Loading...
Creator
Ellison, Saram Richard, 1852-1918
Call number
*T-Mss 1915-001
Physical description
6.13 linear feet (24 volumes and 1 box)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Dr. Saram R. Ellison scrapbooks, *T-Mss 1915-001. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Compiled by Dr. Saram R. Ellison during the late 19th- and early 20th-centuries, this collection of scrapbooks documents the founding and early years of the Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.), numerous magicians, and various subjects of magic and the related arts.

Biographical/historical information

Dr. Saram R. Ellison (1852-1918) was a medical doctor and avid collector of magic and related materials, particularly published materials and ephemera. He also maintained friendships and correspondence with most of the major and minor magicians practicing during his lifetime. In 1902 he co-founded, along with W. Golden Mortimer and Francis Martinka, the Society of American Magicians, which was headquartered in New York City.

Scope and arrangement

Includes manuscript correspondence, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, original photographs, ephemera, illustrations, and other documents relating to the founding and early years of the Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.), and the subjects of magic, hypnotism, spiritualism, legerdemain, ventriloquism, and the conjuring arts. Ellison compiled this material into scrapbook volumes lettered B through X2. Loose correspondence, programs, and promotional materials are housed in Box 1.

Arrangement

Scrapbooks are arranged in alphabetical order. Volume A is lacking and there is no evidence that Volumes Y or Z ever existed in this collection.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift: Saram R. Ellison, M.D., 1915-1917.

Revision History

Front matter and container list revised. (2020-03-30)

Processing information

Processed by Camille Dee, Archives Unit.

Previously cataloged as 8-MZC+ (Ellison, S. R. [Collection of manuscript letters, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, etc.])

Related Material

See also related collections: Magic scrapbooks and posters (*T-Mss 2011-031); Houdiniana (*T-Mss 2016-010); and Houdini artwork (*T-Vim 2011-293).

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