]
]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
Expand/collapse
Collection Overview
| Size | 4.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 4,500 items) |
| Abstract | Edith Russell Harrington was a writer, producer, and director of civic pageants across the South, who professionally used the name Edith Russell. With her husband, Herschel R. Harrington, she founded Harrington-Russell Studios, Complete Pageant Service, in Asheville, N.C., in 1930, and operated the business for about fifteen years. Herschel Harrington did technical work, including lighting and set design, for the pageants his wife wrote and directed. The collection includes correspondence, plans, outlines, notes, and other papers of Edith Russell, primarily from the 1930s, relating to outdoor dramas, pageants, and festivals produced by Harrington-Russell Studios throughout the South; material relating to Van Horn's, a Philadelphia costume supplier for which Harrington-Russell acted as agent in Florida in the 1930s; and scripts Russell wrote for the Children's Civic Theater in Atlanta, Ga., in the 1960s and early 1970s. |
| Creator | Russell, Edith, 1898-1967. |
| Language | English |
Expand/collapse
Information For Users
Expand/collapse
Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
Expand/collapse
Biographical
Information
Edith Russell Harrington was a writer, producer, and director of civic pageants across the South, who, professionally, used the name, Edith Russell. With her husband, Herschel R. Harrington, she founded Harrington-Russell Studios, Complete Pageant Service, in Asheville, N.C., in 1930, and operated the business for about fifteen years. Herschel Harrington did technical work, including lighting and set design, for the pageants his wife wrote and directed.
Back to Top
Expand/collapse
Scope and Content
The collection includes correspondence, plans, outlines, notes, and other papers of Edith Russell, primarily from the 1930s, relating to outdoor dramas, pageants, and festivals produced by Harrington-Russell Studios throughout the South; material relating to Van Horn's, a Philadelphia costume supplier for which Harrington-Russell acted as agent in Florida in the 1930s; and scripts Russell wrote for the Children's Civic Theater in Atlanta, Ga., in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Back to Top
Expand/collapse
Series Quick Links
Expand/collapse
Series 1. Correspondence and Miscellaneous Files, 1933-1954 and undated.
Includes incoming and copies of some outgoing correspondence with actual and perspective clients, suppliers, and staff. The most frequent correspondents were Rollin Weber VanHorn and the staff of his Philadelphia, Pa., costume company. Materials for 1937 include correspondence and notes, some autobiographical, related to Russell's application for a Guggenheim fellowship. Also included are miscellaneous scene, lighting and costume designs, shop notes, clippings, pamphlets, and photographs, and other items.
Expand/collapse
Series 2. Pageants, 1930-1954.
Items include scripts, set, lighting, and costume designs; clippings; programs; and correspondence. Some or all of the correspondence related to each pageant may be in the correspondence files.
Proposals are outlines (and scattered drawings) creating by Harrington-Russell for pageants which were not performed. Most were written for specific events at the request of local pageant committees. Related correspondence may also be found in the correspondence files.
Expand/collapse
Series 3. Scripts, 1964-1973 and undated.
Scripts written for the Children's Civic Theater, Atlanta, Ga., by Russell who also directed most of them. Many have technical and lighting notations, probably done by Herschel Harrington. The 1973 program of "Alice" includes a synopsis of Edith Russell's association with the theater.
Expand/collapse
Series 4. Audiovisual Material
| Audiodisc D-3821/1 |
Audio disc #03821, Series: "4. Audiovisual Material" D-3821/1"Home Came the Steed, A play in three acts" recorded 15 November 1944 from NBC during broadcast, parts 1 and 3. |
| Audiodisc D-3821/2 |
Audio disc #03821, Series: "4. Audiovisual Material" D-3821/2"Home Came the Steed ", parts 2 and 4. |
| Audiocassette T-3821/1-2 |
Audiocassette #03821, Series: "4. Audiovisual Material" T-3821/1-2Contents of audiodisc transferred to tape Side A: "Home Came the Steed, A play in three acts" recorded 15 November 1944 from NBC during broadcast, parts 1, 2, and 3. Side B: "Home Came the Steed ", part 4. T-3821/1T-3821/2 |
Expand/collapse
Series 5. Volumes
| Oversize Volume SV-3821/1-5 |
Volumes 1-5: Scrapbooks #03821, Series: "5. Volumes" SV-3821/1-5SV-3821/1SV-3821/2SV-3821/3SV-3821/4SV-3821/5 |
Expand/collapse
Items Separated
Processed by: SHC Staff
Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007
Updated by: Kate Stratton and Jodi Berkowitz, July 2009
This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
This finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.
Diacritics and other special characters have been omitted from this finding aid to facilitate keyword searching in web browsers.
Back to Top