Scope and arrangement
The collection comprises over 8,600 black and white negatives by the photographer Radford Bascome and represents an extensive understanding of his output as a dance photographer. The photographs can be roughly dated to the 1950s with some of the photographs identified between the years 1954 through 1958. The majority of the material represents dancers of the New York City Ballet and the works of George Balanchine. Other ballet companies included are American Ballet Theatre and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, as well as performances from Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Bascome's advertising and commercial clients included Pappagallo shoes, Tiffany and Company, and Kislav perfume. Photographic formats included in the collection are black and white 120mm negatives, 35mm negatives, contact sheets, and some proof prints.
Included among the notable dance figures are Yvonne Mounsey, Alicia Markova, Merce Cunningham, José Limón, André Eglevsky, Violette Verdy, Nora Kaye, Melissa Hayden, Tanaquil LeClercq, Mia Slavenska, Allegra Kent, Diana Adams, Maria Tallchief, and Janet Reed. Many of New York City Ballet's productions are documented in the collection such as Balanchine's The Nutcracker, The Cage, Fanfare, and Western Symphony.
The photographs were originally housed in three-ring binders. The original order in which the binders were received has been retained. Each binder includes a typed table of contents, though the material is not arranged in any discernible order. These tables of contents will also be available as an additional online resource. Each binder also includes brief biographies of Bascome's subjects which were acquired by the donor from various online resources. Some binders contain handwritten correspondence addressed to Bascome from dancers whom he photographed. Much of this correspondence directly addresses the photographs present in the collection. The fourteenth binder contains a combination of unidentified negatives, contact prints, and full size prints.