The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-07-04
BY JOSEPH MITCHELL
Times STAFF Writer

Times stan Writer
CCopvriRht. 1892. bv the New York World
Telegram Corporation.l
IRON the villas of retired
a actresses in the theatrical
colony of Monte Carlo, and from
the scrap books of venerable but
insolvent playhouses on Shaftes-
bury avenue, the Grande boule-
ward and Broadway; and from
the auctions of actors effects
and the bankruptcies of stage
magazines have come the 10000
photographs of actors and act
resSeS owned by Harold Seton,
dean of Manhattan's first night
ers.
Here is Chauncey Olcott when
he was "the servant girls de-
light Here is a faded photo
graph of the shameless, drowsy
Olga Nethersole.
Here is a rare glimpse of
PhineaS T. Barnum's two prim
midgets, Mr.. and Mrs. Tom
Thumb. And here is a picture of
Amelia Bingham praying beside
her celebrated bed, the same bed
which the irreverent Mae West
later exposed for the laughter of
the multitude in Diamond Lii"
These photographs collected by
Seton form fortnight and I'M
alterable record of the rise and
decline Of the major players of
the last three generations.
1t is a record with benefit of
the euphemistic press agent or
the sentimental memory.
II n
HERE is the record of the
Il Il stout-hearted Marie Dressler
from the time she punched Joe
Weber in the ribs as a coy music
hall gesture until she stole the
film from Carlo in Anna Chris
tie"
Here is Ethel Barrymore as she
appeared for the first time in
public, as a maid in Rosemary"
in 1896, at the Garrick. It was on
this occasion that her uncle, John
Drew, told her, Now speak well,
Ethel and Ill give you a big red
apple" beginning one of the most
pleasant customs of the American
stage.
And here is Ethel Barrymore,
veteran player, as the sturdy Ne
gresS, Scarlet Sister Mary"
And here, a treasure for stu
dents of trends and tendencies,
are bundles of tiny Autographs
Of burlesque girls which once
were given away with purchases
of cigarets.
Once considered wicked by min
listers and treasured by small boys,
the portraits now are collected by
museums and historical societies.
When 1 was school boy"
Seton said, Il went regularly to
Saturday matinees. At that time
children collected pictures of the
atrical people.
The boys cared most for pictures
of Lillian Russell in a sailors
uniform, and frankie Bailey in
tights. They were snapped and
fought over. Some times they
were bartered for marbles.
We'll, most boys became less in
tereSted in the stage as they grew
older. I never lost interest. I
was recognized first nighter at
16.
Il never cared for athletics. I
cared only for the stage. 1 first
saved the pictures of stars,
think, as a tangible record of the
first nights I had attended. I did
not save the cigaret pictures at
first. I never smoked.
THEN, toward the end of. what
Il are now considered the gay
9Os, found that my collection
was becoming valuable. When a
famous actor died, newspaper
editors asked me for pictures.
became proud of the collection
and decided to make it repre-
sentative.
We'll. 1 made trips to Boston,
Washington, Philadelphia and
Baltimore, the towns in which the
old stars made their greatest sue
ceSSes, and passed long, pleas
ant hours searching through dusty
old book and print shops. I went
to auctions and to the dreary
sales of actors effects.
Each year I go abroad and l
know many famous old actresses
living in retirement in Paris, Lon
don, and in the aristocratic the