Biography
Scope and Content
Indexing Terms
Access
Acquisition Information
Processing Information
Preferred Citation
Publication Rights
Creator:
Smith, W. H. (William Henry), 1806-1872
Title: William Henry Sedley Smith Sides
Date (inclusive): circa 1869-1872
Extent:
0.2 linear feet
Abstract: William Henry Sedley Smith (1806-1872) was an actor and stage manager who first
appeared in the United States at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia in 1827. During his later years he
was both actor and stage manager at the California Theatre in San Francisco. The collection contains five
holograph sides, circa 1869-1872, presumably for roles Smith performed at the California Theatre in San
Francisco. Sides are defined as pages containing an actor's part and cue words.
Physical location: Researchers should contact Special Collections to request collections, as many
are stored offsite.
Repository:
University of California, Davis. General Library. Department of Special
Collections.
Davis, California 95616-5292
Collection number: MC090
Language of Material: Collection materials in English.
Biography
William Henry Sedley Smith was born in Wales in 1806. After touring the English provinces for several years, in
1827 he came to the United States where he made his first appearance at the Walnut Street Theatre in
Philadelphia as Jeremy Diddler in
Raising the Wind.
He was stage manager of the Boston Museum from 1843 to 1860. In 1869 he traveled to San Francisco where he was
stage manager of the California Theatre until his death on January 17, 1872.
Source:
Hartnoll, Phyllis.
The Oxford Companion to the Theatre. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1983.
Scope and Content
The collection contains five holograph sides, circa 1869-1872, presumably for roles Smith performed at the
California Theatre in San Francisco. Sides are defined as pages containing an actor's part and cue words.
Arrangement of the Collection
The collection is arranged alphabetically by play title. Also listed is the name of the character that was
performed.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public
access catalog.
Smith, W. H. (William Henry), 1806-1872--Archives.
Theater--California--San Francisco--19th century
Access
Collection is open for research.
Acquisition Information
Acquired in 1967.
Processing Information
Sara Gunasekara processed this collection and created and encoded this finding aid.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], William Henry Sedley Smith Sides, MC090, Department of Special Collections, General
Library, University of California, Davis.
Publication Rights
Copyright is protected by the copyright law, chapter 17, of the U.S. Code. All requests for permission to
publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections, General Library, University of
California, Davis as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the
copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.