Guide to the Papers of Eric Irvin

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MS 8786

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Collection Summary

Creator
Eric Irvin
Title
Papers of Eric Irvin
Date Range
1944-1992
Collection Number
MS 8786
Extent
4.42 metres (16 boxes, 16 folio boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Repository
National Library of Australia

Introduction

Scope and Contents

The papers relate mainly to Irvin's writings about early Australian theatre, but also include transcripts of ABC broadcasts that Irvin gave in the last years of World War II relating to poetry.

Included in the collection are: correspondence; transcripts of broadcasts, interviews and talks; manuscripts and typescripts of Irvin's writings; newspaper cuttings; transcriptions of articles from magazines, newspapers and other publications; biographical files; indexes and registers of performers and their performances, plays, operas, musical works, and references in newspapers; photographs of early theatres, performers and playwrights; and photographic copies of various etchings, engravings and playbills.

Conditions Governing Access

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2076858).

Conditions Governing Use

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred Citation

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Eric Irvin, National Library of Australia, MS 8786, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Provenance

The papers were purchased by the Library from Margaret Irvin in 1994.

Arrangement

The material in Series 2, files 14-34 was kept together in suspension files and has been maintained in its original order. Many of the performers listed are discussed by Irvin in his manuscript 'Crowned with applause ten actors remembered for virtue's cause'. Irvin also worked on a volume entitled 'Register of musical works for the stage performed in Australia 1789-1918.' Irvin published an article in Australian Literary Studies (1975) entitled 'Marcus Clarke and the Theatre'.

Biographical Note

Eric Irvin was born at Newtown, Sydney in 1908. He attended Bondi Public School. In 1922 he was apprenticed to a chemist in Bondi and attended night classes at Waverley Grammar school. He later gained employment in various department stores while studying art and window display at East Sydney Technical college. It was during this period that he began to write. His work, comprising articles about commercial art and window display, was published in the Sydney Morning Herald and other news publications, often accompanied by his own illustrations.

During the Depression years Irvin found work hard to obtain. He wrote some short stories but was not able to get them published. He was much more successful with his poetry, much of which was published in the Sydney Morning Herald. In the mid 1930s he obtained employment as an art teacher in Catholic girls schools.

In 1940 he enlisted with the 7th Australian Divisional Signals. While in the Middle East he wrote poetry, much of which was published in The Bulletin. In 1942 his Division was brought back to Australia for training before being sent to Papua New Guinea. Angus and Robertson had by this time accepted his first book of poetry, A solders miscellany, for publication. Due to paper shortages this was not published until 1945. It included poems written in Syria and Papua New Guinea where Irvin fought on the Kokoda Trail, Buna and Ramu Valley campaigns.

After the War Irvin worked as secretary of the Wagga Wagga School of Arts. In this position he produced various plays also designing and building the sets. After 18 months he obtained a position as a reporter at the Wagga Daily Advertiser. He went on to become the paper's sub-editor in 1961. During this time he continued to write poetry but became increasingly interested in Australian history. He self-published three booklets on Wagga Wagga and the surrounding region, Place of Many Crows; a brief history of the foundation of Wagga Wagga, NSW (1953), The Murrumbidgee Turf Club: its early history (1960), Early inland agriculture: farming in the southern districts of New South Wales (1962), and edited a series of articles of anonymous contributors to the Wagga Wagga Advertiser and Riverine Reporter in 1875 entitled Letters from the river (1959).

Seeing little future for his children in Wagga Wagga, Irvin decided to return to Sydney after obtaining a position as sub-editor with the Sydney Morning Herald, where he remained until his retirement in 1973. He published another book of his poetry, A suit for everyman in 1968. He found, however, that the pressure of work was not conducive to writing poetry so turned to another interest, the theatre. He became interested in the man who established the first theatre in Australia, Barnet Levy, and wrote Theatre comes to Australia (1971). At this time he also wrote many articles on the theatre which were published in magazines in America and England. (See appendix A for further detail)

In 1972 he applied to the Australian Council for an Arts grant to do research for another book on Australian playwrights. After his retirement he wrote four further books, Gentleman George: the theatrical life and times of George Darrell 1841-1921 (1980), Australian melodrama: eighty years of popular theatre (1981), Dictionary of Australian theatre: 1788-1914 (1985)and one on architecture, Sydney as it might have been: dreams that died on the drawing board (1974). He also edited Colonial Experience, a play by Walter Hampson Cooper.

In his last years he completed an unpublished biography of Luscombe Searelle, who was a well known actor in Australia in the 1870s and who later achieved fame in Britain as a composer of opera. Irvin died in Brisbane in 1992, aged 83.

Item Descriptions

Series 1. Correspondence, 1969-91

The correspondence (c.200 letters), which dates mostly from 1985-91, was kept by Irvin in a concertina file. It relates mainly to business matters such as publishers, libraries, and the Copyright Council, but includes quite a lot of letters from other researchers. Correspondents include Peter Kirkpatrick, Harold Love, Ross Thorne, Elizabeth Webby and Hale and Iremonger. There are some copies of Irvin's letters.

A-C (File 1) - Box 1

D, F and H (File 2) - Box 1

K-NO (File 3) - Box 1

PQ-R and S (File 4) - Box 1

T, UV (File 5) - Box 1

Correspondence with Hale (File 6) - Box 1

Newsletter of the Schubert Archive, 1993 and issue of the Australian Author, 1989 (File 7) - Box 1

Series 2. Manuscripts and Typescripts, 1944-91

Typescripts of ABC broadcast 'Our poets of this War', 1944 (File 1) - Box 2

Transcript of ABC interview, ' New Australian voices' series, c. 1945

Transcript of ABC talk, 'Out of chaos comes beauty; some thoughts on the present poetic revival', 1945

Typescript of 'From Mutton to Music', concerning Kenneth Duffield, the "gay twenties" composer (File 2) - Box 2

Bound manuscript, ' The Ungilded stage; Australia's theatrical beginnings' (File 3) - Box 2

Typescript of chapters 1-7 of 'The Ungilded stage' (File 4-5) - Box 2

Bound typescript, 'Little Luscombe; the strange career of William Luscombe Searelle, 1853-1907', 1987 (File 6)

Typescript, 'Around the world with music...Dudley Glass', 1987 (File 7) - Box 3

Manuscript , 'George Crighton Miln (1815-1917), 1990

Review of Katharine Brisbane, Entertaining Australia, an illustrated history, 1991 (File 8) - Box 3

Bound typescript , 'Crowned with applause: ten actors remembered for virtue's cause' (File 9) - Box 3

Typescript draft of foreward to 'Crowned with applause' (File 10) - Box 3

Typescript draft of chapter on Anna Maria Quinn, 1848-1920 (File 11) - Box 3

Typescript drafts of chapter on Harold Bellew, 1855-1911 (File 12) - Box 3

Bound manuscript and typescript , 'Australian dictionary of nineteenth century theatrical biography', incomplete but containing substantialentires on some actors such as Bert Bailey, George Gordon, Howard Vernon, Kenneth Duffield (File 13) - Box 4

Biography Drafts (File 14) - Box 4

Songs (File 15) - Box 4

Register of Plays (File 16) - Box 4

Musical Theatre (File 17) - Box 4

Charles Young (File 18) - Box 4

London

Jekyll

Marian Clarke (File 19) - Box 5

Jane Thomson

Catherine Hayes (File 20) - Box 5

Milns (File 22) - Box 5

Walter Montgomery (File 21) - Box 5

Pending (File 23) - Box 5

Anna Marie Quinn

George Rignold (File 24) - Box 5

Searelle (File 25) - Box 5

Walter Bentley (File 26) - Box 5

G. V. Brooke (File 27) - Box 6

Crowned (File 28) - Box 6

Helen Dauvray

Kenneth Duffield (File 29) - Box 6

Social Security (File 30) - Box 6

Early Theatres (File 31) - Box 6

His Natural Life (File 32) - Box 6

Opera (File 33) - Box 6

Cuttings (These newspaper cuttings relate to mainly to the Sydney Theatre Company's production of George Darrell's play 'The Sunny South', in 1980 and Margaret Willaims book Australia on the popular stage) (File 34) - Box 6

Series 3. Biographical Files, 1985-92

These files relate mostly to actors of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and contain manuscripts and typescript notes, typed transcripts and photocopies of newspaper and other articles and some correspondence.

Army (i.e. use of theatre by the British Army in the 18th and 19th centuries) (File 1) - Box 7

Frances Alda (File 2) - Box 7

J. H. Anderson

James R. Anderson

Judith Anderson

G. W. Anson

Charles Arnold (File 3) - Box 7

Wilson Barrett

Dan Barry

John Barrymore

James Bartlett

Louisa Bayer (File 4) - Box 7

Armes Beaumont (File 5) - Box 7

Kyrle Bellew

Anna Bishop (File 6) - Box 7

J. F. Cathcart (File 7) - Box 7

S. and C. Cameron

Child Actors

William Creswick

Alfred Dampier

Edward Dyson (File 8) - Box 7

Leon Errol

Sara Flower

Dudley Glass (File 9) - Box 8

Edware Geoguegan (File 10) - Box 8

Dolly Green

Dolores Drummond

J. L. Hatton (File 11) - Box 8

R. H. Horne

William Hoskins

G. R. Ireland

M. D. Isaacs

Sir John Jamison

Fransisca Janauscher

Avonia Jones (File 12) - Box 8

A. W. Junker

Julius Knight

Henri Kowalski

John Lang (File 13-14) - Box 8

L. H. Laveru (File 15) - Box 8

Marie Lohr

Mary Marlowe

Lola Montez

Maggie Moore

Ilma De Murska (File 16-17) - Box 8, 9

Isaac Nathan (File 18) - Box 9

Nance O'Neil

E. W. O'Sullivan

Cora Urquhart Potter

Roy Redgrave

Walter Reynolds

Adelaide Ristori

William A. Robins (File 19) - Box 9

May Robson

Frances Saville

Edmond Samuels (File 20) - Box 9

Edwin Lewis Scott

Fanny Simonsen

Arthur Sketchley (File 21) - Box 9

Elsa Stralia

Sir Oswald Stoll

Barry Sullivan

Thomas Hillhouse Taylor (File 22) - Box 9

George Titheradge (File 23) - Box 9

J. H. Vinson

Eliza Winstanley (File 24) - Box 9

Series 4. Research Transcripts and Photocopies

Folios 1-10 consist of typescript transcripts on theatre in Australia 1788-1976 (mostly 1788-1914), filed chronologically. The volumes contain extracts from newspapers and other sources on the opening and closing of theatres, reviews of performances and deaths of actors.

Bound typescript of autobiography of Howard Vernon, transcribed from Advertiser (Adelaide), 1923 (File 1) - Box 10

Bound typescript of extracts from historical journals, magazines, cyclopaedias and other published works, with photocopied pictures and issues of Magazine of Art, 1881-1900 (File 2) - Box 10

Notebook containing handwritten notes on performers (File 3) - Box 10

18th century -1839 (File Folio 1) - Folio-Box 1

1840-1856 (File Folio 2) - Folio-Box 2

1857-1871 (File Folio 3) - Folio-Box 3

1872-1877 (File Folio 4) - Folio-Box 4

1878-1883 (File Folio 5) - Folio-Box 5

1884-1887 (File Folio 6) - Folio-Box 6

1888-1892 (File Folio 7) - Folio-Box 7

1893-1902 (File Folio 8) - Folio-Box 8

1903-1912 (File Folio 9) - Folio-Box 9

1913-1976 (File Folio 10) - Folio-Box 10

Series 5. Indexes

Biographical index of actors, listing performances and references in newspapers.

A (File 1) - Box 11

B (File 2) - Box 11

Bu (File 3) - Box 11

Ci (File 4) - Box 11

Cu (File 5) - Box 11

D -Dam, Dar (File 6) - Box 11

E (File 7) - Box 11

F (File 8) - Box 11

G (File 9) - Box 12

H and I (File 10) - Box 12

Ha-i (File 11) - Box 12

J (File 12) - Box 12

K (File 13) - Box 12

L (File 14) - Box 12

Ma-i (File 15) - Box 12

M-N (File 16) - Box 12

O (File 17) - Box 13

P-Q (File 18) - Box 13

R (File 19) - Box 13

Sa-m (File 20) - Box 13

S (File 21) - Box 13

T (File 22) - Box 13

The (File 23-24) - Box 13, 14

U-V (File 25) - Box 14

W (File 26) - Box 14

X-Y-Z (File 27) - Box 14

Handwritten index to publications (File 28) - Box 14

Handwritten index to plays by title (File 29) - Box 14

Typescript title index to publications in Irvin's theatre collection Vol 2 (File 30) - Box 14

Typescript author index to publication in Irvin's collection Vol 1 (File 31) - Box 15

Typescript title index to publications in Irvin's theatre collection Vol 3 (File 32) - Box 15

Biographical index book (File 33) - Box 15

Musical index book (File 34) - Box 15

Biographical index containing performers birth and death details (File 35) - Box 15

Index to performances of opera and operetta in Australia, c 1830-1920 (File 36) - Box 15

Index of performers (File 37) - Box 15

Card index of performers indicating dates of birth and death and containing references from newspapers Chronological card index to pantomimes, 1893-1892 (File 1 Folio) - Folio-Box 1

Alphabetical card index to playwrights and plays, noting where they were performed and the date of performance (File 2 Folio) - Folio-Box 2

Card index of operas, noting where they were performed and the date of performance (File 3 Folio) - Folio-Box 3

Card index of songs, noting where copies of originals are held (File 4 Folio) - Folio-Box 4

Card index of plays, indicating authors and where they were performed.

Chronological card index to plays performed in Australia, 1796-1925 (File 5 Folio) - Folio-Box 5

Alphabetical card index to authors of books on the theatre, noting the publisher and date of publication (File 6 Folio) - Folio-Box 6

Biographical card index of nineteenth century theatre.

Series 6. Photographs

Photographic prints mostly of early Australian actors, filed alphabetically in envelopes (File 1-3) - Box 16

Photographic copies of playbills and engravings of theatres (File 4) - Box 16

Photographic prints of engravings on 19th century Australian theatres (File 5) - Box 16

Photographic prints for biography of Luscombe Searelle (File 6)


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