Collection Summary
Adolph Bolm Collection
circa 1895-1982
(bulk 1908-1948)
circa 1895-1982
(bulk 1908-1948)
ML31.B65
Bolm, Adolph, 1884-1951
800 items
9 containers
4.5 linear feet
English
Russian
Collection material in
English and Russian
Music Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Adolph Bolm (1884-1951) was a renowned
ballet dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher. This collection, which documents his
career both in Russia and the United States, contains photographs, correspondence,
programs, pamphlets, articles, business papers, writings, artwork, and music
scores.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Bolm, Adolph, 1884-1951--Archives.
Bolm, Adolph, 1884-1951--Correspondence.
Bolm, Adolph, 1884-1951--Photographs.
Bolm, Adolph, 1884-1951.
Bolm, Adolph, 1884-1951.
Carpenter, John Alden, 1876-1951--Correspondence.
Karsavina, Tamara--Photographs.
Pavlova, Anna, 1881-1931.
Organizations
Adolph Bolm Ballet.
Ballet Intime.
Ballet Theatre (New York, N.Y.)
Ballets russes.
Chicago Civic Opera (Chicago, Ill.)
San Francisco Opera.
Subjects
Ballet companies--Russia.
Ballet companies--United States.
Ballet dancers--Russia.
Ballet dancers--United States.
Ballet programs.
Ballet--Russia.
Ballet--United States.
Choreographers--Russia.
Choreographers--United States.
Dance schools--United States.
Dance teachers--United States.
Form/Genre
Artifacts (Object genre)
Clippings (Information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Photographic prints.
Programs (Documents)
Provenance
The collection was donated by Adolph Bolm’s son, Olaf Bolm, in 2002, with additional
materials added by Bolm’s granddaughter, Wende Hester, in 2009.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
Processing History
The Adolph Bolm Collection was processed by Judy Estey in 2009. George Kipper edited and coded the finding aid for EAD in 2010.
Copyright Status
Materials from the Adolph Bolm Collection are governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.) and other applicable international copyright laws.
Access and Restrictions
The Adolph Bolm Collection is open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Music Division prior to visiting in order to determine whether the desired materials will be available at that time.
Certain restrictions to use or copying of materials may apply.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: [item, date, container number], Adolph Bolm Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Adolph Bolm was born in St. Petersburg in 1884, entered the Imperial Ballet School in
1894, and became a dancer with the Maryinsky Theatre in 1903. Bolm spent less than a
decade with the company, during which time he led Maryinsky tours to Scandinavia and
Europe, and served as partner to ballerina Anna Pavlova. In 1909, he began performing
with Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, excelling in character roles such as Pierre in
Michel Fokine’s
Le Carnaval
(1909) and the Moor in
Petrouchka
(1911). Perhaps his most vivid role was
that of the Chief Warrior in Fokine’s “Polovtsian Dances,” from Act 2 of Aleksandr
Borodin’s opera
Prince Igor
, a ballet remembered for
its particularly savage and exotic choreography. While dancing with the Ballets Russes,
Bolm often partnered with ballerina Tamara Karsavina. He danced the Tsarevitch role to
her Firebird in
The Firebird
(1910). Bolm left the
company in 1917 after sustaining an injury and because Diaghilev was unwilling to allow
Bolm to create ballets for the company. (Diaghilev instead promoted Vaslav Nijinsky as
choreographer.) Bolm went to America where he established the touring company Ballet
Intime. It was known for its Eastern dance styles and featured such dancers as American
Ruth Page, Roshanara, and Michio Ito. In the 1930s, Agnes de Mille and Martha Graham
performed as guest artists for the company. In 1918, Bolm choreographed and danced in
the ballet
Falling Leaves
for the Broadway revue
Miss 1917
. In 1918-1919, he staged and performed
in two Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev works,
Le Coq
d’Or
and
Petrouchka
, at the Metropolitan
Opera House. He later staged these works, as well as other Ballets Russes ballets, in
Buenos Aires and San Francisco.
Bolm spent most of the 1920s in Chicago where he worked as ballet master, premier
danseur, and choreographer for the Chicago Civic Opera and the Chicago Allied Artists
organization. Two significant works that he choreographed during this period were the
1919 ballet titled
The Birthday of the Infanta
from
1919, based on the Oscar Wilde short story, with music by frequent collaborator John
Alden Carpenter, and the 1922 ballet
Krazy Kat
, based
on the cartoon by George Herriman. He created several one-act ballets, often using
designs by Nicolas Remisoff, both for the Chicago company and for his own Adolph Bolm
Ballet company. The Bolm Ballet toured the United States and frequently featured Ruth
Page and guest artist Vera Mirova. Louis Horst provided musical direction. In 1928, the
Library of Congress, under the patronage of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, commissioned
Igor Stravinsky’s score
Apollo Musagète
for Bolm.
Bolm also premiered the ballets
Arlecchinata
,
Alt-Wien
, and
Pavane pour une
Infante Défuncte
at the Library of Congress that year.
During the 1930s Bolm worked in California, acting as ballet master for the San
Francisco Opera, and unofficially establishing the San Francisco Ballet, from 1933-1936.
He was hired to stage the dance scenes for the film
The Mad
Genius
(1930), directed by John Barrymore. It is for this film that Bolm
created his ballet
Le Ballet Mécanique
. In 1922, Bolm
had collaborated on an experimental short film,
Danse
Macabre
(to Camille Saint-Saëns’ score of the same name) with dancer Ruth
Page and director Dudley Murphy. In 1941 he would work on two more films,
The Men in her Life
and
The
Corsican Brothers
. Bolm frequently re-mounted and re-choreographed
Le Ballet Mécanique
, presenting it in 1930 at the
Hollywood Bowl as
The Spirit of the Factory
, and
later under its original title with the San Francisco Opera. He continued to choreograph
for the San Francisco Opera, creating works such as
Danse
Noble
(1934) and the three-part work
Bach
Cycle
(1936). In 1940, Bolm joined the newly-established Ballet Theatre where
he choreographed
Peter and the Wolf
to Sergei
Prokofiev’s score. He also served as company regisseur from 1942-1943, and staged his
version of
Firebird
in 1945. He choreographed his
last ballet,
Mephisto
, for the San Francisco Civic
Ballet in 1947.
Besides choreographing and staging Ballets Russes works throughout the United States,
Bolm also taught ballet, opening studios in Chicago and Hollywood and instructing a
generation of American dancers such as Cyd Charisse. He died in 1951 in Hollywood,
leaving behind a legacy as dancer, choreographer, and teacher.
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.
Organization of the Adolph Bolm Collection
The Adolph Bolm Collection is organized into ten series:
-
[
Photographs
](phot)
-
[
Programs
](prog)
-
[
Advertisements and Pamphlets
](adpa)
-
[
Articles
](arti)
-
[
Correspondence
](corr)
-
[
Business Papers
](buspa)
-
[
Anna Pavlova Materials
](pavl)
-
[
Writings
](writ)
-
[
Artwork
](artw)
-
[
Music Scores and Commemorative Items
](cims)
Container List
Container
Contents
1, 4-7, 9
Photographs
The Photographs series includes black and white prints of Adolph Bolm’s professional portraits. It also includes pictures of him in costume in various Michel Fokine ballets, such as
Le Coq d’Or
and
The Firebird
. Several of these larger portraits (in boxes 4 through 6) are taken with Tamara Karsavina, his frequent partner with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in such ballets as
Thamar and Le Pavillon d’Armide
. There are photographs of Bolm in the role of Chief Warrior in Fokine’s “Polovtsian Dances” from the opera
Prince Igor
— a particulary notable role during his tenure with the Ballets Russes. In addition, there are photographs from Bolm’s own ballets, such as
Bach Cycle
and
Le Ballet Mécanique
. The latter was an important work in Bolm’s choreographic career as he revived it several times in different forms, taking inspiration from the earlier work
The Spirit of the Factory
. The series contains photographs of Bolm with frequent collaborators, such as dancer Ruth Page, his partner at the Ballet Intime and the Adolph Bolm Ballet, composer Igor Stravinsky, who composed
Apollo
for Bolm’s
Apollon Musagète
in 1928, and John Alden Carpenter, who composed music for several of Bolm’s ballets. One photo shows Ballets Russes impresario Serge Diaghilev on tour in Lausanne in 1915. In addition, the series includes several small snapshots and postcards that show Bolm in costume for several roles, on tour with Ballet Intime, or in rehearsal. The last few folders include photocopies of photographs of Bolm, including one with John Barrymore, director of the film
The Mad Genius
, for which
Le Ballet Mécanique
was created.
Arranged chronologically or alphabetically by title within subseries.
1, 4-5, 9
Adolph Bolm alone
4/1
At Maryinsky School, circa 1903
circa 1903
1/1
London, 1912
1912
1/2
Lausanne, 1915
1915
9/5
Photograph by Albie, 1921
1921
9/6
Photograph by Robert McAfee, 1923
1923
9/7
Chicago, 1924
1924
9/8
Hollywood Bowl, 1931
1931
1/3, 5/1
Portrait by Stuart O'Brien, 1940
1940
1/4
Portrait by Eichman, 1942
1942
1/5
Portrait by Goldberg, 1942
1942
1/6
Portrait by unknown, 1942
1942
4/2
Portrait by Baacan, undated
undated
4/3
Portrait by Goldberg, undated
undated
1/7, 4/4
Portrait by Seymour, undated
undated
1/8
Date unknown
1, 4-6, 9
Adolph Bolm in costume
5/2
Apollon Musagète
(1928)
(1928)
Choreography by Adolph Bolm; music by Igor Stravinsky; scenery and costumes by Nicolas Remisoff; premiered by Adolph Bolm Ballet with Chamber Music Society, Washington D.C.
1/9
Arlecchinata
(1928)
(1928)
Choreography by Adolph Bolm; music by Cassanea de Mondonville; sets by Nicolas Remisoff; premiered by Adolph Bolm Ballet with Chamber Music Society, Washington D.C.
1/10, 4/5
Le Carnaval
(1910) , as Pierrot
(1910)
Choreography by Michel Fokine; music by Robert Schumann; scenery and costumes by Léon Bakst; premiered by the Maryinsky Ballet at Pavlov Hall, Saint Petersburg, February 20, 1910.
1/11
Le Coq d’Or
(1914)
(1914)
Choreography by Michel Fokine; music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; scenery and costumes by Natalia Gontcharova; premiered by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes at Théâtre National de l’Opera, Paris, May 24, 1914.
1/12
Danse Grec
(Ballet Intime)
4/6
Danse Macabre
(1922 short film)
(1922
Choreography by Adolph Bolm; music by Camille Saint-Saëns; directed by Dudley Murphy.
1/13, 5/3
The Firebird
(1910) , as the Tsarevitch
(1910)
Choreography by Michel Fokine; music by Igor Stravinsky; scenery by Aleksandr Golovin, costumes by Léon Bakst and Alexander Golovin; premiered by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes at Théâtre National de l’Opera, Paris, June 25, 1910.
1/14
Giselle
(circa 1910)
(circa 1910)
Choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot; music by Adolphe Adam and Friedrich Burgmüller; scenery by Pierre Ciceri, costumes by Paul Lormier; premiered by Paris Opera Ballet, Théâtre de l’Académie Royale de Musique, June 28, 1841.
9/11
Javanese Dance,
undated
undated
1/15
"Mozart"
1/16
Petrouchka
(1911) , as the Moor
(1911)
Choreography by Michel Fokine; music by Igor Stravinsky; scenery and costumes by Alexandre Benois; premiered by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, June 13, 1911.
6/1
Polovtsian Dances
, as Chief Warrior, in
Prince Igor
, (Act 2) (1909)
(1909)
Choreography by Michel Fokine; music by Aleksandr Borodin; scenery and costumes by Nikolai Roerich; premiered by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, May 19, 1909.
1/17
Sadko
(1911)
(1911)
Choreography by Michel Fokine; music by Alexander Tcherepnin; scenery and costumes by Boris Anisfeld; premiered by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, 1911.
4/7
Thamar
(1912)
(1912)
Choreography by Michel Fokine; music by Mily Balakirev; scenery and costumes by Léon Bakst; premiered by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in Paris, May 20, 1912.
1/18, 4/8
Unknown ballet
1, 4-5, 9
Adolph Bolm with others
1/19
Ballet Intime, Washington, D.C., 1917
1917
1/21
Bonnet, Joseph, with Ralph Bellamy and E. Robert Schmitz
1/22
Carpenter, John Alden, with Sergei Prokofiev and Igor Stravinsky
Scrapbook page.
1/23
Devi, Ratan, with Michio Ito and Tulle Lindahl
1/24
Gallner, Nana and Igor Stravinsky
5/4
Karsavina, Tamara, in
Firebird
, 1910
1910
1/25, 5/5
Karsavina, Tamara, in
Le Pavillion d'Armide
, circa 1909
circa 1909
1/26, 5/6
Karsavina, Tamara, in
Thamar
, 1912
1912
1/27
Kirsh, Harry (student at Bolm School for Dance)
1/28
Kirsh, Harry and Celine Raddling, students at Bolm School for Dance
1/29
New Mexico tribe, 1937
1937
1/30, 4/9
Page, Ruth, and others
1/31
Pavlova, Anna
1/32
Remisoff, Nicolas (Bolm in costume for
Coq d’Or
)
1/33
Stravinsky, Igor, 1940
1940
1/34, 4/10
Students, Bolm School for Dance
1/35
Unidentified others, Bolm School for Dance
1/20
With Olaf Bolm (son), 1930;
circa 1932
1930;
circa 1932
9/10
With Ruth Page in
Visions Fugitives
, 1930;
circa 1922
1930;
circa 1922
1, 4
Bolm's ballets
1/36
Arlecchinata
(1928)
(1928)
Curtain design by Remisoff.
1/37, 4/11
Bach Cycle
(1936)
(1936)
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach; premiered by the San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco, 1936.
1/38
Mephisto
Costume design by Eugene Lourié.
1/39
Mephisto
(1947)
(1947)
Music by Franz Liszt; costumes by Eugene Lourié; premiered by the San Francisco Civic Ballet, San Francisco, 1947.
4/12
Nymphs and Satyr
(Ballet Intime)
1/40
Le Ballet Mécanique
(1933)
(1933)
Music by Alexandre Mossolov; originally choreographed for the film The Mad Genius (1931); costumes by Nicolas Remisoff and Adolph Bolm; premiered by the San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Opera House, June 2, 1933.
1/41
The Spirit of the Factory
(1931)
(1931)
Music by Alexandre Mossolov; costumes by Corinne; premiered by the Adolph Bolm Ballet at the Hollywood Bowl, July 28, 1931.
7
Olaf Bolm childhood pictures
1, 4, 6
Other photographs
1/42
Diaghilev, Serge, 1915
1915
1/43
Page, Ruth in
The Birthday of the Infanta
1/44
Santa Fe tribe, 1921
1921
6/2
Stravinsky, Igor; portrait by Edwin McQuoid
4/13
Stravinsky, Igor, 1957
1957
1/45
Unknown dancers
1/46
Miscellaneous
1, 4, 9
Photographed artwork
1/47
Bust of Adolph Bolm by Anna Koltchanoveroff
1/48
Drawing of Bolm in
Prince Igor
by Eugene Berman
1/49
Drawing of Bolm by Jean Park
9/9
Drawings of Bolm by Remisoff, 1934
1934
1/50
Drawing of Bolm in Spain by unknown
4/14
Model of "Mars" for Bolm Ballet
With frame and note from Beata Bolm.
1/51
Sketch of Bolm by Vidar
1/52
Sculpture of Bolm as "Harlequin" by Gleb Deruginsky
1/53
Unknown drawing
1
Snapshots
1/54
Bolm Ballet
1/55
Bolm in rehearsal
1/56
Bolm on vacation
1
Postcards
1/57
Bolm in costume
1/58
Bolm with others; miscellaneous Bolm alone
1
Photocopies
1/59
Bolm in ballets: unknown;
Daphnis and Chloe
1/60
Bolm with John Barrymore on set of
The Mad Genius
, 1930
1930
1/61
Diaghilev's Ballets Russes
1/62
Pictures from Los Angeles Philharmonic Archives
1/63
Sketch of Bolm in
Prince Igor
, by Troy Kinney
1-2, 4, 9
Programs
The Programs series documents Bolm’s choreographic career with several touring and resident companies. It includes programs from the San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Ballet School, the Chicago Civic Opera, the Chicago Allied Arts organization, and the Adolph Bolm Ballet.
The Hollywood Bowl Magazine
provides details about
The Spirit of the Factory
, one of Bolm's more important ballets.
Beyond detailing his own companies, many of the programs feature Bolm’s work with major New York and European dance companies. The Ballet Theatre programs feature Bolm’s production of
Peter and the Wolf
, which he choreographed for the company in 1940 and which was performed in New York and on tour over the next four years. Bolm is listed as a company choreographer in Ballet Theatre’s souvenir program from 1940 (its founding season), alongside choreographers Michel Fokine, Bronislava Nijinska, Antony Tudor, and Agnes de Mille. Bolm and Tudor are also listed as a principal dancers. Other dancers mentioned include Lucia Chase, Nana Gollner, Nora Kaye, Anton Dolin, and Hugh Laing. This souvenir program also includes designs from several works in the Ballet Theatre repertory, synopses of these ballets, and headshots and biographies of the principals and soloists. Souvenir programs from Col. W. de Basil’s Ballet Russe 1946-1947 seasons also feature famous dancers. In addition, the series contains 1916-1917 programs from Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes’ American tour, and the cover of a 1930 program. There are also programs for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo under Leonide Massine in 1939 and the same company under Bronislava Nijinska in 1943. These two latter programs feature famous ballet stars such as Alicia Markova, Alexandra Danilova, Frederic Franklin, Maria Tallchief, and such productions as Balanchine’s
Serenade
, (described as “originally staged for the late American Ballet”), Nijinska’s
The Snow Maiden
, and Igor Schwezoff’s
The Red Poppy
. Diaghilev’s program lists the company’s planned season, includes positive press reviews (several regarding Vaslav Nijinsky), photographs, and a full page color illustration of Léon Bakst’s design for
L’Après-Midi d’un Faune
.
Subseries arranged alphabetically and chronologically arranged therein.
1
Adolph Bolm Ballet
1/64
Hollywood Bowl, July 28, 1931
July 28, 1931
1/65
Hollywood Bowl, August 12, 1932
August 12, 1932
1/66
Hollywood Bowl Magazine
, "Symphonies under the stars," August 11-14, 1936
August 11-14, 1936
1/67
Summer Festival Series, Santa Barbara County Bowl, July 23, 1938
July 23, 1938
1/68
Redlands Community Music Association presents
Adolph Bolm Dancers
, Redlands Bowl, July 29, 1938
July 29, 1938
1
Ballet Theatre
1/69
January 1940
1/70
November 1940
1/71
February 1940
1/72
November 1942
1/73
December 1942
1/74
January 1943
1/75
February 1943
1/76
April 1943
1/77
May 1943
1/78
February 1944
2
Chicago Allied Arts
2/6
1924
2/7
1925
2/8
1926
2
Diaghilev's Ballets Russes
2/4
"A Tour of America," October 1916 - February 1917
October 1916 - February 1917
2/5
"Les Ballets Russes de Serge de Diaghilev," Paris, 1930
1930
2
Grand Opera Ballet (Chicago)
2/9
1919-1920
2/10
1922-1923
2, 9
Miscellaneous Programs
9/1
Library of Congress Festival of Chamber Music, 1928
1928
9/2
San Francisco Operatic and Ballet School, 1933
1933
2/11
Original Ballet Russe, 1940
1940
2/12
San Francisco Civic Ballet, 1947-1948
1947-1948
2/13
San Francisco Opera
2/14
Stravinsky programs/reviews
2/15
Miscellaneous programs collected by Bolm
2/16
Photocopies of programs
2, 4
Souvenir Programs
2/1
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
2/2
S. Hurok presents "The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo," Philharmonic Auditorium, January 24, 1939
January 24, 1939
2/3
Magazine of Celebrities
, "L.E. Behymer presents Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo," November-December 1943
November-December 1943
4/15
Col. W. de Basil's Ballet Russe souvenir programs, 1946-1947
1946-1947
2, 6, 9
Advertisements and Pamphlets
The Advertisements and Pamphlets series includes Sol Hurok’s marketing materials for Ballet Theatre’s tour to California and advertisements for Bolm’s various dance studios in Chicago and Hollywood. It also includes a poster for the Maryinsky Ballet’s tour to Sweden in 1908 (which Bolm led and where he danced with Anna Pavlova).
Arranged alphabetically.
2/17
Adolph Bolm Ballet
2/18
Adolph Bolm classes in ballet, Rainbow Studios, Hollywood
2/19
Adolph Bolm and dance ensemble
2/20
Adolph Bolm intensive courses, San Francisco Opera Ballet School
2/21
Adolph Bolm School of Dance, Chicago
2/22
Ballet Theatre, “Great Russian Ballet”
2/23
Exhibition of Theatre Arts, Occidental College, 1940
1940
2/24
Highland Playhouse, Adolph Bolm School of Dance, Hollywood
2/25
National Organization of Dance and Affiliated Artists, 1950 Convention
1950
2/26
Russian Ballet, 1903-1904
1903-1904
6/3
Swedish poster for the Maryinsky's Ballet's visit 1908
1908
9/3
"A life for the Tzar," 1936
1936
9/4
Adolph Bolm and his Ballet Group, undated
undated
2, 5
Articles
The Articles series includes photocopies of performance reviews, news features, and press clippings about Bolm’s career. It also includes articles by Bolm, including a piece on Native American dance in the
San Francisco Chronicle
, and his views on dance in
Screen Guild Magazine
.
2, 5
Articles about Bolm
2/27
"Adolph Bolm" (Russian)
2/28
Bolm press notices
2/29
Bolm press releases
2/30
Photocopies of articles on Bolm
2/31, 5/7
Photocopies of press clippings
2
Articles by Bolm
2/32
"Art and Music,"
San Francisco Chronicle
, March 8, 1936
March 8, 1936
2/33
"European ballet master gives his impressions of Native American dance,"
San Francisco Chronicle
, September 20, 1936
September 20, 1936
2/34
Screen Guild Magazine
, "On with the dance," July 1937
July 1937
2/35
Photocopies of articles by Bolm
2-3
Correspondence
The bulk of the Correspondence series includes letters and notes from composer John Alden Carpenter from 1932 to 1950. The letters discuss artists, including Stravinsky, ballets, and music from the period. For example, in letters from 1942 and 1940 respectively, Carpenter writes positively about Anthony Tudor’s ballets
Pillar of Fire
and
Jardin aux Lilacs
. He also writes about Walt Disney’s plan to make a sequel to the 1940 film
Fantasia
, which was to feature Carpenter’s
Adventures in a Perambulator
, Stravinsky’s
Firebird
and
Petrouchka
, and Prokofiev’s
Peter and the Wolf
. In addition, the series contains telegrams sent to Bolm regarding his engagements with different ballet companies, miscellaneous Christmas cards, and correspondence to Bolm’s biographer, John Dougherty.
2
Carpenter, John Alden to Beata and Adolph Bolm
2/36
1932
2/37
1933
2/38
1934
2/39
1935
2/40
1936
2/41
1937
2/42
1938
2/43
1939
2/44
1940
2/45
1941
2/46
1942
2/47
1943
2/48
1944
2/49
1945
2/50
1946
2/51
1947
2/52
1948
2/53
1949
2/54
1950
2/55
date unknown
2/56
Carpenter to Olaf Bolm
2/60
Correspondence from Beata Bolm to Edna McRae
(Photocopies)
2
Correspondence to Beata Bolm
2/57
From Ellen Carpenter
2/58
From Ginny Carpenter Hill
2/59
Miscellaneous
2/61
Correspondence to Stravinsky from others
2/62
Photocopies of Bolm's correspondence
2/63
Telegrams to Bolm
3
Miscellaneous correspondence
3/1
Dougherty, John
(Biographer)
3/2
Christmas cards
3/3
unknown
3-5
Business Papers
The Business Papers series includes Bolm’s travel documents from Russia, France, and the United States. It also includes his passport, registration certificates for the U.S., and certificate of naturalization. In addition, it contains Bolm’s address book from the 1920s and several contracts and financial agreements with various companies, including the Ballet Theatre.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
3-5
Adolph Bolm
3/4
Address book from the 1920s
1920s
3/5
Bolm travel documents for U.S.
3/6
Contracts and financial agreements
3/7
Declaration of arrival to U.S., 1920, 1921
1920, 1921
3/8
French identification card and certificate, 1920
1920
3/9
Funeral and life insurance documents, 1951
1951
3/10
Letters and notes
3/11
Notice from Russian Consulate
3/12
Russian passport
4/17
Russian travel documents, 1895, 1915
1895, 1915
3/13
Spanish travel document
4/16
United States Certificate of Naturalization, 1925
1925
5/8
United States passport, 1925
1925
3/14
United States passport, 1950
1950
3/15
United States registration papers, 1919-1920
1919-1920
3-4
Beata Bolm
3/16
U.S. Certificate of Naturalization, 1926
1926
4/18
Russian passport, 1925
1925
3/17
Miscellaneous: Bolm stationery
3
Anna Pavlova Materials
The Anna Pavlova Materials series includes a photo of Pavlova and Bolm; telegrams sent by Bolm to others expressing his sorrow at the news of her death in 1931; an homage written by Bolm about Pavlova; and letters written by Pavlova’s family or staff that detail her passing.
3/18
Bolm's hommage to Pavlova after her death
3/19
Bolm's telegrams about Pavlova's death
3/20
Letter to Bolm informing him of Pavlova's death, 1931
1931
3/21
Photograph of Bolm and Pavlova
3/22
Letters to Bolm, in Russian, on Pavlova's stationery, from different people
3/23
Obituary of Pavlova in Russian
3
Writings
The Writings series contains unpublished documents about Bolm by various authors, including notes and drafts for a Bolm biography by Rosalind Shaffer de Mille. The series also includes Bolm’s recollections of his education in St. Petersburg as told to Vera Carpary, and memories meant to be used in a film by Anna Leontovich. In addition, there is material written by de Mille about a film project on Marie Taglioni, and the making of
La Sylphide
. A copy of Stravinsky’s original libretto for
Apollo
is also included.
3/24
Bolm's recollections and short biographies
3/25
Eugene Berman article:
Saturday Review
, "Hail
Don Giovanni
, Farewell Theater," October 1957 , p. 45-65
October 1957
(Photocopy)
3/26
Lillian Michell outline and bibliography for Bolm, 1976
1976
3/27
Rosalind Shaffer De Mille's notes for Bolm biography
(Photocopies)
3/28
Shaffer outline and drafts for Bolm biography, 1951-1952
1951-1952
3/29
Shaffer's Taglioni project: synopsis and script
(Photocopies)
3/30
Sources and quotes on Bolm
3/31
Stravinsky's
Apollo Musagète
libretto, 1943
1943
(Photocopy)
5-6
3
Artwork
The Artwork series contains five pieces of original works of art. There are three costume designs by Jane Berlandina for Bolm’s 1934 ballet
Danse Noble
for the San Francisco Opera. The series also includes Nikolai Roerich’s painting of the peasant and dancing bear from the ballet
Petrouchka
(the design for the 1911 Fokine version was by Alexandre Benois) and Troy Kinney’s painting of Bolm in
Prince Igor
.
5/9-11
Jane Berlandina's costume designs for
Danse Noble
6/4
Troy Kinney painting of Adolph Bolm as Chief Warrior in
Prince Igor
3/1
Nikolai Roerich painting of Peasant and Dancing Bear from
Petrouchka
3-4, 8
Music Scores and Commemorative Items
The Music Scores and Commemorative Items series includes an annotated score for
The Birthday of the Infante
, two published scores by Stravinsky (one with an inscription), and a 1920 piano prelude by composer Carlos Salzedo, which he wrote in honor of the birth of Bolm’s son. In addition, there are two autograph books containing composers' signatures, including that of Dmitri Shostakovich, and an envelope bearing Stravinsky’s honorary stamp from 1982.
4
Music Scores
4/23
The Birthday of the Infanta
, by John Alden Carpenter, circa 1919
circa 1919
Holograph piano reduction
Lightly annotated: cues, tempos, stage action
4/19
Circus Polka
, by Igor Stravinsky, 1942
1942
4/20
Prelude to Olaf Bolm on the occasion of his birth
, by Carlos Salzedo, 1920
1920
4/21
"Star Spangled Banner," harmonized and set for chorus by Igor Stravinsky, 1941
1941
3-4, 8
Commemorative Items
8
Autograph books
3/32
Adolph Bolm Memorial Gift to the Exceptional Children's Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, 1951
1951
3/33
Igor Stravinsky stamp, Great Americans Series, 1982
1982
4/22
Studies from the Russian Ballet
by E.O. Hoppe
Book cover, with table of contents on back.