Scope and arrangement
Eleven letterpress copybooks, 1898-1915, contain copies of typescript letters written chiefly by Charles Frohman and by his General Manager, Alf Hayman (not to be confused with Al Hayman, d. 1917, Alf's brother and also an associate of Frohman's). Hayman's letters are typically short notes, while Frohman's are longer, often running to a few pages. Some letters are by Secretary Victor E. de Kiraly and other office staff writing on Frohman's or Hayman's behalf. Cables and telegrams are scattered throughout the copybooks but one volume, July 20, 1914 - May 1, 1915, contains only cables and telegrams. A series of five volumes whose dates run continuously from February 23, 1906 - May 7, 1915 (the date of Frohman's death) contain letters written by Hayman to Frohman who was in Europe, chiefly London.
Letters are addressed to actors, actresses, and their agents; authors; theater managers; newspaper drama editors; ticket-seekers; job applicants; employees; tradesmen; and others. They illuminate the daily operations of Frohman's office, showing the range of both artistic and business decisions made. Recipients of letters include: Maude Adams (who appeared in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, produced by Frohman); George Ade; J.M. Barrie; Ethel Barrymore; Dion Boucicalt; the photographers [Joseph] Byron and Otto Sarony; Mrs. Patrick Campbell; Samuel Clemens; Elsie De Wolfe (actress, decorator, and companion to Elisabeth Marbury, see below); Charles B. Dillingham; Bruce Edwards; Abraham Erlanger; Clyde Fitch; Daniel and Gustave Frohman; John Galsworthy; William Gillette; Alice Kauser; Jerome Kern; Gustav Kobbe; Mrs. [Lillie] Langtry; William Lestocq(Frohman's London manager); Elisabeth Marbury (the prominent author's agent with whom Frohman chiefly dealt); Somerset Maugham; Henry Miller; Samuel Nixon; Julia Sanderson; Sam Shubert; E.H. Sothern (who became the leading man in Frohman's Lyceum company in 1884); Alfred Sutro; Ellen Terry; Herbert Beerbohm Tree; Stanford White; Hattie Williams; others.
A twelfth volume, 1921, contains Hayman's letters concerning the continuation of Frohman's affairs and, possibly, other business.
Some additional loose items are in box 5. These include: drafts and samples of funeral announcements and condolence acknowledgement cards, a eulogy by playwright Augustus Thomas, lists of funeral attendees, and clippings, notes, and memoranda, 1915, relating to Frohman's death, funeral, estate, and the continuation of his affairs after his death; a group of letters, 1915-1920 and n.d., received by Hayman from attorneys Rose and Paskus concerning legal matters relating to Frohman; and a few miscellaneous letters and legal and financial documents, ca.1913-1918 and n.d.