Scope and arrangement
The Frank Cambria and Sophie T. Cambria collection of Vincente Minnelli costume designs are arranged in two series:
This collection includes original drawings and renderings for costume designs for various theatrical productions created by Vincente Minnelli for the Balaban Katz and Paramount-Publix theatre companies, under the art direction of Frank Cambria. All designs are works on paper, in a variety of media. More than half the collection are finished drawings; the remainder are unfinished sketches. Only two productions are clearly identified: Alice in Wonderland (Chicago, 1925) and Oliver Twist. Additionally, there are two portrait photographs taken by Minnelli of Cambria family members and a 1928 letter from Minnelli to Cambria describing his proposed designs for a Paramount-Publix production.
In 1916, A.J. and Barney Balaban joined their brother-in-law Sam Katz to create the theatrical management firm Balaban & Katz. With increasing success and larger capitalization, Balaban & Katz began more than a decade of developing new and architecturally significant movie theatres in which they developed innovative connections between motion pictures and elaborately-designed vaudeville and stage performances featuring many of the leading entertainers of the day. By 1924, Balaban & Katz was the most successful chain of movie theatres in the United States.
Frank Cambria was the art director for Balaban & Katz in Chicago, later transferring to the New York offices of Paramount-Publix after it acquired Balaban & Katz in 1926. This collection was compiled by Cambria and passed down to his daughter, Sophie T. Cambria, who was the aunt of the seller.
American film and stage director, Vincente Minnelli began his theatrical career as a costume and set designer in Chicago. Minnelli recalls these early years in Chicago in his 1974 autobiography: "With singleness of mind, I called on Frank Cambria, the head man [at Balaban & Katz]. He looked at my portfolio, which included photographs as well as water colors. 'What do you have in mind, young man?' 'I think you should start your own costume department...and I should be in charge.'" After meeting with Cambria and A.J. Balaban, Minnelli was hired as their first in-house designer. Minnelli further explained "I designed for very elaborate productions, and I was soon accomplished in baubles, bangles, braids and spangles used in my craft. It was the hardest work I'd ever done."
Seeking even more dominance in film distribution and exhibition, in 1926 Paramount/Publix, a rival chain of movie theatres connected with Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, acquired Balaban & Katz. As a result, A.J. moved to New York City in 1929 to serve as vice-president of Paramount/Publix's presentation unit, which maintained creative control over the elaborate stage shows made famous by Balaban & Katz. Between 1929 and 1931, Minnelli split his time between Chicago and New York, but moved to New York to design for Paramount theatres full time in 1931.
The Frank Cambria and Sophie T. Cambria collection of Vincente Minnelli costume designs are arranged in two series:
Purchased by the New York Public Library in 2014.
Collection processed by Annemarie van Roessel, Billy Rose Theatre Division, 2022.