THTR:2411/1401 History of Theatre & Drama / Theatre & Society: Primary Sources
Primary Sources
Primary Sources
The University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections and Archives houses collections for the study of theatre arts and popular culture.
Newspapers & Magazines
New York
-
New York Times, 1851-2019 (Proquest Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new windowFull-text access to the New York Times from 1851 (New York Daily Times) to 2019.
-
New York Times (nytimes.com) This link opens in a new window
Access to the nytimes.com. How to access the UI LIbraries subscription to the nytimes.com: Register at AccessNYT.com (paste or type URL into browser). Once registered, use https://www.nytimes.com/ for access. Access news articles from 1980 to the present.
London/UK
-
Times Digital Archive, 1785-2007 This link opens in a new windowResearchers can search through the complete digital edition of The Times (London), using keyword searching and hit-term highlighting to retrieve full facsimile images of either a specific article or a complete page. The entire newspaper is captured, with all articles, advertisements and illustrations/photos divided into categories to facilitate searching. Current issues of The Times can be found here.
-
Guardian and The Observer, 1791-2003 (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new windowThe Guardian (1821-2003) and The Observer (1791-2003) offers full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue.
More Newspapers
-
News and Newspapers guideSee this guide for more information on newspapers.
Magazines
-
Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive (EIMA) This link opens in a new windowAn archival research resource containing the essential primary sources for studying the history of the film and entertainment industries, from the era of vaudeville and silent movies through to 2000. The core US and UK trade magazines covering film, music, broadcasting and theater are all included, together with film fan magazines and music press titles.
-
Time Magazine Archive (1923-2000) This link opens in a new windowThe Time Magazine Archive presents an extensive collection of the prominent weekly news magazine dating back to its first issue in March 1923 through December 2000, presented in a comprehensive cover-to-cover format.
-
Rolling Stone Archive This link opens in a new windowThe backfile of Rolling Stone covers the magazine from its launch in 1967 to the present. One of the most influential consumer magazines of the 20th and 21st centuries, it initially sought to reflect the cultural, social and political outlook of a generation of students and young adults. It soon became a leading vehicle for rock and popular music journalism, shaping and chronicling new trends and movements.
-
Life Magazine Archive (1936-2000) This link opens in a new windowPresents an extensive collection of the famed photojournalism magazine, spanning its very first issue in November, 1936 through December, 2000 in a comprehensive cover-to-cover format.
Archives
Iowa
-
Iowa Digital LibraryOver one million digital objects from University of Iowa Special Collection, University Archives, Iowa Women's Archives, and more.
United States
-
Library of Congress Digital CollectionsOver 500 digital collections from the largest library in the United States
-
Billy Rose Theatre Division of the New York Public LibraryThe Billy Rose Theatre Division of The New York Public Library is one of the largest and most comprehensive archives devoted to the theatrical arts. Select digital collections provide a great introduction to the larger archive.
-
Chicago Theater Digital CollectionMore than 2,000 playbills and programs dating from 1848 to 1922
-
ProQuest History Vault This link opens in a new windowProQuest is introducing primary source materials from its University Publications of America (UPA) Collection in a digital format. Researchers can access letters, papers, photographs, scrapbooks, financial records, diaries, and much more from a single interface.
Global
-
Theatre Without Borders RecordsDocuments highlighting the work of the volunteer, grass-roots group that encourages the theater arts around the world. Materials include administration files, ephemera, scripts and other documents that highlight the history of the organization and their global impact.
Images
-
University of Iowa Theatre ArtsFind production stills and design portfolios from University of Iowa Theatre Arts productions.
-
The Met CollectionMore than 490,000 works from the collections of the Metropolitan Museum in New York
-
Digital Public Library of AmericaMillions of images from library collections across the United States
-
British Museum CollectionsOver four million objects
-
Public Domain Images GuideFrom the Art Library, a list of resources you can use to locate public domain images
Sweeney Todd, University of Iowa, 1987
See more University of Iowa and Theatre Department history in the Iowa Digital Library
