The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-09
F. j. POOLS QUEER COLLECTION.
Theatrical Odds and Ends that Make Up y
History OF the Contemporary Drama.

htntort u tuc contemporary Drhmh.
CLEVELAND. Dec. IA curious collection is
owned by F. ]. Pool of Cleveland. 1t consists Of
some $4,000 play bills. newspaper criticisms.
autographs, photographs, engravinRs, souve-
Mrs. and all sorts Of odds and ends that have to
do with the theatre. Tho collection represents
the work of more than fifteen years. By a sys-
TEN of cross indexes reference can be made to
any part of 1t. Each piece has been mounted on
a separate sheet OF stir linen paper, and filed
away according to date In one of q set
OF boxes made for the purpose. The COM
plete index contains about &c. 1000 refer
ences. By means of this index II is possible
to find out all about any play up TO date, its
author or authoress. its first production and the
first cast, with the criticisms OF the principal
papers, its first New York production. the
theatre in which it was played, the changes in
its cast, and what finally became OF it. There is
also a supplementary index to all the more
prominent New York theatres. by reference TO
which can be found the names OF every play
that has been produced at each, the casts, and
the success or failure of the play. Supplement
tary indexes also tell Of the more prominent
actors and actresses, giving the history Of their
debuts, the first productions in which they took
part. and any incident of note in their lives.
While the collection was not made with the
intention of gathering rare and quaint play
bAAA1 AhlAit NAAb n sAhNAN NV IA q = null AlAAlao VI
great interest. There are great quantities OF
rare old prints of dead and gone players, Eng
lish, French, italian, and German. queer post
ers. prompt books that have been thumbed over
by half forgotten stars, quaint notices, scathing
criticisms of plays that Charles Lamb saw from
the pit in old Drury. The Playbills them
selves are tho most interesting, for while
few OF them are very old. there are hundreds
that IN themselves tell the story OF the triumph
or failure OF many a player who was the idol OF
the public q quarter century or more ago. A
bill OF the Haymarket Theatre, London, OF April
/, 1869. tells OF the a9Gth and last performance
in England Of T.. A. Sothern as Lord DHIdTcdrn,
with j. Is. Blackstone as Asa Ircnchdrd. This
w W W Sotnsrh r ! 0~n i neae WA Sh Si nh Mel Msia nphearsa
Another OF April o., 1868, tells Of Ellen Terry's
first performance OF Hero in much Ado About
Nothing" a bill OF the same theatre, Oct. 7,
1861, reads as follows:
Mr.. Edwin Booth from the principal American thea
tres, son % Mr.. Booth contemporary with the elder
kean, having ON his nrst appearance in England. In
the chaTactsT 81 Shyiock heen received with scciena'
Way to Pay t3ldd Debts"
On the same bill are the names OF J. n. Buck
stone as BOJ lhis original paTD TO the C1T Of Mr..
Compton, and the Mrs. BOuHCCr Of Mrs. Griffith;
also Mr.. and Mrs. Charles J. Matthews in The
bill interesting to New Workers Is that 81
L announces the appearance Of Professor An
dersOn, the Wizard Of the North and con-
tains the name q F" Miss Catherine Hayes, the
Fair Vocalist Of Erin Whose friends attacked
ThAckeraY so sayagely because he used her
name as the heroine Of his novel, Catherine
Thackeray afteTward explained that his hero
inc, name and all. had been taken from
the Newgate Calendar. From the bills IL Is
learned hat back in the sos Maggie Mitchell
was " Miss Margaret Mitchell" and THAI il was
ten years later that she Lecame Maggie"
There is a satin play bill. a souvenir given at the
Mr.. and Mrs. W. J. Florence al the Park Thea
ance silver dollars were given away a souvenirs.
A bill dated July 10. 1915, OF the Adeluhi
Theatre, Boston, reals AS follows:
MaDE. AEusrFs.-The management his spsTrI 70
eNprnse In order 10 present 10 the tttlzrEt ~ h0rfpH-
an Entertainment 81 the yCrv hgst UrG-T. combining
tlasslcal Accuracy, IO-t.ral Eeluty aHd Refined tl-
galce. The pHr-Jnihcafluna are argyHntsL!cl with
belicate Drap-ry and Appropriate Muse gnl have
hcen pronounced ~ the most 'Wiueul iuig = To 30
Perfect Living Embodiment 81 taF we. K ul ATprhs
Titan, NsuiFE', kuhrII-. Ken brand . o amt
AL other dis tusulthsl masters Ia .rri"ut ard un'!rgu
times Ia Painting anl sui tIfT. To r;y" the ~ attest
possible enert 10 thc Symmetrical E..uty ~ The Nv.
Ing Models, they VII! .eVOlye On CaEoY1s Pede''a!-
Programme " tablelux:
Lutte Player. .CuUld IN u.VF.r"n,
Invocation to Love, ~j"!HtlI'r iar-Etrr
Ilsht % tuc uAIeIEr cleopatra aat hlirtl4ats
A41A Man Triumph frnlng AEiaH' Tor bl"
V,Hus Rlslns from tle Sea GHyIole Dare.
from this Il viii ne seen that living pictures
are not an iuyeLt.ou 81 to-day.
Tie collection contains al,y Ncg} many bills Ot
London ana Paris nIs.c halls, With ph.iO-rWlss
% the principal singers, aLd almost iEGuru.r-
abie bills ~ opera ia New York. London. uhris,
MuniCh. Berlin, Vienna. BRyreuLh. DTssdCu. aud
s.. Petersburg. Mr.. Pool made the collection
for bis osn amussnenL