- Creator
- Du Bois, Raoul Pène, 1914-1985
- Call number
- *T-VIM 2013-223
- Physical description
- 4 boxes (ca. 290 drawings), col. 52 x 38 cm or smaller; 4 boxes (ca. 290 drawings), col. 52 x 38 cm or smaller
- Preferred Citation
- Raoul Pène Du Bois designs, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library
- Repository
- Billy Rose Theatre Division
- Location
- *T-Vim 2013-223
- Access to materials
- Request an in-person research appointment.
Set and costume designer Raoul Pène Du Bois (1914-1985) was born on Staten Island, New York. His career began in his teens and spanned some six decades, during which he designed for theater, film, dance, and other live productions. Du Bois received two Tony Awards for his set designs for Wonderful town (1953), and his costume designs for No, no, Nanette (1971). He died at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, following a stroke. Original color drawings mostly of costume designs, but also set designs and detail drawings by Raoul Pène Du Bois. Many of the designs are for the musical Jumbo, music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart (Hippodrome Theatre, 1935), with masks by Wynn; several designs are initialed and dated "JR 35" and are possibly by James Reynolds who also designed costumes for this production. Other productions represented are Call me madam, music and lyrics by Irving Berlin (Imperial Theatre, 1950); Carmen Jones, music by Georges Bizet, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein (Broadway Theatre, 1943); Doctor jazz, music by Buster Davis and Luther Henderson, lyrics by Buster Davis (Winter Garden Theatre, 1975); The firebrand of Florence, music by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ira Gershwin (Alvin Theatre, 1945); Irene, music by Harry Tierney, lyrics by Joseph McCarthy (Minskoff Theatre, 1973); The music man, music and lyrics by Meredith Willson (Majestic Theatre, 1957); No, no, Nanette, music by Vincent Youmans, lyrics by Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach (46th Street Theatre, 1971); The student gypsy, music and lyrics by Rick Besoyan (54th Street Theatre, 1963). There are also detail sketches for Billy Rose's aquacade (New York World's Fair, 1939), and a costume design, possibly for the Rockettes, ca. 1932.
Administrative information
Related Material
Related materials may be found in Costume designs for Carmen Jones (*T-VIM 2005-019) and Jumbo, 1935 (*T-VIM 2003-056) in The Billy Rose Theatre Division
Key terms
Names
- Bizet, Georges, 1838-1875. Carmen (Carmen Jones)
- Reynolds, James (Artist)
- Rodgers, Richard, 1902-1979. Jumbo
- Rose, Billy, 1899-1966
- Weill, Kurt, 1900-1950. Firebrand of Florence
- Willson, Meredith, 1902-1984. Music man
- Youmans, Vincent, 1898-1946. No, no, Nanette
- New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)
Material types
Using the collection
Location
Billy Rose Theatre DivisionNew York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor