Loading...
Creator
Champlain, Helene
Call number
*T-Mss 1986-013
Physical description
.92 linear feet (3 boxes)
Preferred Citation

Helene Champlain papers, Additions, *T-Mss 1986-013. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.

Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Helene Champlain was a book dealer and collector in the New York City area active from the 1930s to the early 1970s. She worked at the book shop at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel for many years. The Helene Champlain papers, Additions date from 1956 to the early 1970s. The collection contains photographs, a scrapbook, theater programs and letters documenting the career of Maurice Chevalier and other celebrity visitors to the Waldorf-Astoria.

Biographical/historical information

Helene Champlain was a book dealer and collector in the New York City area active from the 1930s to the early 1970s. In the early 1930s she wrote a column for Harper’s Magazine. From at least the late 1940s until 1962, she worked at the book shop at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, ending her time there as manager. Champlain was an acquaintance or friend of many figures in literature and the performing arts, including Maurice Chevalier and Rollo Peters.

Scope and arrangement

The Helene Champlain papers, Additions date from 1925 to 1971. They contain a photograph album and a scrapbook documenting celebrity visits to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and the career of Maurice Chevalier, whom Champlain met several times at the Waldorf-Astoria and on other occasions. The collection also holds programs for theatrical productions in New York, London, and Connecticut, souvenir programs for films and musicals, and loose photographs. The loose photographs include a signed postcard from the actor and female impersonator Julian Eltinge dating from 1925.

The bulk of the collection consists of photographs of, correspondence from, and memorabilia regarding Maurice Chevalier dating from 1956 to 1967. A scrapbook devoted to him includes publicity and informal photographs, film stills, clippings, and letters to Champlain thanking her for helping to sell his memoirs. Other Chevalier-related material includes loose photographs, clippings, and concert programs. Some of the items are autographed.

A scrapbook of photographs and clippings dating from the late 1950s to the early 1960s documents other celebrity visits to the hotel. These include Marius Goring, Conrad Hilton, Carl Sandburg, Cole Porter, Herman Wouk, Jessica Dragonette, and the theatrical funder Marguerite Cullman. Some photographs are autographed. Much of this content was produced by the Waldorf-Astoria publicity department.

Arrangement

The collection is in three divisions: Photographs and Programs, Maurice Chevalier, and the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Helene Champlain, 1986.

Processing information

Compiled by Matthew Snyder, 2014

Related Material

Helene Champlain papers, *T-Mss 1986-013. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.

Using the collection

Location

Billy Rose Theatre Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Conditions Governing Use

The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Theatre Division at theatre@nypl.org.