Scope and Content Note
The collection consists of materials that document Adolph Bolm's career as a dancer and choreographer in both Russia and the United States throughout the first half of the twentieth century. The Photographs series includes production photographs from the various companies with which Bolm worked, including the Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev, Ballet Intime, Adolph Bolm Ballet, Chicago Civic Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Ballet Theatre (later called American Ballet Theatre). The Programs series documents Bolm’s work with touring and resident companies, including the aforementioned companies. The Advertisements and Pamphlets series contains marketing materials for Ballet Theatre’s California tour and advertisements for Bolm’s Hollywood and Chicago dance studios. The Articles series includes biographical articles, performance reviews, and other press clippings. The Correspondence series contains considerable correspondence between Bolm and composer John Alden Carpenter, a frequent collaborator and family friend. The Business Papers include contracts, financial agreements, travel documents, and an address book. The Anna Pavlova Materials series includes telegrams, letters, and an homage written by Bolm about Pavlova, one of his favorite ballerinas. The Writings series provides detailed biographical information about the early parts of Bolm’s life in St. Petersburg, as well as some press materials summarizing his career in the United States. It also includes Rosalind Shaffer De Mille’s notes and drafts from interviews with Bolm and others for a biography of Bolm. The Artwork series contains costume designs and paintings. The Music Scores and Commemorative Items series includes an annotated piano reduction of John Alden Carpenter's score for The Birthday of the Infanta and two Igor Stravinsky published scores, one with an inscription, as well as autograph books containing signatures from many composers and artists.