The Ellis Family Collection consists of theater and movie scripts by Edith and Edward Ellis, playbills, programs, reviews, photographs, and information about the Ellis family, specifically Edith Ellis. Also included are movie house ledgers, movie production picture magazines, posters, and promotional photographs from the Bijou Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Its connection with the Ellis Family is unclear; possibly the theater was operated by the Ellis Family.

The Ellis Family theatrical history began in 1859 when Edward Charles Ellis, age 14, left home and made his stage debut as a blackface comedian. This performance marked the beginning of over 100 years in theater for the Ellis Family.

3.00 Linear Feet

The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine.  Requests for permission to publish must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.

This collection is open for research.