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William B. Harris Papers

Authored by Bug Thomas

Playbill from The Nutcracker performed by the New York City Ballet at New York State Theatre between November 30-December 31, 1989.

Playbill from The Nutcracker performed by the New York City Ballet at New York State Theatre between November 30-December 31, 1989.

William B. Harris was a dance and drama critic who became particularly interested in New York Theater. He was an editor for newspapers and magazines where he wrote articles, criticisms and reviews of many theatre productions. After his death, his family wished for his collection be saved and used. Now, Marymount Manhattan College became the owner of his extensive collection of playbills, tickets, photographs, and personal notes and writings1. Spanning the decades between the 1960’s and 1990’s, Marymount Manhattan College hosts over 4,450 folders of clippings saved over the years, and categorized into a total of eight genre series­2.

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Alex Pisciotta Photo Album Page

Authored by Giovanna Fiorino-Iannace

Alexander Pisciotta Photo Album Page

Alexander Pisciotta Photo Album Page

The American Expeditionary Forces in France were deployed to help the French during World War I in 1918. The severity of the situation during this period is difficult to imagine when viewing some of the personal photographs taken by Alex Pisciotta during his time with the American Expeditionary Forces from 1917 to 1919. In an article published in January 1919, Gregory Mason, the Staff Correspondent of the Outlook with the American Expeditionary Force, wrote about “How America Finished” and commented on the experience of the military men during World War I.  Continue reading →

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Vito Marcantonio Photograph Collection

Authored by Tess Morrison-Colwell

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Vito Marcantonio speaks at the dedication of Benjamin Franklin High School in New York City on April 16, 1942. Photo by Michael’s Studio.

The untitled photograph of New York politician Vito Marcantonio is part of a larger Vito Marcantonio Collection through the Center of Migration Studies in an effort to preserve the photographs and written works from Marcantonio’s life and political career. The series contains 77 photographs spanning from his birth until 1956. The image was originally published in the book I vote my Conscience, a collection of Marcantonio’s speeches and writings funded by the Vito Marcantonio Memorial Fund. The photographs from this collection were also featured in an exhibit on January 7, 1956 at the Hotel Vanderbilt in New York City to launch the publication of the book. Continue reading →

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Karl Anderson – William Harris Collection

Authored by Elizabeth Beneke

The William Harris Collection

Karl Anderson – Weaving Through The Grid

William Harris was a theatre editor for SoHo Weekly News and magazine editor of Theatre Crafts Magazine. During his time in New York City he created a collection of clippings, photos, posters and much more, which in a way was Mr. Harris’ way to preserve history.  In a way Mr. Harris contributed to the work that we are doing today, he was practicing Archiving before it became a full-blown concept. Continue reading →

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Alexander Pisciotta and World War I

Authored by Ellen Elsen

Center for Migration Studies

Page 1 of a letter from Alexander Pisciotta to his father, dated August 12, 1918.

 

Center for Migration Studies

Black and white photograph of fort, by Alexander Pisciotta

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This letter is part of the Alex Pisciotta Papers, 1918-1981 at the Center for Migration Studies in New York. Alex Pisciotta served in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, and worked as a lawyer and local politician, incorporating the town of Lake Grove, Long Island and serving as its first mayor. Continue reading →

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Spiritual Journal of Walter Elliot

Authored by Meghan Tucker.

Image_00031The Spiritual Journal of Walter Elliott is a hand-written journal from the late 1800’s that includes many topics of faith, such as blasphemy, mortal sins, hell, death of sinners, and lessons on death, amongst other topics. Walter Elliott was a Roman Catholic priest and missionary of the Saint Paul the Apostle Church. Saint Paul’s is the mother church of the Paulist Fathers, the community we are serving for our Academic-Service Learning project. The Paulist Fathers have housed this document in their archive at St. Paul’s College in Washington D.C. and requested the help of the St. John’s University Department of Library and Information Science Department community in its transcription. In 1891, Walter Elliott wrote Life of Father Hecker[1], which is a book about the life of the founder of the Paulist Fathers. Walter Elliott was ordained as a priest into the Paulist Fathers Parish in 1872[2]. Continue reading →

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Spiritual Journal of Walter Elliott – Hell

Authored by: Jill Moretto

A page from the Spiritual Journal of Walter Elliott on the subject of Hell.

A page from the Spiritual Journal of Walter Elliott on the subject of Hell.

This object is part of a six-page excerpt from the Spiritual Journal of Walter Elliott.  Walter Elliott, born on January 6, 1842, was one of the first missionaries with the Paulist Fathers, a group dedicated to spreading the word of God and reaching out to immigrant communities, those who are alienated, those who question or seek faith, and people of diverse racial, cultural and economic backgrounds.[1]  Elliott was ordained a priest in 1872 and around that same time, authored a spiritual journal where he discussed fourteen individual topics related to religion and Catholic Christianity.  Continue reading →

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Italian Ephemera Website Review

Authored by Karen Beverly

http://cbenedic4.wix.com/italianephemera

Website created by Cassandra Benedict and Liza Young

A flyer of a performance by pianist Camillo Baucia

A flyer of a performance by Camillo Baucia obtained from the Center for Migration Studies.

This website showcases the journey of an Italian-American immigrant in New York City during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and his quest for the pursuit of happiness in his newfound home.  Though there were numerous ways that many immigrants found joy and contentment, this particular collection focuses on the happiness found in the outlet of music. Continue reading →

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William B. Harris Papers Collection

Authored by Emma Kelly

Peter Pan Playbill

Playbill for a production of J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up” from the William Harris Papers.

William B. Harris collected this playbill, along with many other theater-related items.  The collection is titled “The William Harris Papers,” and is located at Marymount Manhattan College in their library’s archives.  “This collection has been completely processed and consists of 96 scripts, 4,450 folders of clippings and a collection of photographs gathered by Mr. Harris during the decades of the 1960s to the 1990s, to support his work as a critic of avant-garde theater and dance in downtown Manhattan.”[1]  The collection is alphabetically organized within eight genres, (unpublished scripts, clippings, a videocassette, photographs, books, ephemera, periodicals, and recordings) three of which are not preserved in the archives, and are titled as Series 1-8.[2]

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Amnesty International Correspondence

Authored by Danielle Manri

This is a digitized document from the Endres Papers Collection. It was created by Stephanie Grant, Amnesty International’s Washington Office Director

Amnesty International Correspondence

This document, which has never before been seen by the public eye, showcases the development and revision of the Refugee Act of 1980. Most importantly, it provides a context for analyzing the inequities in previous refugee legislation that created the need for a more humanitarian law. This widespread injustice among the admittance of refugees stemmed from the somewhat discriminatory definition of the term “refugee.” In the end, this narrow definition imposed undue suffering on the hundreds of thousands of refugees who sought protection in the United States during the 1970s.[1] On top of dealing with painful memories of a lost home, many of these refugees were not even sure if they would be able to stay in the Land of the Free.[2]

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