Scope and arrangement
This collection contains photographs and copy negatives of dancers in the American Ballet Theatre (previously Ballet Theater) from the 1940s through the 1980s, with the bulk of materials dating from 1949 until 1987. Most of the photographs are straightforward headshots, occasionally with the dancer wearing a specific costume from a production. These images were likely for press purposes, rather than documentation of an individual performance. Some of the dancers included in the collection include Erik Bruhn, Cynthia Gregory, Ruth Ann Koesun, John Kriza, Elaine Kudo and others. There are some specific performances documented including Coppelia, Great Galloping Gottschalk and Napoli Divertissements.
Several different photographers and photo studios are represented in the collection, including Fred Fehl, Kenn Duncan, Sue Markin, Maurice Seymour, and Martha Swope. In addition to headshots, there are several publicity photographs and more candid images of the company on their international tours from 1949 until 1968. These photographs depict both the dancers' performances and shots exploring the cities they are visiting.
A large part of the collection is related to the principal ballerina, and later co-director Lucia Chase. This includes photographs of the dancer herself as well as headshots of ballet dancers from the 1920s and 1930s, several of which are autographed and inscribed to Chase.
The collection is arranged into photographs of individual dancers and performers arranged alphabetically by last name and photographs of the company's tours, arranged chronologically. Their international tours include trips to South America, Japan and throughout cities in Europe.