Maria Bonfanti (1847-1921), an Italian born and trained ballerina, toured the United States and Europe with great success between 1869 and 1894. She also danced as prima ballerina of the Metropolitan Opera, New York, from 1885-1886 and maintained...
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Maria Bonfanti (1847-1921), an Italian born and trained ballerina, toured the United States and Europe with great success between 1869 and 1894. She also danced as prima ballerina of the Metropolitan Opera, New York, from 1885-1886 and maintained a ballet school in New York following her retirement. This collection, a gift of
Miss Bonfanti's granddaughter,
Gwendolyn Ruddel, consists primarily of personal and business correspondence, contracts, programs, playbills and sheet music (hand-written copies, specially compiled and arranged for Miss
Bonfanti's performances). It also includes posters for performances featuring Miss
Bonfanti; a photo scrapbook (*MGZEB-Res,
Bonfanti, Maria); and a clippings scrapbook (*MGZRS-Res,
Bonfanti, Maria). These items span nearly all of Miss Bonfanti's active career and document her impact on American dance and American theatre.
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