Scope and arrangement
The Sidney Rose collection of Gilbert and Sullivan memorabilia dates from 1865 to 1950. It contains clippings, posters, programs, photographs, and color souvenir cards pertaining to performances of Gilbert and Sullivan operas on the east coast of the United States; a scrapbook of clippings from the British magazine Punch; newsletters and flyers produced by the Gilbert and Sullivan Society; letters to the theatrical producer Rudolph Aronson regarding performances; and essays by Sidney Rose on Gilbert and Sullivan.
Most of the clippings, programs, and posters are from Boston (regarding the Globe and Royale Theatres), New York City, and Baltimore, dating from 1879 to 1939. The clippings advertise performances, and some hold reviews or articles about the productions. The scrapbook of Punch magazine clippings dates from 1865 to 1950. Some of the nineteenth century Punch clippings contain writings or drawings by Arthur Gilbert.
The color souvenir cards were produced by the Royale Theatre in Boston. They depict characters in Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and date from the 1890s. The black and white photographs are of Federal Theatre Project productions of The Mikado and other operas, and likely date from the 1930s or 1940s.
The letters to Rudolph Aronson date from 1888 to 1889, and are from the singers Helen Lamont and John Lloyd Wilson; an unidentified costume designer; and others associated with Aronson's Gilbert and Sullivan productions.