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Poster depicting Houdini's Giant Milk Can
Escape, ca. 1908. Harry Houdini Collection
These collections pertain to vaudeville, the circus, pantomime, magic, stand-up comedy, puppetry, and minstrel shows.
- Crain, W. H. (1917-1998). Barnum & Bailey Circus Collection,
1805-1937 (bulk 1886-1902) - Fostell, Al Emmett (1856-1920). Papers, 1879-1920
- Houdini, Harry (1874-1926). Collection, 1750-1972 (bulk 1895-
1926) - Magicians Collection, 1750-1920
- Marcus, Stanley (1905-2002). Collection of Sicilian
Marionettes, ca. 1850, ca. 1960 - Matson, Miles (c. 1912- ). Joke Collection, circa 1950s-1990s
- Minstrel Show Collection, 1821-1959 (bulk 1860-1940)
- Pantomime Collection, 1793-1977 (bulk 1860-1910)
- Pastor, Tony (1837-1908). Collection, 1861-1908 (bulk 1866-1890)
- Ward, Joe E. (b. 1894 or 1895, d. 1971). Circus Collection, ca. 1811-1970 (bulk 1850-1950)
- Ziegfeld, Florenz (1867-1932). Collection, 1893-1979 (bulk 1910-1930)
In addition to these major holdings, the Book Collection contains the McManus-Young Collection of books about magic. Costume designs for French music-hall dated ca. 1920-1955 can be found in the W. H. Crain Costume and Scenic Design Collection. For an overview of puppetry holdings, see Carolyn Roark, "The Harry Ransom Center: An Archive for Scholars and Artists," Puppetry International 19 (2006): 36-38.
The Harry Ransom Center's blog Cultural Compass gives an insider's look at news, events, exhibitions, acquisitions, multimedia content, researcher and scholarly work, conservation, and items from the collections.
