Hugh M. Brown Collection of Musicians and Actors Photographs
name: label: Donor
content: Brown, Charles H.
label: Names
content: Hour of Charm All-Girl Orchestra
label: Photographer
content: Bernard, Bruno
label: Donor
content: Brown, Carole M.
label: Names
content: Ford, Glenn, 1916-2006
topic: label: Occupation
content: Actors and actresses
label: Topic
content: Musicians, 1930-1960
label: Topic
content: Portraits
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Collection donated to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution in June 2021 by Carole M. Brown and Charles H. Brown in memory of Hugh Merryman Brown.
creator: label: Donor
content: Brown, Charles H.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Hugh M. Brown Collection of Musicians and Actors Photographs
abstract: label: Summary
content: A small collection of publicity photographs of musicians and actors, many taken by Bernard of Hollywood, NYC of Hollywood, California, and New York City, New York.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Hugh Merryman Brown was born July 12, 1927, in Los Angeles, California, the son of Hugh Cowen Brown and Marie Merryman. Marie worked for Hollywood portrait photographer, Bruno Bernard, known simply as Bruno of Hollywood. The family moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where Hugh began his violin studies at the age of five under the mentorship of Wort S. Morse. He became a regular radio artist before the age of ten on WDAF Radio, Kansas City playing classical violin. 

Hugh and his mother moved to New York City, New York, where Marie resumed working for Bruno. Hugh attended the De La Salle Institute and continued his musical training under Sherman Pitluck and Joseph Gingold. He attended Julliard where he studied violin under Frank Kneisel. Hugh played with the New York City Symphony and was a finalist in the Naumburg Foundation competition. The pressures of schooling became burdensome, and he dropped out of Julliard.

Hugh went to work in the decorative fabrics trade but returned to music playing with the dance bands of Tex Beneke (formerly the Glenn Miller Orchestra), Ted Straeter, and Raymond Scott. In 1951 Hugh was hired as concertmaster for the Robert Shaw Chorale. While working with Shaw he met and married Dorothy McConnell, also a Shaw performer. They were married at the Riverside Church in New York City on April 14, 1951.

In late 1951 the Browns moved to Kansas City, Missouri and joined the Kansas City Philharmonic and later the Kansas City Symphony when the Philharmonic reorganized. He also played with many other organizations in the Kansas City area. In the mid-1960s he was named to the faculty of the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri, Kansas City teaching viola, violin, and string techniques.

Hugh died on April 18, 2021, in Westwood Hills, Kansas; he was survived by his two children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.15 Cubic feet (2 boxes )
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1947, undated
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1506
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is divided into one series.

Series 1: Photographs, 1947, undated
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed by Vanessa Broussard Simmons, archivist, 2021.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Content Description
content: Small collection of photographs of American musicians and actors.  Many are studio portraits by Bernard of Hollywood and Bruno of Hollywood, NYC.