Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
In 2020, the Library of Congress purchased a set of about 65 programs and other materials related to Denishawn and Jacob's Pillow that had had been collected by Paul McMahon, a writer and photographer based in Boston. These items constitute the core materials of the Denishawn Legacy Collection, to which other donated and purchased programs of unknown provenance have been added. The collection is open to additions of other items related to the Denishawn legacy.
Accruals
Accruals are expected.
Processing History
Libby Smigel processed the Denishawn Legacy Collection in 2021. Rachel McNellis coded the finding aid in 2021.
Other Repositories
Other libraries and archives that hold significant collections related to Denishawn, Ruth St. Denis, and Ted Shawn include: Adelphi University; Florida State University; Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival; University of California, Los Angeles; University of Florida, Gainesville; and the University of Denver.
Related Material
The Library of Congress Music Division houses several special collections related to Ted Shawn, Ruth St. Denis, or the Denishawn Company. The Herbert H. Coburn Dance Program Collection includes numerous playbills and performance programs for St. Denis, Shawn, and Jacob’s Pillow. The Cesi Kellinger Collection of Dance Materials contains programs and photographs for Shawn and St. Denis. Additional photographs, programs, and correspondence related to St. Denis are available in the Oliver Daniel Papers, and the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation Collection and the Serge Koussevitzky Archive both contain correspondence with Ted Shawn.
Several Music Division special collections feature artists whose careers began in the Denishawn company: the Anne Douglas Papers Related to Denishawn, Grace McCrae Papers Relating to Denishawn, Martha Graham Collection, and the Martha Graham Legacy Archive.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [item, date, container or reel or digital ID number], Denishawn Legacy Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.