Opening Hours
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Manuscripts
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
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Manuscripts
This collection consists of official manuscript copies of plays submitted for licensing between 1737 and 1824 that were in the possession of John Larpent, the examiner of plays, at the time of his death in 1824. These copies were later owned by John Payne Collier before being purchased by the Bridgewater House Library. The collection includes 2,399 identified plays as well as an additional 104 unidentified pieces including addresses, prologues, epilogues, etc. These copies of plays, generally, were clearly written by professional copyists attached to the theaters, though some are partly, or entirely, in the authors' handwriting. Most copies are accompanied by a formal application for license to perform, signed by the manager of the theater. The name of the author only rarely appears upon the play, except on title-pages of printed copies, submitted instead of manuscripts. Presumably, all new plays performed between June 24, 1737, and January 18, 1824, were licensed as the law required, but Larpent's collection is not entirely complete. The most conspicuous of the plays not now in the Huntington's collection (e.g., The Clandestine Marriage and The School for Scandal) are also not listed in the manuscript Alphabetical Catalogue with Notes of Theatrical representations &ca Submitted for Licensing From The Year 1737, to the Year 1787 inclusive in the handwriting of Larpent and of his second wife (now held by the New York Public Library). Their omission in Larpent's list suggest that these plays were removed from the Examiners' papers before Larpent took office. Others appear to have been either returned to the managers or given away by Larpent or by Collier. Note though that the Alphabetical Catalogue is incomplete and lacks a large number of titles held in this collection. A manuscript catalogue, Larpent dramatic manuscripts catalogue, 1737-1824 (call number: EL 26/B/11), was presumably made under Collier's direction, and it sometimes conveys information not found upon the copy itself, though the catalogue is incomplete and at times inaccurate. Originally, the manuscripts were bound in a rough whity-brown paper covers, upon which the Examiner often made notes. Before Larpent took office, the mark of an "X" on the paper cover seems to have indicated that the play had been examined; but Larpent usually entered the name of the theater submitting the play and a date, presumably when Larpent licensed the play and generally a day or two after the date of the application. Sometimes, though, the date is considerably after the first performance. On some copies, the marks of the Examiners indicate objectionable passages, and most suppressed plays bear endorsements stating that the license was not granted. While Collier had access to the collection, he inscribed many of the copies with notes, most of them partly in shorthand, recording his opinions on matters such as authorship, handwriting, or date. Though many of these notes are correct, others are mistaken or unintelligible. The fact that these plays are official copies sent to the office of the Examiner by the managers of the theaters, not the authors, places them in a different category from that of most literary texts. Their relation on the one hand to the acted version and on the other to the published work raises complicated problems that can be solved only individually. What liberties actors took with the text after it had been approved, one cannot say, but it seems likely that in general the licensed text was presented on the stage. The printed play, however, was generally set from copy provided by the author; and in it he had the opportunity to restore what the manager had eliminated, or to revise the piece in the light of its reception. The Larpent text, thus, may represent a state of composition either later or earlier than the first acted version. An examination of the manuscripts will show that the Examiner's copy seldom conforms entirely to the published text.
mssLA 1-2503
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Manuscripts
Biography of Charles Fletcher Lummis (1859-1928), prominent journalist, poet, photographer, and activist of the American west and founder of the Southwest Museum. The biography begins with Lummis' childhood in Massachusetts, where he was rigorously educated by his father following his mother's early death. It then traces his attendance of Harvard, his 1885 transcontinental walk from Cincinnati to Los Angeles (as recorded in Lummis' book A tramp across the continent, 1891), his work as city editor of the Los Angeles Times, his 1886 coverage of General George Crook's participation in the Apache Wars, Lummis' paralysis and temporary blindness, his life with the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico, and his founding of the Southwest Museum. References are also made to Lummis' relationships with his first wife Dr. Dorothea Rhodes, Theodore Roosevelt and Boies Penrose at Harvard, Harrison Gray Otis, Leonard Wood, Adolph F. Bandelier, Henry Herbert Knibbs, and members of his "Lion's Den" literary circle. Carbon copy of typewritten manuscript with handwritten notes.
mssHM 72915
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Manuscripts
The collection consists of 551 manuscripts and 4 pieces of correspondence, which are arranged in chronological order by type. The majority of the manuscripts consist of sermons written by Laurentine Hamilton between 1858 and 1882. The sermons are ordered by the date they were first given, but Hamilton often reused his sermons. These dates are usually written on the manuscript or on the bindings that Hamilton used to hold together the loose pages of many of his sermons. One sermon which illustrates Hamilton's arguments for posthumous salvation was given on May 16, 1869 and is titled, "The Judgment." Hamilton also gave sermons incorporating the theories of Darwinian Evolution into Christianity beginning in 1878. There is also a seven-page biography of his life, which was read at Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship at UC Berkeley on December 17, 1956. It is unclear who wrote the speech. It may have been the donor, Clark Edward. The speech itself is a brief overview of Hamilton's life and then a short analysis of the events triggered by his controversial sermons regarding posthumous salvation. The ephemera, consisting of 25 items, are arranged by type. The ephemera consists of issues of the Oakland Daily News with Hamilton's printed sermons, from 1874 to 1875, issues of the Oakland Daily Evening Tribune with an article by Hamilton and his obituary, and an issue of the Sunday Chronicle from 1882 with Hamilton's obituary. Also included are three lists of Hamilton's sermons, a copy of one of Hamilton's sermons, his academic diplomas and certificates, notes by an unknown author, and a tract by Hamilton, titled "The Future State and Free Discussion; Four Sermons Preached in the First Presbyterian Church" dated 1869.
mssHamilton
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Manuscripts
The collection consists of 551 manuscripts and 4 pieces of correspondence, which are arranged in chronological order by type. The majority of the manuscripts consist of sermons written by Laurentine Hamilton between 1858 and 1882. The sermons are ordered by the date they were first given, but Hamilton often reused his sermons. These dates are usually written on the manuscript or on the bindings that Hamilton used to hold together the loose pages of many of his sermons. One sermon which illustrates Hamilton's arguments for posthumous salvation was given on May 16, 1869 and is titled, "The Judgment." Hamilton also gave sermons incorporating the theories of Darwinian Evolution into Christianity beginning in 1878. There is also a seven-page biography of his life, which was read at Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship at UC Berkeley on December 17, 1956. It is unclear who wrote the speech. It may have been the donor, Clark Edward. The speech itself is a brief overview of Hamilton's life and then a short analysis of the events triggered by his controversial sermons regarding posthumous salvation. The ephemera, consisting of 25 items, are arranged by type. The ephemera consists of issues of the Oakland Daily News with Hamilton's printed sermons, from 1874 to 1875, issues of the Oakland Daily Evening Tribune with an article by Hamilton and his obituary, and an issue of the Sunday Chronicle from 1882 with Hamilton's obituary. Also included are three lists of Hamilton's sermons, a copy of one of Hamilton's sermons, his academic diplomas and certificates, notes by an unknown author, and a tract by Hamilton, titled "The Future State and Free Discussion; Four Sermons Preached in the First Presbyterian Church" dated 1869.
mssHamilton
Image not available
Manuscripts
The collection consists of 551 manuscripts and 4 pieces of correspondence, which are arranged in chronological order by type. The majority of the manuscripts consist of sermons written by Laurentine Hamilton between 1858 and 1882. The sermons are ordered by the date they were first given, but Hamilton often reused his sermons. These dates are usually written on the manuscript or on the bindings that Hamilton used to hold together the loose pages of many of his sermons. One sermon which illustrates Hamilton's arguments for posthumous salvation was given on May 16, 1869 and is titled, "The Judgment." Hamilton also gave sermons incorporating the theories of Darwinian Evolution into Christianity beginning in 1878. There is also a seven-page biography of his life, which was read at Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship at UC Berkeley on December 17, 1956. It is unclear who wrote the speech. It may have been the donor, Clark Edward. The speech itself is a brief overview of Hamilton's life and then a short analysis of the events triggered by his controversial sermons regarding posthumous salvation. The ephemera, consisting of 25 items, are arranged by type. The ephemera consists of issues of the Oakland Daily News with Hamilton's printed sermons, from 1874 to 1875, issues of the Oakland Daily Evening Tribune with an article by Hamilton and his obituary, and an issue of the Sunday Chronicle from 1882 with Hamilton's obituary. Also included are three lists of Hamilton's sermons, a copy of one of Hamilton's sermons, his academic diplomas and certificates, notes by an unknown author, and a tract by Hamilton, titled "The Future State and Free Discussion; Four Sermons Preached in the First Presbyterian Church" dated 1869.
mssHamilton
Image not available
Manuscripts
The collection consists of 551 manuscripts and 4 pieces of correspondence, which are arranged in chronological order by type. The majority of the manuscripts consist of sermons written by Laurentine Hamilton between 1858 and 1882. The sermons are ordered by the date they were first given, but Hamilton often reused his sermons. These dates are usually written on the manuscript or on the bindings that Hamilton used to hold together the loose pages of many of his sermons. One sermon which illustrates Hamilton's arguments for posthumous salvation was given on May 16, 1869 and is titled, "The Judgment." Hamilton also gave sermons incorporating the theories of Darwinian Evolution into Christianity beginning in 1878. There is also a seven-page biography of his life, which was read at Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship at UC Berkeley on December 17, 1956. It is unclear who wrote the speech. It may have been the donor, Clark Edward. The speech itself is a brief overview of Hamilton's life and then a short analysis of the events triggered by his controversial sermons regarding posthumous salvation. The ephemera, consisting of 25 items, are arranged by type. The ephemera consists of issues of the Oakland Daily News with Hamilton's printed sermons, from 1874 to 1875, issues of the Oakland Daily Evening Tribune with an article by Hamilton and his obituary, and an issue of the Sunday Chronicle from 1882 with Hamilton's obituary. Also included are three lists of Hamilton's sermons, a copy of one of Hamilton's sermons, his academic diplomas and certificates, notes by an unknown author, and a tract by Hamilton, titled "The Future State and Free Discussion; Four Sermons Preached in the First Presbyterian Church" dated 1869.
mssHamilton