, Folder 28

Booth, Edwina and Mildred Grossman Photograph, ca. 1887

Box 1, Folder 29

Grossman, Clarence Photograph, ca. September 1888

Box 1, Folder 30

Booth, Edwina Photograph, 1889

Box 1, Folder 31

Domestic Pattern Advertising Card, ca. 1890

Box 1, Folder 32

Grossman, Mildred with Ted and Nurse Photographs, 1890

Box 1, Folder 33

Grossman, Emma and Arpad with Clarence, Ignatius, Edwina Booth, and Mildred Photograph, 1891

Box 1, Folder 34

Grossman, Mildred with Ted Photograph, 1891

Box 1, Folder 35

Grossman, Mildred and Clarence Photographs, August 1891

Box 1, Folder 36

Grossman, Mildred Photographs, 1892

Box 1, Folder 37

Grossman, Mildred Photograph, ca. 1892

Box 1, Folder 38

RMS Lucania Voyage Photographs, ca. July-October 1894

Box 1, Folder 39

Grossman, Ignatius, Arpad, Mildred, and Clarence on RMS Lucania Photographs, July-October 1894

Box 1, Folder 40

Grossman, Mildred and Clarence on RMS Lucania Photographs, July-October 1894

Box 2, Folder 1

Grossman, Clarence and Dog Photograph, ca. 1894

Box 2, Folder 2

Grossman, Mildred and Clarence at Godshill, Isle of Wight Photograph, 1894

Box 2, Folder 3

Baker, Mary at Anne Hathaway Cottage, Shattery, 1894

Box 2, Folder 4

Grossman, Mildred at Swampscott Photograph, ca. 1900-1910

Box 2, Folder 5

Grossman, Mildred at Narragansett Pier Photograph and Negative, ca. 1910-1916

Box 2, Folder 6

Grossman, Ignatius Photograph, ca. 1910-1920

Box 2, Folder 7

Booth Theater The Two Virtues Program, October 1915

Box 2, Folder 8

Maxine Elliot Theater Quinney's Handbill, October-November 1915

Box 2, Folder 9

Grossman, Mildred Pregnancy Photographs, ca. 1916-1919

Box 2, Folder 10

Booth, Edwina and Mildred Grossman in Lafayette Square, Washington D.C. Photograph, 1917

Box 2, Folder 11

Waterbury Family Negatives and Photographs, 1917-1937

Box 2, Folder 12

Waterbury, Cleveland Livingston in U.S. Military Uniform Photograph, ca. 1918 August 23

Box 2, Folder 13

Waterbury, Cleveland Livingston and Dog at Beach Photographs, ca. 1918-1920

Box 2, Folder 14

Gramercy Park and Edwin Booth as Hamlet Statue Newspaper Clippings, ca. 1918-1944

Box 2, Folder 15

Waterbury, Edwina and Cleveland Livingston Photograph, ca. 1919

Box 2, Folder 16

Waterbury, Edwina and Nurse Lilian Wilson in Long Island Photograph, ca. 1919

Box 2, Folder 17

Waterbury, Cleveland Livingston, Edwina, and Mildred Grossman Photographs, July 1919

Box 2, Folder 18

Waterbury, Booth and Edwina Bayside Photographs, ca. 1919-1920

Box 2, Folder 19

Booth, Edwin House Boston Postcard, ca. 1920-1930

Box 2, Folder 20

Goodale, Katherine [Kitty Molony] Photograph, ca. 1920-1931

Box 2, Folder 21

Gramercy Park Postcards, ca. 1920-1932

Box 2, Folder 22

Booth, Edwin Newspaper Clippings, ca. 1922-1959

Box 2, Folder 23

Grossman, Edwina to Edwina Waterbury Correspondence, 1924 January 4

Box 2, Folder 24

New York University Hall of Fame Newspaper Clippings, ca. 1925

Box 2, Folder 25

Waterbury, Edwina Photograph, ca. 1925-1929

Box 2, Folder 26

Bigelow, Poultney Founder's Night Address, 1929 December 31

Box 2, Folder 27

Waterbury, Booth at Camp Mische Moka, Lake Winnipesaukee, ca. 1929

Box 2, Folder 28

Norconian Club Postcard, ca. 1929-1940

Box 2, Folder 29

Grossman, Mildred Correspondence, 1931 March 24-1955 May 28

Box 2, Folder 30

Waterbury, Edwina Photograph, 1931

Box 2, Folder 31

Tilton Waterbury Family in Jamaica Newspaper Clipping, ca. 1931

Box 2, Folder 32

Cord Car and Clarence Grossman in Jamaica Photographs, ca. 1932

Box 2, Folder 33

Grossman, Mildred and Arthur Colburn Tilton in Kingston, Jamaica Photographs, 1932

Box 2, Folder 34

Tilton, Arthur Colburn Photograph, ca. 1932

Box 2, Folder 35

Booth, Edwin as Hamlet Statue in Gramercy Park Photographs, 1932

Box 2, Folder 36

Pasadena Playhouse, Players' Club, and Jamaica Scrapbook Pages, ca. 1932-1934

Box 2, Folder 37

Waterbury, Edwina, Booth, and Lois Grossman at Gramercy Park Edwin Booth as Hamlet Statue, 1933

Box 2, Folder 38

Waterbury, Edwina Studio Portrait Photographs, ca. 1933-1940

Box 2, Folder 39

Waterbury, Edwina at Laguna Beach Photographs, 1936

Box 2, Folder 40

Tilton, Arthur Colbur, Mildred Grossman, Edwina Waterbury, and Dogs Nip and Tuck at Laguna Beach Photographs, 1937

Box 2, Folder 41

Waterbury, Booth Photograph, May 1937

Box 2, Folder 42

Manya Movie Play Newspaper Clippings, ca. 1938

Box 2, Folder 43

Sacramento Theaters Newspaper Clipping, 1938 May 10

Box 2, Folder 44

Dodge, H.L. to Edwina Waterbury Correspondence, 1938 July 7

Box 2, Folder 45

Waterbury, Edwina acting in Houseparty in Laguna Beach and at Pasadena Playhouse Theater Photographs, ca. 1938

Box 2, Folder 46

Laguna Beach Community Players Houseparty Program, ca. 1938

Box 2, Folder 47

Tudor Hall Postcards, ca. 1930-1950

Box 2, Folder 48

Kayser, Samuel and Mary Booth [Edwina Waterbury] Photographs, ca. 1940

Box 2, Folder 49

Tilton, Arthur Colburn, Mildred Grossman, and Booth Waterbury in Los Angeles Photograph, 1941

Box 2, Folder 50

Waterbury, Edwina in World War II Uniform Photographs, January 1942

Box 2, Folder 51

Vroom, Frederic Newspaper Clipping, 1942 June 27

Box 2, Folder 52

Waterbury, Booth Military Service Newspaper Clipping, ca. 1943

Box 2, Folder 53

Players Club Newspaper Clippings, ca. 1943-1950

Box 2, Folder 54

Waterbury, Edwina, Mildred Grossman, and Arthur Colburn Tilton Photograph, May-June 1946

Box 2, Folder 55

One for the Book Radio Script, 1946 September 10

Box 2, Folder 56

Connolly, Charles Newsweek Magazine Clipping, 1949 March 28

Box 2, Folder 57

Howard, Charles L. to Richard Hoffman Cutting Correspondence, 1951 March 21

Box 2, Folder 58

Geiger, Milton to Edwina Waterbury and Richard Hoffman Cutting, 1961 December 5

Box 2, Folder 59

Metal Frame

Box 3, Folder 6

Grossman, Edwina Booth Photograph, ca. 1880-1884

Box 3, Folder 7

Booth, Edwin Painting Print, 1898

Box 3, Folder 8

Gramercy Park Edwin Booth Statue Newspaper Clipping, ca. 1918

Box 3, Folder 9

Booth's Theatre Variety Newspaper Clipping, 1919 December 26

Box 3, Folder 10

Waterbury, Edwina Booth Photograph, ca. 1923

Box 3, Folder 11

Waterbury, Edwina Booth and Booth Photograph, ca. 1923

Box 3, Folder 12

New York University Hall of Fame Newspaper Clipping, ca. 1925

Box 3, Folder 13

Players Club Newspaper Clipping, 1938 June 29

Box 3, Folder 14

Booth, Edwin Othello's Speech Record, 1939 January 1

Box 3, Folder 15

Gramercy Park and Edwin Booth Statue The Saturday Evening Post Cover, 1950 February 11

Box 7, Item 1

Tilton, A.C. Harvard Scrapbook, 1906

Box 8, Item 1

Waterbury Family Photograph Album, 1917

Box 8, Item 2

Waterbury Family Photograph Album, 1917-1920

Box 9, Item 1

Clay Lamp

Folder 3

Long Beach, Norwood, and Signal Hill Newspaper Clippings and Notes, 1936-1937, 1962