Scope and arrangement
Arrangement
Scrapbooks are arranged in alphabetical order. Volume A is lacking and there is no evidence that Volumes Y or Z ever existed in this collection.
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- Creator
- Ellison, Saram Richard, 1852-1918
- Call number
- *T-Mss 1915-001
- Physical description
- 6.13 linear feet (24 volumes and 1 box)
- Language
- English
- Preferred Citation
- Dr. Saram R. Ellison scrapbooks, *T-Mss 1915-001. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- Repository
- Billy Rose Theatre Division
- Access to materials
- Some collections held by the Dance, Music, Recorded Sound, and Theatre Divisions at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts are held off-site and must be requested in advance. Please check the collection records in the NYPL's online catalog for detailed location information. For general guidance about requesting offsite materials, please consult: https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/lpa/requesting-archival-materials
Dr. Saram R. Ellison (1852-1918) was a medical doctor and avid collector of magic and related materials, particularly published materials and ephemera. He also maintained friendships and correspondence with most of the major and minor magicians practicing during his lifetime. In 1902 he co-founded, along with W. Golden Mortimer and Francis Martinka, the Society of American Magicians, which was headquartered in New York City. Includes manuscript correspondence, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, original photographs, ephemera, illustrations, and other documents relating to the founding and early years of the Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.), and the subjects of magic, hypnotism, spiritualism, legerdemain, ventriloquism, and the conjuring arts. Ellison compiled this material into scrapbook volumes lettered B through X2. Loose correspondence, programs, and promotional materials are housed in Box 1.
Administrative information
Source of acquisition
Gift: Saram R. Ellison, M.D., 1915-1917.
Revision History
Front matter and container list revised. (2020-03-30)
Processing information
Previously cataloged as 8-MZC+ (Ellison, S. R. [Collection of manuscript letters, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, etc.])
Related Material
See also related collections: Magic scrapbooks and posters (*T-Mss 2011-031); Houdiniana (*T-Mss 2016-010); and Houdini artwork (*T-Vim 2011-293).
Key terms
Names
- Ellison, Saram Richard, 1852-1918
- National Conjurers' Association (U.S.)
- Society of American Magicians
Subjects
Material types
Using the collection
Location
Billy Rose Theatre DivisionNew York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor