Scope and arrangement
The collection consists of Dr. Alexander MacDonald's scrapbook of entertainments held for patients in New York City public hospitals on Blackwell's Island and Ward's Island, 1873-1875, and several letters and documents relating to his professional activities, 1897-1902.
The scrapbook, dated 1873 August 30-1874 June 19 and 1875 June 9, contains pasted newspaper clippings and programs documenting part of a series of weekly entertainments initiated by MacDonald for patients of Charity Hospital on Blackwell's Island (now Roosevelt Island), 1873-1874, with an 1875 clipping for an entertainment at the New York City Asylum for the Insane on Ward's Island. Clippings for Charity Hospital cover over forty performances, and include two illustrations from Harper's Weekly (February 14, 1874) and Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper (following the program for February 27, 1874).
Entertainments, or staged recitals of song, music, poetry, and comic pieces, as well as plays, were performed before an audience of several hundred patients under the City's care at Charity Hospital. Among the amateur and professional entertainers were musicians and vocalists, magicians, ventriloquists, humorists, and members of church choirs, glee clubs and dramatic groups. Performers, some from theatrical venues such as Niblo's Garden, are identified by name, and prominent invited guests are sometimes mentioned. As a result of MacDonald's attention to press coverage and visitors, the performances not only achieved the goal of raising the patients' spirits, they brought the island's welfare population to public notice and helped garner community support.
Letters and documents chiefly pertain to MacDonald's attendance at professional conferences abroad, certifying his membership and credentials; there is also a personal letter from George E. Dodge (1849-1904) to MacDonald, 1902 June 28, regarding MacDonald's work on Ward's Island. Dodge was a member of the Board of Managers of Manhattan State Hospital. A civil service flyer and a half-tone photographic portrait of MacDonald are included.