1890s Berkeley Lyceum NYC Theater Program Playbill ft. Roosevelt Depew Twombly For Sale

Antique Berkeley Lyceum Theater Program: This rare, authentic piece of late 19th-century New York City stage ephemera documents a four-night theatrical run by Miss Lawrence's Company of Players at 19 West 44th Street. Staged from Wednesday, April 19th through Saturday, April 22nd, these high-society amateur benefit performances raised funds for prominent charitable institutions of the era, including the Mothers' and Babies' Hospital and the Burnham Farm for Boys. A major highlight of the production is the involvement of the historic Columbia College Glee Club, who performed alongside the noted French tenor M. Paul Wiallard and the performer "Percita" in Jacques Offenbach's classic operetta Le Mariage Aux Lanternes under the musical direction of Kappelmeister Carl Riegg. The inner gatefold layout outlines a full, rotating schedule of Victorian-era comedies, dramas, and musical acts, including full cast lists for Ernestine, The Deacon, The Rough Diamond, My Lord in Livery, and Tea at Four O'Clock.

Gilded Age NYC High-Society Patronage Roster: The reverse side of this double-sided piece features an extensive, historic "Under the Patronage Of" listing that reads like a Who's Who of Manhattan's elite Gilded Age social registry. Prominent historical names explicitly mentioned inside include Mrs. John Ellis Roosevelt (of the iconic Roosevelt family circle), Mrs. Hamilton McK. Twombly (Florence Adele Vanderbilt, granddaughter of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt), Mrs. Chauncey M. Depew (wife of the legendary railroad industrialist and U.S. Senator), Mrs. Abram S. Hewitt (daughter of Peter Cooper and wife of the NYC Mayor), Mrs. Nicholas Fish, and Mrs. Grenville Winthrop. Printed by the historic firm J. J. O'Brien & Son of 937 Fourth Avenue, New York, this piece functions technically as a comprehensive theater program covering a multi-night block of rotating shows rather than a single-night playbill. It measures approximately 7 inches by 9 inches when closed, opening up to a crisp, double-page interior spread, making it a spectacular find for collectors of early American theater memorabilia, Columbia University archival history, or Vanderbilt-era New York social genealogy.

Type: Vintage Theater Program / Multi-Night Performance Booklet

Venue: Berkeley Lyceum (19 West 44th Street, New York City)

Key Key-Players: Miss Lawrence's Company of Players, M. Paul Wiallard, Members of the Columbia College Glee Club

Featured Titles: Jacques Offenbach's Le Mariage Aux Lanternes, The Deacon, The Rough Diamond, Ernestine

Prominent Elite Roster: Roosevelt, Vanderbilt-Twombly, Depew, Fish, Winthrop, Hewitt, Astor-era High Society

Dimensions: Approximately 7" x 9" (Closed, opens to full interior gatefold)

Printer Details: J. J. O'Brien & Son, Printers, 937 Fourth Avenue, NY

Target Audience: Antique paper ephemera collectors, Gilded Age historians, NYC theatrical archives, Ivy League memorabilia enthusiasts.