Music and Theatre

American actress (1874-1950), sister of Maxine Elliott. One page, 12mo, mounted on a piece of card. "Dear Madam / Pray accept my hearty thanks for so kindly subscribing to the Actors Benevolent Fund."

English actress (1868-1957), the wife of Fred Terry (1864-1932). 2 pp, 12mo. On the recto: "Dear Sir / Herewith I am sending portrait of myself [not present] All my pictures". Lengthwise on the reverse, in a bold hand, "Truly yours / Julia Neilson=Terry".

[Saville] Esme Percy, Actor (1887-1957). The first, 21 November [1911], Theatre Royal, Bury, Lancashire. "So glad you are coming over Saturday night. If you will kindly let me know how many of you are coming I shall be pleased to give you all Tea if you will accept my invitation." The second, 24 November 1911, Theatre Royal, Bury, Lancashire, on deleted letterhead of the Gaiety Theatre, Manchester. "I shall expect you at 5 pm at 34 Shepherd St. Bury - am so glad your friends are coming with you". Two items,

English actress of Spanish descent (1866-1951). Two pages, 12mo. On grey paper. Folded twice. In very good condition, but with minor traces of paper mounts adhering to two corners of first leaf of bifoliate. Florid signature. She declines the luncheon invitation as she has friends coming down. She is 'going to try & have tea with Mrs Gooch. But it is a little difficult to get away when one has people staying.' She is sorry to have missed her correspondent.

English actress (1868-1957), the wife of Fred Terry (1864-1932). 2 pp, 8vo, on blue paper. Intimate letter written in a large hand. "Darling - Yes the book arrived I do congratulate the way you've written & arranged the book. Delighted with it & everything about it: splendid / You would have heard before this only I've been rather ill with day & night nurses = even now I'm finding it difficult to recover my strength / I shall hope to see you in the new year & here is my love & good wishes from / your affectionate old / Julia".

Anglo-Australian actress (1890-1975), connected with the Kendalls, Beerbohm-Tree, Bernard Shaw and a host of other figures from the London stage. Two pages, 12mo. Veryy good. Difficult hand. She has asked 'Mr. de Lion' about Gifford's play: 'he said he will try to make enquiries & let me know but I dont expect he will'. The rest appears to refer to relate to travel plans. Ends 'I beg you to forgive me.' Signed 'Marie Löhr'.

English actress (1868-1957), the wife of Fred Terry (1864-1932). 4pp, on two identical 12mo cards, both with the letterhead. "My dear Mrs Davis / I am so grieved to hear about the poor . I hope & trust it is not very serious & that they will get well very quickly what an anxiety for you all I am quite well thank you but am awfully sorry I I shall not be able to help you on the 22nd as I am dining out. With best love to you all / Yours sincerely / Julia Neilson" Both cards bear traces of previous mounting.

English actress (1888-1971), made a Dame of the British Empire in 1967. Signature on card, 1½ inches by 3 inches. Mounted on piece of paper, 12mo, docketed "Gladys Cooper (Lady Pearson) Popular Actress".

One page, 12mo. She has just returned from the theatre at 11 o'clock and is "delighted to have been able to obtain a ticket". Signed "May". Stuck to the foot of the page is a newspaper cutting describing Sarah Bernhardt's performance in Emile Moreau's play on Queen Elizabeth. This ends, "A word is fairly due to the work of M. Lou Teilegen and Madame May Agathe, and to the excellence of the stage management." Creased and with traces of mount on reverse.

Film and theatre actress who died in 1960. A charming 1920's tinted portrait photograph ("Beagles' Postcards") , 5½ by 3½ inches, of a smiling "Miss Peggy O'Neil" looking over her right shoulder to the camera, her hair cut short and her right hand to her throat. Inscribed at bottom right, "Peggy O'Neil / "Paddy" ". Mounted on a piece of thin card.

One page, 4to, minor defects, text clear and complete. "'Tis now a month since I took the liberty of requesting you wou'd mention me to the Gentemen of the Committee respecting the renewal of an Engagement in the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and I have not as yet received any answer. I hope Sir you will admit that a state of suspense is rather unpleasant, and if you will have the goodness to favor me with your opinion upon the business, I shall consider myself very much obliged to you." Note: no example of Penson's hand appears in NRA, NUCMC, Pettingell, tec.

English actress (1868-1957), the wife of Fred Terry (1864-1932). 4 pp, 8vo. She thanks her for her kind invitation, which she cannot accept as they are going back to London on the Sunday. "We are only giving a matinee at Wolverhampton & have to return to Birmingham to play at night / It was very sweet of you to ask us." Minor traces of previous mounting.

Actress (1936-) and minor politico. One page, 4to. "Thank you very much for your letter. I'm so glad to know that you have enjoyed my work and have pleasure in enclosing a photograph [not present] for you to add to your collection." Not in the best of condition: heavily creased, slightly torn and slightly discoloured.

Irish-born American actress (1860-1916). 3 pp, 12mo. "I fear a matinée will prevent my coming on July 4th. Some benefit I have promised to play for - but if I come off early enough - & am not too tired I will certainly <?> in & see you / I hope that you and all your delightful family are well". Creased, but otherwise in reasonable condition.

English actress (1868-1957), the wife of Fred Terry (1864-1932). 2 pp, 12mo. "Dear Mrs Lewis / My mother & I will be delighted to accept your kind invitation on Friday afternoon / With kind regards / very truly yours / Julia Neilson". With traces of paper and glue from previous mounting on blank recto of second leaf.

English actress (1866-1942). One page, 8vo, with green border and letterhead 55 Avenue Road, Regent's Park. A formal letter written in the third person, presumably on the death of her husband W. Graham Browne (1870-1937). "Miss Marie Tempest is deeply moved by your expression of sympathy. The letters and telegrams she has received have helped her more than she is able to say. There have been so many that she is unable to reply to them personally, but she hopes that you will realise all that your sympathy has meant in her great sorrow."

English actress (1892-1977), daughter of actor Fred Terry (1864-1932) and his wife the actress Julia Emilie Neilson (1868-1957). One page, 4to, in a large hand. "Dear Mr. Bass. / Many thanks for yr. kind letter & the present. / It was nice of you. / Yours very truly / Phyllis Neilson-Terry". Paper somewhat discoloured.

Irish-born American actress (1860-1916). 2 pp, 8vo. "Can you and your dear Father come and have a little lunch with me on Wed: at 1 o.clock {- just really to say goodbye / drop me a line if you will - With love - but in haste / Ada Rehan". Traces of paper and glue from previous mounting on blank sides.

One page, 12mo. Very good, if a tad grubby. Thanks Draper for his 'amiable but unconvincing' note. 'Do you not know that I was irritated into bad language by being accused of "d - d impertinence? This, too, before I said a discourteous word. - Goodman [the writer Edward John Goodman], of course, rules the Committee [of the Savage Club] and even you have listened to the voice of that Israelitish charmer.' Concludes 'Mais n'importe. Either this evening or tomorrow I send in my resignation. I will neither apologize, nor renew the matter in cold blood.' Signed 'Henry S. Leigh'.

Quarto bifolium. Four unbound pages. Very good with a little light creasing. Illustrated cover in blue ink by E. Coolin showing a warship and plane and a British soldier holding an axe and the decapitated head of Hitler. INSCRIBED on cover 'With deepest regards from the Composer H M King'. 'This song, inspired by Quentin Reynolds' famous broadcast to Mr.

Both cards self-stamped. CARD ONE is very good and has printed on it a stamp of Queen Elizabeth II. Addressed to Powell and his wife, it does not appear to have gone through the mails. 'Most kind of you to write - we led a quick <?> in the car, & then a meeting in the afternoon. We <?>: Jill also, who we havent seen lately. | Many thanks | [signed] Adrian C. B.' CARD TWO is somewhat aged, with a stain and some wear on the address side. It reads 'I too have written to Kellogg's! | [signed] Adrian C Boult'.

On paper roughly three and a half inches by three quarters of an inch. Neatly cut but lightly foxed and slightly discoloured with age. Reads 'with the love of her friend, | L. H. Sigourney.'

One page, small octavo. Very good, though with a little offsetting of ink from folding of letter, and a small closed tear at head. A reply to a request for an autograph - in a close, neat, hand - reading 'Dear Sir | With much pleasure as I assure you that I am | Sincerely yours | Alfred Sutro'.

Ger.-Eng. pianist and conductor (1819-1895)(DNB). One manuscript page of music, 9"(wide) x 10" (long), no titlel, good condition (extracted from an album). The National Register of Archives records collections of autograph letters but no surviving music by Halle

French dramatist. One page, 4to, some damage in corner with loss of serval letters and words, with corrections. Note on reverse in different hand make the ascription to Marsollier: "Oraison funebre de Monsieur Marsollier [prononcee?] le 13 Avril 1815 / autographe". Oration to a "femme jeune brillante de joye et de sante pour l'unir a l'epouse qu'elle aimait et qui la rebdue si heureuse que cing ans apres j'erouverai la douleur de lui survivre et de la conduire a la derniere demeure . . . [he wants to do justice to her character which he defines] . . .

Dramatist and novelist. One page, 8vo, good condition. In a difficult hand, he says that he has heard from [M. Rey?] that he hasn't concluded his engagement in Brussels and has no interest in the role mapped out except in a few days. He goes on to talk of the work involved in corrections which has prevented him from sending a "manuscript exact". Note: The place and date are written in another hand on the reverse.

Italian Opera Singer (1810-1883), "the most famous tenor of the 19th century. In French. One page, 6" x 5", remains of the album page on which it was laid down on reverse, probably trimmed leaving just the body of the letter as follows: "Monsieru Mario presentes compliment a Mlle Maria [Julivan?] et il est bien {?} de ne pouvoir accepter son invitation ne donnat pas de lecons - il prend la liberte de recommander Mr [Segira?] - avev le quel il a etudie lui meme et qui croit {?] le meilleur [maestro? ??] a Londres."

Novelist and playwright, author of the "flawed masterpiece" "Hunger and Love". Two pages, 8vo, fold marks but good condition, one ms. correction. A substantial letter dated 30 Oct. 1956, in which he reports on a letter from "Miss Black of Curtis Brown Ltd" (literary agents) in which she reports that Miss Farjeon does not want to sign a second agreement for "The Impossible Guest" (novel by Joseph Jefferson Farjeon published in 1949 which Britton presumably adapted for the stage).

The Dictionary of National Biography states that T. J. Dibdin (1771-1841, closely associated with Sadler's Wells, Drury Lane and the Surrey Theatre) wrote 'nearly two thousand songs and about two hundred operas and plays'. This list, which covers the whole of his life from his earliest known work in 1789 to his death in 1841, is compiled with considerable care on the rectos and some of the versos of 79 bound and numbered leaves (most being the letterhead of the North-East Coast Exhibition, of which E. Rimbault Dibdin was the Director).

Edward Stirling (Boase), dramatist and theatre manager, mainly discussing the dramatisation and prospective performance of Hewlett's Peter Priggins - as a farce. Originally from a larger archive, the residue of which is described in #3157 (Hewlett's papers), this and other items appear in my ABE inventory in book id#s 3124-3156.