The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the Elwyn A. Barron Papers 1877-1921
© 2010 University of Chicago Library
| Title: | Barron, Elwyn A. Papers |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1877-1921 |
| Size: | 30 linear feet (60 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | Elwyn A. Barron (1855-1929) was a drama critic and playwright working in Chicago between 1877 and 1895. The Elwyn A. Barron Papers contain correspondence, memorabilia, dramatic criticism, and drafts of plays, novels, and poetry. |
The collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Barron, Elwyn A. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Elwyn Alfred Barron was born in Lima, New York, in 1855. Educated at Robert College in Tennessee between 1868 and 1872, Barron worked at the Chicago Inter-Ocean in 1877. Until 1895 he was a drama critic and editorialist for this newspaper, which served as the primary source of news for the Midwestern and Western business community during this period. His work brought him into the orbit of many renowned American actors of the period; out of this experience he published an admiring biography of the actor Lawrence Barrett in 1889. In 1884, Barron married Harriet Lee Bird.
Barron also wrote plays, novels and poetry, including Robin Hood and Rosalind (1883, with A.S. Burt), A Moral Crime (1885, with fellow Chicago journalist Morgan Bates) and The Viking (1888). Barron's work was dramatic and favored historical settings. He was comfortable with both comedy and tragedy: Robin Hood and Rosalind, termed "a perfect piece of work," by one reviewer, closed with a wedding chorus, while The Viking, set in what Lawrence Barrett called "the weird and mystical North," ended somewhat less happily.
After leaving Chicago, Barron lived in Paris and London. There he collaborated with the English playwright Wilson Barrett; together they published the novel In Old New York in 1900. Between 1900 and 1916 Barron copyrighted 11 dramatic works. His romantic drama A Mountain Pink, again with Morgan Bates, was staged in Chicago in 1900. He also published Manders: A Tale of Paris (1899, 1900) and Marcel Levignet (1906).
From 1907 Barron lived and wrote in New York City. He died in 1929.
The Elwyn A. Barron Papers are organized into two series:
Series I: Personal, contains correspondence and memorabilia, spaning 1885-1921.
Series II: Writings, contains criticism, plays, novels, and poetry written by Barron and others. These include clippings of reviews written by Barron while working for the Chicago Inter-Ocean, and drafts and printed copies of his non-critical writing. Material is largely undated but appears to span 1877-1921.
Series I: Correspondence and Personal |
This series contains correspondence and memorabilia. Material spans 1885-1921.
| Box 1 Folder 1 | Calendar, 1885 |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | Cartoon, undated |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | Correspondence, Wilson Barrett, 1891 |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | Correspondence, "Lily," 1920 |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | Correspondence, Harriet Lee Bird, 1921 |
| Box 1 Folder 6 | Correspondence, Unidentified, 1921 |
| Box 1 Folder 7 | Correspondence, Charles Scribner and Sons, undated |
| Box 1 Folder 8 | Memorial, Joseph Hodges Choate, 1917 |
Series II: Writings |
This series contains criticism, plays, novels, and poetry written by Barron and others. It is divided into five subseries:
Subseries 1: Criticism, contains clippings of editorials and reviews Barron wrote for the Chicago Inter-Ocean and other newspapers between 1877 and 1895. It includes criticism written by others and reviews of Barron's own plays. Material is organized by actor, playwright, and genre, as arranged by Barron.
Subseries 2: Plays, contains drafts of plays written by Barron and two published copies of The Viking. Much of the material is undated; it appears to date from the 1880s and 1890s. Material is organized by title.
Subseries 3: Novels, contains drafts of novels written by Barron. These are incomplete and undated. Material is arranged by title.
Subseries 4: Poetry, contains drafts of poems written by Barron. It includes clippings of published poems. All but one poem is undated. Material is organized by title.
Subseries 5: Writings by Others, contains copies of poetry and short works written by others. Material is undated and organized by author.
Subseries 1: Criticism |
| Box Folder 9 | Mary Anderson |
| Box Folder 10 | Wilson Barrett, Boucicciault, E.H. Sothern |
| Box Folder 11 | Bernhardt, Coquelin-Hading, Elenora Duse |
| Box Folder 12 | Fanny Davenport, Langtry, Mrs. Potter, Daly Company |
| Box Folder 13 | Florence Jefferson, Irving Terry |
| Box Folder 14 | James Wainwright, Helen Modjeska |
| Box Folder 15 | Julia Marlowe, Carter |
| Box Folder 16 | Margaret Mather, Jannescheck, Miln, Wyndham Company, the Kendals |
| Box Folder 17 | John McCullough, Slaving, Clara Morris, Rhea |
| Box Folder 18 | Palmer Company, Halliard |
| Box 2 Folder 1 | Rosina Vokes |
| Box 2 Folder 2 | Miscellaneous actors, burlesques and farces |
| Box 2 Folder 3 | Lyceum Company, "Die Muenchener," Possart, Steele MacKaye |
| Box 2 Folder 4 | Dramatic essays, John Drew, W.H. Crane, Morris, Goodwin, Sol Smith Russell |
| Box 2 Folder 5 | Sunday leaders, new plays |
| Box 2 Folder 6 | The Viking |
| Box 2 Folder 7 | Specials |
| Box 2 Folder 8 | Scraps |
| Box 2 Folder 9 | Contributions to the New York Mirror, Intercepted Letters, miscellaneous criticism |
| Box 2 Folder 10 | Editorials, distinguished men |
| Box 2 Folder 11 | Scraps in verse and prose |
| Box 2 Folder 12 | Editorials, miscellaneous topics |
| Box 2 Folder 13 | General |
| Box 2 Folder 14 | Politics |
| Box 3 Folder 1 | New plays |
| Box 3 Folder 2 | Stars |
| Box 3 Folder 3 | Personal |
| Box 3 Folder 4 | A Moral Crime |
| Box 3 Folder 5 | Foreign productions |
| Box 3 Folder 6 | John McCullough |
| Box 3 Folder 7 | General criticism |
Subseries 2: Plays |
| Box 4 Folder 1 | The Duke's Wife, undated |
| Box 4 Folder 2 | The King's Mate, undated |
| Box 4 Folder 3 | A Moral Crime, synopsis, with Morgan Bates, circa 1885 |
| Box 4 Folder 4 | Playing the Game, undated |
| Box 4 Folder 5 | Robin Hood and Rosalind: A Comedy in Two Acts, with A.S. Burt, circa 1883 |
| Box 4 Folder 6 | Triangles, undated |
| Box 4 Folder 7 | Unidentified |
| Box 4 Folder 8 | Unidentified, Act II |
| Box 4 Folder 9 | Unidentified, Act II and III |
| Box 4 Folder 10-11 | The Viking, 1888 |
| Box 5 Folder 1 | The Viking, Act II |
| Box 5 Folder 2 | The Viking, Act III |
| Box 5 Folder 3 | The Viking, Act IV
|
| Box 5 Folder 5 | When Bess Was Queen, circa 1894 |
Subseries 3: Novels |
| Box 5 Folder 6 | The Applebee Family |
| Box 5 Folder 7 | A Brat O' Darkness |
| Box 5 Folder 8 | In The Dusk of the Old South |
| Box 5 Folder 9-10 | A Soul's Adventure |
| Box 6 Folder 1 | Tu N'es Plus Rien? |
Subseries 4: Poetry |
| Box 6 Folder 2 | "An Appreciation" |
| Box 6 Folder 3 | "Art vs. Artichokes" |
| Box 6 Folder 4 | "The Bow Carver" |
| Box 6 Folder 5 | "The Builder" |
| Box 6 Folder 6 | "Chrono to Cotytto" |
| Box 6 Folder 7 | "The Failure" |
| Box 6 Folder 8 | "For a Box of Smokes" |
| Box 6 Folder 9 | "Fortune's Lord" |
| Box 6 Folder 10 | "The Harbinger" |
| Box 6 Folder 11 | "In Re the Day's Beneficence" |
| Box 6 Folder 12 | "The Legend of Tululah" |
| Box 6 Folder 13 | "On Receiving a Casket of Tea," 1921 |
| Box 6 Folder 14 | "Opportunity" |
| Box 6 Folder 15 | "Our Boys in the War" |
| Box 6 Folder 16 | "Pietro Loquilor" |
| Box 6 Folder 17 | "The Rueful Fate of Tommy Brown" |
| Box 6 Folder 18 | "The Show-me Choice" |
| Box 6 Folder 19 | "Stone Mountain Memorial" |
| Box 6 Folder 20 | "The Two Messengers" |
| Box 6 Folder 21 | Printed poems, circa 1890s |
| Box 6 Folder 22 | Untitled drafts |
Subseries 5: Writings by Others |
| Box 6 Folder 23 | Jefferson, C.E., "The Cause of the War," undated |
| Box 6 Folder 24 | Macbeth and Conway, The Great Fright, dust jacket, undated |
| Box 6 Folder 25 | "A Short Tale of a Pursuit in Tracing the History of a Rubens," undated |
| Box 6 Folder 26 | Wobern, Raynal, poems |