Wuest/Schumann-Heink Papers, 1919-1936

Printable guide [HTML]

Summary

Title:
Wuest/Schumann-Heink Papers
Dates:
1919-1936
Creators:
Wuest, Albert
Abstract:
This collection contains personal papers of opera singer Ernestine Schumann-Heink and the Wuest family in San Diego in the 1920s and 1930s.
Extent:
0.25 Linear feet (1 box)
Language:
Preferred citation:

Wuest / Schumann-Heink Papers, MS 33, San Diego History Center Document Archives, San Diego, CA.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains personal papers of opera singer Ernestine Schumann-Heink and the Wuest family in San Diego in the 1920s and 1930s. Materials consist of correspondence, telegrams, and some concert programs. The correspondence in this collection pertains primarily to Schumann-Heink’s property in San Diego, although some letters do refer to her children. This is little information on her singing activities, outside of the programs. The letterheads do indicate the wide variety of places where she toured.

Biographical / historical:

Ernestine Schumann-Heink (1861-1936) arrived in the United States in 1898, following a career as an opera singer in Europe. Upon her arrival, Schumann-Heink signed as a singer with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. After five seasons with the Metropolitan, Schumann-Heink returned briefly to Germany. Her stay in Germany was brief, and she soon returned to the United States. Shortly after her return, her second husband, Paul Schumann died. In 1905, Schumann-Heink was married to her secretary, William Rapp, from whom she was divorced in 1914.

After arriving in San Diego in 1910 for a concert at the Garrick Theater, Schumann-Heink decided to make San Diego her home. She purchased property in the Grossmont area and constructed a home in what later came to be known as a “Colony for Artists.” Among those who later came to reside in the “colony” were the poet Carrie Jacobs Bond, and authors Owen Wister and John Vance Cheney.

Schumann-Heink was active during the years of the First World War, raising money for the armed services. Her singing to the soldiers gave her a special place in their hearts. In 1928, Schumann-Heink donated her Grossmont home to the Disabled Veterans of Minneapolis for use as a retirement home. Due to financial difficulties, however, ownership reverted to Schumann-Heink in 1932. Madame Schumann-Heink died in Hollywood, California, in November of 1936. A plaque in her memory was dedicated on Memorial Day, 1938, in the organ pavilion of Balboa Park.

Processing information:

Collection processed by Samantha Mills on January 11, 2017.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged by material type.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Samantha Mills
Date Prepared:
January 11, 2017
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2017-01-11T10:07-0800

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.

Preferred citation:

Wuest / Schumann-Heink Papers, MS 33, San Diego History Center Document Archives, San Diego, CA.

Location of this collection:
1649 El Prado, Suite 3
San Diego, CA 92101, US
Contact:
(619) 232-6203
Website