Skip to main content

Elinore Sisters vaudeville act papers

 Collection
Identifier: D.99

Biographical / Historical note

May and Kate Elinore were partners in a vaudeville act known as the Elinore Sisters. During the 1890's and 1900's they traveled the United States and Europe performing various routines. Many of the acts consisted of exchanges between the sisters, with Kate acting as the comic while May played the role of "straight man." Others were more elaborate and required a larger cast. About 1909 the sisters broke up after Kate married Sam Williams, an actor who had performed with the Elinores for four years. May Elinore continued to perform alone after the split. A period of bitterness between the sisters seems to have followed the end of their partnership.

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of notebooks, which contain material for the sisters' acts, scrapbooks of their reviews, programs of theaters and events at which they performed, scripts, photographs, and printed ephemera.

Creator

Dates

  • Creation: 1890s-1910s

Language of Materials

English

Extent

3 box(es)

Access

The Elinore Sisters Vaudeville Act Papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Books Special Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], Elinore Sisters Vaudeville Act Papers, D.99, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Subject

Title
Elinore Sisters vaudeville act papers
Author
Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
Date
undated
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Library Details

Part of the Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation Library

Contact:
Rochester NY 14627-0055 USA