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© 2010 University of Chicago Library
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.
This series contains correspondence and memorabilia. Material spans 1885-1921.
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.