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Modjeska-Opid Family Papers: Finding Aid
mssModjeska
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Title: Modjeska-Opid Family Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1869-1982
Collection Number: mssModjeska
Creator:
Opid family.
Extent:
approximately 300 items in 4 boxes and 1 four-flap envelope
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence, photographs, and ephemera of
Polish actress Helena Modjeska (1840-1909) and members of the family of Ludwik Opid (1865-1948), whom Modjeska considered
to be a nephew, dating from 1869-1982. The bulk of the materials
consists of correspondence, in Polish, between members of the Opid family in Poland and Ludwik Opid in Los Angeles, California,
dating from
the 1910s-1940s.
Languages: English
and Polish.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to
quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such
activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is
one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Modjeska-Opid Family Papers, The Huntington
Library, San Marino, California.
Gift of Stephanie Opid Holton, July 1997.
Related Materials in the Huntington Library
Related Materials in the Huntington Library
- Modjeska, Helena. [Success on the Stage: essay] (Call number: mssHM 50550) in the Lloyd Stephens Bryce Papers
- Modjeska, Helena. 1 letter to Emma Peterson Childs, [1870?] (Call number: mssBO 184) in the John Bouvier Papers
- Modjeska, Helena. 16 letters to Annie Fields (1879-1900, 1908) (Call number: mssFI 3393-3404, mssFI 3406, mssFI 5589-5591) and 1 letter to Sarah Orne Jewett (1900) (call number: mssFI 3405) in the James Thomas Fields Papers and Addenda
- Modjeska, Helena. 6 letters to Jeanne C. Carr (1888-1890) (Call number: mssCA 139-144) in the Jeanne C. Smith Carr Papers
- Modjeska, Helena. 2 letters to Jeanne C. Carr (1888-1889) (Call number: mssHM 44790-44791)
- Modjeska, Helena. Letters to Caroline Severance (8 letters, 1898-1906) in the Caroline Maria Seymour Severance Papers (Call number: mssSeverance papers)
- Modjeska, Helena. 1 letter to Gehen, approximately 1900 (Call number: mssHM 22052)
- Modjeska, Helena. 1 letter to Helen (Lukens) Jones Gaut (1902 June 27) annexed in Jones' Journal of trip to Yosemite Valley ... (Box 11B) in the Ralph Arnold Papers (Call number: mssArnold papers)
Related materials in other libraries
- Helena Modjeska Collection. MS-R037. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California
- Ellen K. Lee collection on Helena Modjeska and Orange County. MS-R143. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
Removed or Separated Material
One volume received with the collection has been separated and individually cataloged in the Huntington Library Online Catalog:
- Modjeska, Helena, 1840-1909. Memories and impressions of Helena Modjeska : an autobiography (New York : Macmillan, 1910).
Polish-American stage actress Helena Modjeska (1840-1909) was born in Kraków, Poland, on October 12, 1840.
Her mother, Józefa (Misel) Benda (1803-October 21, 1887), was the widow of merchant Szymon Benda (1770-1835), and Modjeska
was born as Jadwiga Benda but later baptized as Helena Opid, with the surname of her godfather, music teacher Michael Opid.
Modjeska's first theatrical appearance occurred in 1861 in Poland, and she first traveled to the United States to perform
in 1876.
In 1861, Modjeska had a son with Gustave Sinnmayer Modrzejewski (1825-1901), Rudolf (1861-1940) (later known as Ralph Modjeski),
who became a civil engineer in the United States, and a daughter who
died as a baby. In 1868 Modjeska married Karol Chłapowski (1832-1916),
known as Count Bozenta. Modjeska built a house, named "Arden," near Santa Ana, California,
and lived there from 1888 until 1906; after the property was sold, they lived in Tustin, California,
and then later at a beach house on Bay Island, Newport Beach, California, where Modjeska died on April 8, 1909.
Though not biologically related to Michael Opid, Modjeska referred to him and Opid's children and grandchildren as family.
Michael Opid's children included Adolf Opid (1838-1892), who was married to Kunegunda Kazimiera Jarzębska Opid and had six
children including:
- Adam Opid
- Bolesław Opid (1871-1916)
- Ludwik Opid (1865-1948), also known as Louis
- Marianna Opid Popielecka (1866 or 1867-1859 or 1960)
- Helen Opid Kozutska
Modjeska considered Ludwik Opid (1865-1948) to be her nephew. Opid was born in Krakow, Poland, and came to the United States
in 1889 and Los Angeles in 1895, where he was a music teacher and concert cellist. With his first wife,
Opid had three children: Helena or Helen Opid Kozlowski (born in New York, 1892-1994), Felicia (Lola) (1893-1918) and Jan
(1890-1958),
later known as John T. Opid. Ludwik Opid married Caroline Hildebrand Opid (1884-1973) in 1905 and they had one child: Stephanie
Opid Holton (1910-2008).
Bibliography
Biographical dates and information chiefly from:
Coleman, Marion Moore.
Fair Rosalind: the American career of Helena Modjeska (Cheshire, Conn.: Cherry Hill Books, 1969)
This collection contains correspondence, photographs, and ephemera of
Polish actress Helena Modjeska and members of the family of Ludwik Opid, dating from 1869 to 1982. The bulk of the materials
consists of correspondence, in Polish, between members of the Opid family in Poland and Ludwik Opid in Los Angeles, California,
dating from
the 1910s to 1940s.
While most of the materials post-date Modjeska's death in 1909, there are some materials created by or related to Modjeska
including two
handwritten actor's sides for two plays Modjeska starred in the mid 1880s; 17 letters by Modjeska, dated 1902-1909, including
7 letters to Ludwik Opid in Polish (1902-1909 and undated);
9 letters to Ludwik's wife Caroline Opid in English (1905-1908 and undated); and 1 letter to Ludwik's daughters in English
(1905). There are also photographs of her Southern California homes and portraits of her, as well
as 31 theater-related fabric and crepe sashes, chiefly with Polish lettering and dating from the
1890s to early 1900s. These sashes presumably were presented to Modjeska in towns where she was performing.
The correspondence chiefly consists of letters from Opid family members to Ludwik Opid in Polish; the largest group is a set
of 98 letters from Marianna Popielecka to her brother Ludwik (1912-1949).
Correspondence to Ludwik also includes: 5 letters from Helena Gocowa (1923, 1946-1947); 10 letters from his younger sister
Helena (Opid) Kozutska (1912, 1946-1948); 8 letters from his brother Adam Opid
(1914, 1928-1930); 2 letters from his nephew Adolf Opid (1931-1932);
1 letter from his brother Bolesław Opid (1906); 1 postcard from his son, John Opid, and daughter-in-law Eleanor Opid (1926);
and 6 letters from his mother Kunegunda Opid (approximately 1900s-1910s?).
Within the correspondence series, there are also 2 letters from Modeska's husband Karol Chłapowski (Count Bozenta) (1908 and
1911); 1 letter from J. Kruszyńska (1888); 1 postcard possibly from Ralph Modjeska (1905);
1 letter from Mary Opid to Stefeni (1899); and 11 letters and 1 document by Ludwik's father, Adolf Opid, including letters
to Helena Modjeska (1869-1870s and undated) and letters to his mother, Jozefa Bendow.
There are 75 photographs in the collection chiefly consisting of snapshot photographs of the Opid family, both in Poland and
California, as well as 14 images of "Arden," Modjeska's estate, near Santa Ana, California and
6 portrait photographs of Modjeska at various ages.
There are also newspaper clippings about Modjeska both from Polish and Los Angeles newspapers, some later pieces of ephemera,
correspondence, and printed items related to the history of Helena Modjeska.
The collection is arranged in the following series:
- Manuscript plays
- Correspondence
- Photographs
- Ephemera, printed material, and later documents
- Sashes
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Modjeska, Helena, 1840-1909.
Modjeska, Helena, 1840-1909 -- Archives.
Modjeska, Helena, 1840-1909 -- Homes and haunts -- Photographs.
Modjeska, Helena, 1840-1909 -- Photographs.
Opid, Ludwik.
Opid family.
Opid family -- Photographs.
Actresses -- Poland -- Archives.
Actors -- United States -- Archives.
Letters (correspondence) -- Poland -- 19th century.
Letters (correspondence) -- Poland -- 20th century.
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 20th century.
Plays (performed works) -- United States -- 19th century.
Photographs.
Brousseau, Mabel, photographer.
Chłapowski, Karol, correspondent.
Modjeska, Helena, 1840-1909, correspondent.
Opid, Ludwik, addressee.
Opid family.