Scope and arrangement
The Actors Fund of America scrapbooks, dated 1897 to 1933, document the Fund's work to help actors and other entertainers in financial crisis, to support the Actors Fund retirement home. The scrapbooks represent approximately thirty years of the Fund's history through articles, applications for membership, flyers, playbills and promotional materials.
These scrapbooks are arranged in three groups: General Information; Registry Books for the Actors Fund Fairs; and Actors Fund Home Guest Registers. The scrapbooks are ordered by volume number.
The General Information scrapbooks offer a summary of the Fund's work from the late 19th century to the first quarter of the 20th century. These scrapbooks hold mostly clippings that include topics about the transition of the presidency from Albert Marshman Palmer to Louis Aldrich; reports of annual meetings; and obituaries (including the death of Aldrich in 1901). Another obituary that received much attention regarded the death of Henry B. Harris, a Broadway producer and theater owner who died aboard the RMS Titanic in 1912.
Of special interest is the "Motion Picture Campaign of 1916" which details the efforts of the emerging motion picture industry to raise $500,000 in fifteen weeks to support the Fund. This campaign brought in money from exhibitors who donated a portion of their proceeds; actors who used their star power to raise money; and donations from the general public (volumes 3 and 4).
Registry volumes, dated 1907 and 1910, were generated by the Actors Fund Fairs. The visitors were asked to register upon their arrival at the fair. These registers indicate that the signer often included their place of residence (volumes 5 to 6). There is also an Autograph Album, for the fair of 1910, which allowed visitors the opportunity to write their impressions about the fair (volume 7).
The Actors Fund Home Registers provide a daily record of whom visited the Home. Often, the address of the signer was included (volumes 8 to 11).
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as follows: General Information Scrapbooks; Registry Books for the Actors Fund Fairs; Actors Fund Home Guest Registers