Summary Information
Abstract
These papers contain the correspondence, photographs, press releases, programs
and manuscripts of Clarence Joseph Bulliet (1883-1952) who was a prominent art and
dramatic critic for the
Indianapolis Star,
Louisville Herald
and
Chicago
Evening Press.
The bulk of this collection is comprised of materials from the
1910s and early 1920s, when Bulliet was business manager for the touring company of
Shakespearean actor Robert Bruce Mantell. Production photographs, press releases,
production diaries and notes and drafts for
Robert Mantell’s
Romance,
the biography of Mantell written by Bulliet, are included in this
collection. This collection also contains photographs and souvenir programs from other
productions; drafts of Bulliet’s literary works; printed materials and correspondence
with Edward Albee, Julian Eltinge, Genevieve Hamper, Robert B. Mantell and Vera Zorina.
At a Glance
| Call No.: | MS#0165 |
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| Bib ID: | 4079653 View CLIO record |
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| Creator(s): | Bulliet, C. J. (Clarence Joseph), 1885-1951. |
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| Title: | C. J. Bulliet
Papers,
1899-1952.
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| Physical description: | 10 linear ft. (19 boxes: 16 document boxes; 1 custom-made
box; 1 oversize box; 1 file card box; 1 mapcase shelf).
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| Language(s): | Material is in English.
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| Access: |
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least
twenty-four (24) hours in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript
Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
More information » |
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Arrangement
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in 5 series:
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Description
Scope and Content
These records comprise correspondence, manuscript drafts, photographs, press releases,
press clippings, printed materials and theatrical programs. Drafts of manuscripts and
press releases include handwritten edits. Some photographs and souvenir programs are
autographed or include an inscription. Printed materials include books by Clarence J.
Bulliet and other authors.
Series I: Correspondence, 1909-1951
Undated
Correspondence is divided into catalogued and non-catalogued materials, reflecting the previous arrangement of these materials. Mostly composed of Bulliet’s professional correspondence, this series includes letters, notes and telegrams and features correspondence from Edward Albee, John Barrymore, Hamilton Dobbin, Julian Eltinge, Genevieve Hamper, Robert B. Mantell and Vera Zorina. Non-catalogued material is arranged alphabetically by author. Catalogued images can be found in Series V, Visual Materials.
Series II: Theatre Productions, 1909-1950
This series is divided into two subseries-- Robert Mantell’s theatre productions and productions by other artists.
Subseries II.1: Robert Mantell, 1912-1920
Clarence J. Bulliet acted as the business manager for Robert Mantell’s Shakespearean tours across America between 1912 and 1923 and this subseries contains materials pertaining to the production, publicity and logistics of this operation. Much of this subseries is comprises press releases that announced the tour to each town. Following the original arrangement, these have been listed by performer or production, date or theatre. Short production diaries list the dates and locations of the tour and do not provide any commentary on the production or the tour. This subseries also contains press clippings, publicity fliers, programs and some correspondence.
Subseries II.2: Other Productions, 1909-1950
This small subseries contains press clippings, publicity fliers, programs and special souvenir programs from productions that Bulliet attended, including
The Blue Bird,
Chantecler,
Cyrano de Bergerac,
Too Hot for Paris
and
The Vagabond King.
This subseries also contains a souvenir program from D.W. Griffith’s film
The Birth of a Nation,
for which Bulliet served as a press representative.
Series III: Writings, 1898-1935
Drafts of Bulliet’s press releases, articles, poetry, prose and non-fiction are included within this series. The main work represented here is
Robert Mantell’s Romance,
Bulliet’s biography of Mantell: this series contains notes, several drafts, press clippings, correspondence and an edition autographed by Mantell. Drafts of some of Bulliet’s other non-fiction and creative writings are also included and this series contains drafts of newspaper articles, poems, plays, short stories and literary notebooks, which served as creative scrapbooks for Bulliet.
Series IV: Subject Files, 1908-1948
Bulliet’s original arrangement of these subject files is retained for this small series, which includes materials relating to Bulliet’s professional and personal life. Personal subject files are primarily clippings and financial documents. Professional subject files include press releases, correspondence and clippings from other projects that Bulliet worked on, including the
The Black Stork,
The Crisis
and the American Negro Music Festival. A small number of printed books and programs that Bulliet kept are included within this series.
Series V: Visual Materials, 1884-1946
The majority of this series is composed of photographs of actors and production photographs from film and theatre, and a collection of theatrical portraits and subject files. Bulliet had an extensive collection of autographed portraits and much of this series has been cross-indexed in the Brander Matthews Dramatic Museum Portrait Collection. The series includes catalogued and non-catalogued materials, and retains the earlier arrangement.
Subseries V.1: Catalogued Images, 1910-1937
Included here are previously catalogued portraits and original drawings.
Subseries V.2: Non-Catalogued Materials, 1884-1946
The non-catalogued materials include an array of portraits of artists and productions, extensive photographs of Robert Bruce Mantell in his Shakespearean roles and Gordon Craig’s design for Lady Macbeth’s chamber in
Macbeth.
Subseries V.3: Catalogued Theatrical Images and Portraits,
Undated
The bulk of these materials comprise photographs of actors and productions. The materials in this subseries were catalogued previously and the original arrangement has been preserved.
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Using the Collection
Offsite
Access Restrictions
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least
twenty-four (24) hours in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript
Library reading room.
More information and link to off-site request form
This collection has no restrictions.
Restrictions on Use
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of
the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The
responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); C. J.Bulliet Papers; Box and Folder;
Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
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About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries. Rare Book and
Manuscript Library; machine readable finding aid created by Columbia University
Libraries Digital Library Program Division
Processing Information
Processed 09/--/87 JL-W
Papers Re-processed 06/--/2010 Darragh Martin (GSAS 2012)
Finding aid Written 06/--/2010 Darragh Martin (GSAS 2012)
Machine readable finding aid generated from MARC-AMC source via XSLT conversion
February 10, 2011
Finding aid written in English.
2011-02-10
xml document instance created by Carrie Hintz
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Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
All links open new windows.
Genre/Form
Subjects
| Heading | CUL Archives:
Portal | CUL Collections:
CLIO | Nat'l / Int'l Archives:
ArchiveGRID |
|---|
| Bulliet, C. J. (Clarence Joseph), 1883-1952. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| De Tréville, Yvonne, 1881-1954. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Derby, George. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Dramatic critics. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Editors. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Horton, Edward Everett. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Klein, Charles, 1867-1915. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Mantell, Robert B. (Robert Bruce), 1854-1928. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Meyer, Annie Nathan, 1867-1951. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Moholy-Nagy, László, 1895-1946. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Motion pictures. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| O'Hara, Maureen, 1920- | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Skinner, Otis, 1858-1942. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Starr, Frances. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Theater. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Walker, Stuart. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Zorina, Vera. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
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History / Biographical Note
Biographical Note
Though best known as the influential art critic for
The Chicago Daily News,
Clarence Joseph (C.J.) Bulliet began
as a drama critic and served as business manager for Robert Bruce Mantell's touring
Shakespeare company between 1912 and 1923. Born in Corydon, Indiana in 1883, Bulliet
changed his name from 'Bulleit' after World War I to escape any connection with Germany.
After graduating from Indiana University in 1905, Bulliet embarked on a newspaper
career, serving as a reporter for
The Louisville Herald
and
The Indianapolis Star,
where he worked from
1906-1911.
After reviewing Robert Bruce Mantell's production of
Othello,
Bulliet wrote the acclaimed Shakespearean star a
letter, which sparked a connection that led to Bulliet's appointment as Mantell's
business manager and biographer. As business manager between 1912 and 1923, Bulliet
arranged the logistics and wrote press releases for Mantell's touring Shakespeare
productions which traveled across the United States. When World War I halted the
production, Bulliet worked as a press representative for D.W. Griffith's film
The Birth of a Nation.
Bulliet also worked on Mantell's
biography throughout the tour, resulting in the publication of
Robert Mantell's Romance
in 1918, Bulliet's first published book.
Mantell was a celebrated Shakespearean actor who was
especially known for his Lear and Richard III. Born in Scotland in 1854, Mantell veered
towards the stage after a tumultuous adolescence and began his career as Francisco in
Hamlet. Celebrated Shakespearean actress Madame Modjeska supported Mantell in New York,
commenting that his Tybalt was "a stunner, and should not be killed". Mantell shot to
fame in Fedora in 1883 and achieved acclaim for roles in Shakespeare and melodrama
through the rest of the 19th century, before he became exiled from New York after an
acrimonious alimony dispute. His return as Richard III to the Princess Theatre in 1904
was a triumph, with Mantell reputedly supported (according to his legend) by the ghosts
of tragedian's past who cheered him from the audience.
After serving as Mantell's manager, Bulliet returned to
journalism, writing for
he Louisville Herald
again from
1920 and moving to Chicago to write for
The Chicago Evening
Post
in 1923, where he served as its editor and drama critic. When the Post
was sold and became
The Chicago Daily News
in 1932,
Bulliet was appointed its art critic. Art increasingly usurped Bulliet's interest in
drama and Bulliet quickly became the most influential art critic in Chicago,
supplementing his journalism with popular publications such as
Apples and Madonnas: Emotional Expression in Modern Art
(1927) and
Paintings, an Introduction to Art
(1934). Bulliet died in
1952.
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