George Fawcett and Percy Haswell Fawcett papers

1857-1903

The George Fawcett and Percy Haswell Fawcett papers date from 1857 to 1939 and document the actors' respective and combined acting careers through photographs, scrapbooks, programs, articles, correspondence, and writings. The collection is arranged into three groups: George Fawcett files, Percy Haswell Fawcett files, and George Fawcett and Percy Haswell Fawcett files. Materials within each group are arranged by format.

George Fawcett files contain articles, programs, scrapbooks, photographs, correspondence, and writings. Articles are frequently biographical sketches of Fawcett written in conjunction with the release of a film or play. Fan letters make up the bulk of the correspondence, with a limited amount of letters regarding contracts. Photographs depict Fawcett in films, such as One Man's Reunion, Once a Gentleman, His Children's Children, The Tempest, and Forever. The scrapbooks contain articles and programs for Fawcett's theater work, namely the 1909, 1912, and 1930 productions of The Great John Ganton. Fawcett's writings include his published and unpublished poetry, a script entitled Shooting at the Moon, and his unpublished autobiography, The Marching Years. The autobiography recounts his experiences in the theater business during the 1880s and 1890s. There is also a file pertaining to his brother, actor and stage manager Allen Fawcett, which contains photographs and some of his unpublished writings.

Percy Haswell Fawcett files primarily contain photographs and scrapbooks, with a limited amount of articles, programs, and correspondence. The photographs chronicle Haswell's entire acting career, from her early performances in Boston during the 1880s until the 1920s. The photographs are mostly portraits of Haswell in costume and character for regional productions such as As You Like It, Fedora, The Little Minister, The Royal Family, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Favor of the Queen. There are also photographs of Haswell in costumes for some of her Broadway productions, including A Virginia Courtship, The Littlest Rebel, and The Honor of the Family. Photographs were taken in New York City, Baltimore, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Denver, and Toronto, among other cities. Scrapbooks, articles, and programs that relate to Haswell document her acting with the Augustin Daly Company, primarily between 1893 and 1895, and her leadership of and acting with stock companies, such as the Lafayette Square Stock Company and the Percy Haswell Company. Haswell's positive reception as an actress in Toronto is particularly well represented; a small run of her publication, The Percy Haswell Weekly News, published by the Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, is present. The publication featured theater news in Toronto.

George Fawcett and Percy Haswell Fawcett files primarily relate to the Percy Haswell Stock Company, which Fawcett directed, and the subsequent George Fawcett Company. Material consists of scrapbooks and photographs of other actors, primarily those who acted with Fawcett and Haswell. The scrapbooks contain programs and articles, several of which are for Chase's Lyceum Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland. Other scrapbooks contain articles and clippings on other actors and for shows Haswell and Fawcett attended. There is one scrapbook that pertains specifically to actress G.H. (Ann) Gilbert, who acted with Haswell in the Augustin Daly Company during the 1890s. Also present are two theater record books, created by theatergoers who attended shows in Boston, including shows put on by Fawcett's company. The books contain clippings, programs, notes, and criticisms by the books' creators. Several actors are pictured in the photographs, including Frank Gilmore, Otis Skinner, Julia Marlow, William DeWolf Hopper, Bertha Kalich, Florence Nash, and Johnny Mack Brown. There are also two autographed photographs of sculptures by American artist Gutzon Borglum.