Vivian Tobin papers
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Scope and Contents
This collection contains photographs, correspondence, and ephemera related to Vivian Tobin's performance as Alice in the first American theatrical production of "Alice in Wonderland" in 1915. The correspondence includes two letters from "Alice" playwright Alice Gerstenberg to Tobin and cards from fans. There is also a permission release for a 1952 amateur performance of the play. There are ten photographs including two photographs by photographer Victor Georg and a set by White, N.Y. from the 1915 production. Ephemera includes an advertisement for the play at the Fine Arts Theatre in 1915. There are also clippings from newspapers with reviews of the play.
Dates
- Creation: 1915 - 1971
Creator
- Tobin, Vivian, 1902-2002 (Person)
- Gerstenberg, Alice (Correspondent, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Advance notice required for access.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special Collections at specol@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Biographical note on Vivian Tobin
Vivian Tobin (1902-2002) was an American actress who starred as the first Alice in an American theatrical production of Alice in Wonderland in 1915. Tobin continued to perform in theater, vaudeville, and films through the 1930s. In 1935, Tobin married Karl von Hagen, later chair of the University of Southern California Department of Neurology, and they had one daughter, Vivian Thompson (USC Class of 1962), and a son.
Historical note on "Alice in Wonderland"
In 1915, "Alice in Wonderland" by Alice Gerstenberg (1885-1972) was published as the first American dramatization of Lewis Carroll's novels "Alice in Wonderland" (1865) and "Through the Looking-Glass" (1871). Gerstenberg's play premiered on February 10, 1915, at the Fine Arts Theatre in Chicago, IL, before traveling to Broadway, to the Booth Theatre, on March 23, 1915. Vivian Tobin (1902-2002) became the first actress to perform the role of Alice in the United States.
Extent
2.29 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection contains photographs, correspondence, and ephemera related to Vivian Tobin's performance as Alice in the first American theatrical production of "Alice in Wonderland" in 1915.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Vivian Thompson, 2014.
Subject
- Tobin, Vivian, 1902-2002 -- Archives (Person)
- Tobin, Vivian, 1902-2002 -- Photographs (Person)
- Alice, (Fictitious character from Carroll) -- Photographs (Person)
- Carroll, Lewis, 1832-1898 -- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -- Drama (Person)
- Carroll, Lewis, 1832-1898 -- Through the looking-glass -- Drama (Person)
- Title
- Finding aid for the Vivian Tobin papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Diann Benti
- Date
- 2022 May
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the USC Libraries Special Collections Repository
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0189 United States
specol@usc.edu