MS 10172
National Library of Australia
View Catalogue Record
Created: 2016
Collection Summary
- Creator
-
Digby, Desmond
- Title
-
Papers of Desmond Digby
- Date Range
-
1953 - 2014
- Collection Number
-
MS 10172
- Extent
-
21.9 metres (24 MS Boxes; 2 Large Folio Boxes; 1 Medium Folio Box; 15 Map Folios)
- Language of Materials
-
English
- Repository
-
Special Collections (Manuscripts)
Introduction
Content Description
The collection comprises set and costume designs by Desmond Digby for Opera Australia, the Australian Ballet and the Elizabethan Trust Opera including Dame Joan Sutherland's farewell performance at the Sydney Opera House in 1990; original drawings and artwork for the Bottersnikes and Gumbles books by S.A. Wakefield; scrapbooks, personal and professional correspondence, photographs and memorabilia including the program for Joan Sutherland's role debut in Lucia di Lammermoor at Covent Garden, 1959.
Conditions Governing Access
Access conditions may apply to this collection, please refer to the collection's catalogue record for further information (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat- vn6892612).
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Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions.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 Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.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 Desmond Digby, National Library of Australia, MS 10172, [class/series/file/item number]'.
Item Descriptions
Series. Correspondence and related papers
Including clippings and photographs.
Bundles of Opera Press Clippings (x3), 1970s (File) - Box 1
Desmond Digby and James Alison personal photographs and ephemera, 1950s-1980s (File) - Box 1
Monograph by Moffatt Oxenbould relating to Desmond Digby's career and artistry, 2001 (File) - Box 1
Desmond Digby general papers;, 1960s-2000 (File) - Box 2
Desmond Digby "Opera Politics", 1971-1992 (File) - Box 2
Dame Joan Sutherland Lakme and Suor Angelica, 1970-1980 (File) - Box 2
Opera Souvenir and Programs, 1969-1970 (File) - Box 2
Bottersnikes and Gumbles theatre program, 1982 (File) - Box 2
Dame Joan Sutherland Farewell Opera Australia, 1990 (File) - Box 2
Exhibitions South Yarra Galleries Melbourne, 1961, 1964, 1969 (File) - Box 2
Art Exhibitions Galleries general, 1962-1978 (File) - Box 2
Exhibitions: Clune Galleries, Sydney; Macquarie Gallery, Sydney; Australian Galleries, Melbourne; Johnstone Galleries, Brisbane, 1959-1975 (File) - Box 2
Series. Career files
Includes original designs, photographs, clippings, research material, theatre programs, souvenirs, publications.
Die Fledermaus A.E.T.T. Opera Company Director Stefan Beinl, 1963 (File) - Box 3
Patrick White's A Cheery Soul Union Theatre Repertory Company, Melbourne, 1963 (File) - Box 3
Patrick White's The Season at Sarsaparilla, Director Joan Tasker, Adelaide, A.E.T.T., 1962, 1963 (File) - Box 3
Hamlet, Old Tote Theatre Company, Director Tom Brown, 1963 (File) - Box 3
The Royal Command Performance NZOC, A Unicorn for Christmas, Director John Trevor, 1963 (File) - Box 3
A Man for All Seasons, A.E.T.T., Director Raymond Westwell, 1962 (File) - Box 3
La Traviatta, A.E.T.T. Opera Company, Director Stefan Haag, 1961 (File) - Box 4
Oedipus Rex, Theatre Projects, Sydney , Director John Tasker, 1960 (File) - Box 4
Work With Hugh Skillen, designer and Theatrical prop maker, London, 1957 (File) - Box 4
Slade School of Fine Arts, London, 1955-1957 (File) - Box 4
New Zealand Players, 1953-1954 (File) - Box 5
The Rape of Lucretia, Australian Opera, Director Moffatt Oxenbould, 1971 (File) - Box 5
Sketches (x2) for aborted production of Othello, Director Tito Gobbi, 1969-1970 (File) - Box 5
Falstaff - Headgear, A.E.T.T. Opera Company, Director Stephan Beinl, 1969 (File) - Box 5
Un Ballo in Maschera, A.E.T.T., Director Tom Brown, 1969 (File) - Box 5
Un Ballo in Maschera, A.E.T.T., Director Tom Brown, 1969 (File) - Box 6
La Fanciulla del West, A.E.T.T. Opera Company, Director Stephen hall, 1968 (File) - Box 6
Don Carlo, A.E.T.T. Opera Company, Director John Young, 1968 (File) - Box 6
School for Fathers, A.E.T.T. Opera Company, Director Stephan Beinl, 1968 (File) - Box 6
Rondino, Esmeralda, The Australian Ballet, 1964-65 (File) - Box 6
Le Conservatoire, The Australian Ballet, 1965 (File) - Box 6
Cosi Fan Tutte, A.E.T.T. Opera Company, Directoe Stefan Haag, 1964 (File) - Box 6
Henry V, A.E.T.T. Opera Company, Director Tom Brown, 1964 (File) - Box 6
Henry V, A.E.T.T. Opera Company, Director Tom Brown, 1964 (File) - Box 7
Mylar sheets (x5) containing pencil drawings ofn tracing paper from Das Rheingold and Die Walkure, Australian Opera, Director Andrew Sinclair, 1983-1984 (File) - Folio-Box 8
Costume sketches/designs (x5)from Hamlet, Australian Opera, Director Lotfi Mansouri, 1982 (File) - Folio-Box 8
Royal Gala Performance theatre program, 1954 (File) - Folio-Box 8
The Tintookies promotional poster, AETT/Marionette Theatre of Australia - directed by Peter Scriven (File) - Folio-Box 8
Issues of Fiction and Poetry Journal (x5), 1984 (File) - Folio-Box 8
Issues of The Sydney Mail (x3)- Sydney Harvour Bridge souvenir material, 1932 (File) - Folio-Box 8
Tosca - specific costumes, AETT Opera Company, Director Stephan Beinl/Stefan Haag, 1967 (File) - Folio-Box 8
Acrylic paintings x 2 (File) - Folio-Box 8
Original designs, Opera Australia, Dame Joan Sutherland Farewell/Souvenir program/supper backcloth, 1990 (File) - Folio-Box 8
Costume sketches 'La Traviata', 1961 (File) - Folio-Box 8
Costume sketches Cosi Fan Tutte, AETT, 1964 (File) - Folio-Box 8
Publication- A Dramatic Appearance:New Zealand theatre 1920-1970 bu Peter Harcourt, signed, 1978 (File) - Folio-Box 8
Die Walkure,Australian Opera, Director Andrew Sinclair, 1983 (File) - Box 9
Das Rheingold, Australian Opera, Director Andrew Sinclair, 1984 (File) - Box 9
Fiddler on the Roof, Australian Opera, 1984 (File) - Box 9
Notebook/sketchbook (File) - Box 9
Fiddler on the Roof, Australian Opera, 1984 (File) - Box 9
Hamlet, Australian Opera, Director Lotfi Mansouri, 1982 (File) - Box 9
Hamlet, Australian Opera, Director Lotfi Mansouri, 1985 (File) - Box 10
Lakme, Australian Opera, Director Norman Ayrton, 1976 (File) - Box 10
Il Trittico, Australian Opera, Director Moffatt Oxenbould, 1973 (File) - Box 10
Un Ballo in Maschera, Australian Opera Revival, Director Stefan Haag, 1975 (File) - Box 10
Cavalleria Rusticana, Australian Opera, Director Stephen Hall and Pagliacci, Australian opera, Director stephen hall, 1972 (File) - Box 10
Cavalleria Rusticana, Australian Opera, Director Stephen Hall, 1972 (File) - Box 11
Pagliacci, Australian opera, Director Stephen Hall, 1972 (File) - Box 11
Pavlova programs,Ballet programs, Melba programs,New Tivoli Theatre programs,, 1940s-1950s (File) - Box 11
JC Williamson theatre programs, 1920s-1930s (File) - Box 12
Sydney Harbour Bridge souvenir program, 1932 (File) - Box 12
Souvenir Theatre programs, 1920-1957 (File) - Box 12
Cinema Australia programs,, 1976 (File) - Box 12
The Sydney Morning Herald- Sydney harbour Bridge supplement, 1932 (File) - Folio 13
Costume sketches for The Rape of Lucretia, Australian Opera, Director Moffatt Oxenbould, 1971 (File) - Box 21
Theatre programs Melba and Bullet seasons, 1928-1973 (File) - Box 22
Sydney Harbour Bridge souvenir material, 1923-1970 (File) - Box 22
Old Vic Theatre Company programs, 1948 (File) - Box 22
Opera programs, 1934-1938 (File) - Box 22
Australian Nature Pictures - Edited by Chas Barrett (File) - Box 22
Australia Magazine/Journal, 1939-1940 (File) - Box 23
Publications with scenic photographs of Australia and New Zealand, 1914-? (File) - Box 23
Ballet programs, 1940-1954 (File) - Box 23
JCW Magazine, 1940 (File) - Box 23
The Sutherland-Williamson International Grand Opera Company; Her Majesty's Theatre programs, 1965 (File) - Box 24
Backgrounds and acrylic sketches from which paintings and designs were developed. (File) - Box 24
Colour transparencies (35mm): Paintings "Hat ladies", Macquarie Gallery, 1965 (File) - Box 25
Colour transparencies (6x6 ): Transparencies, Die Fledermaus, Elizabeth Trust Opera, 1963 (File) - Box 25
Colour transparencies (6x6 ): Transparencies of paintings, Man for all seasons (File) - Box 25
Colour transparencies (35mm): : "A man for all seasons, AETT, 1962 (File) - Box 25
Colour transparencies (6x6 ): Henry V, 1964 Adelaide Festival, AETT, 1964 (File) - Box 25
Scale model cut out figures for set models "Fiddler on the Roof" Australian Opera, 1984 (File) - Box 25
Costume paintings for Cosi Fan Tutte, AETT Opera Company, Director Stefan Haag, 1964 (File) - Box 26
Joan Sutherland related material- includes some correspondence, program for her role debut in Lucia di Lammermoor at Covent Garden (1959), 2 x Opera magazines with Sutherland on the cover, 1st Alcina and 1st Lucia, various Newspaper clippings ;1 small framed signed photograph of Joan Sutherland in Suor Angelica, Sydney (1977), 1959-2010 (File) - Box 27
Scrapbooks (x2) - A Unicorn for Christmas and Henry V, Odds and Ends", 1960s (File) - Folio-Box 28
Original costume designsfor "Die Walkure" The Australian Opera, 1983 (File) - Folio 29
Bottersnikes and Gumbles (4 books) - original artwork, coloured covers (File) - Folio 30
Costume sketches - Die Walkuere (1983) and Rheingold (1984), The Australian Opera, 1983-1984 (File) - Folio 31
Costume sketches - Die Walkuere (1983) and Rheingold (1984), The Australian Opera, 1983-1985 (File) - Folio 32
Original costume ideas for Patrick White's A Cheery Soul, Melbourne Theatre Company, 1963 (File) - Folio 33
Mounted Black and White photograph Oedipus Rex, Theatre Project, Sydney, Director John Tasker, 1960 (File) - Folio 34
Numbered limited edition prints (x5) of Joan Sutherland's costume in Act 1 of Delibes' Lakme (Nos: 705,706,897,898,900) The Australian Opera, Sydney Opera House, 1976 (File) - Folio 34
Black and White photograph (x2) of cast members on stage in the Revival of the Rape of Lucretia, Austtalian Opera, 1980 (File) - Folio 34
Program design for Dandy Dick first tour, 1953 (File) - Folio 34
Black and White photographic portarits of Desmond Digby, 1950s-1960s (File) - Folio 34
Black and White photograph, group portrait of New Zealand Players, 1953-1954 (File) - Folio 34
Mounted Black and White photograph of Leonie Leahy performing in Rondino, The Australian Ballet, 1964 (File) - Folio 34
Mounted Black and White photograph of Marilyn Jones and Garth Welch performing in Le Conservatoire, Australian Ballet, 1965 (File) - Folio 34
Student Design sketches, Slade Scholl, London, 1955-1957 (File) - Folio 35
Design first sketches from La Traviata, 1961 (File) - Folio-Box 36
Costume designs for A man for all Seasons, 1962 (File) - Folio-Box 36
Costume designs for Violetta, La Traviata, Elizabethan Trust Opera, 1962 (File) - Folio-Box 36
Photographic publications (x3)- Picturesque Launceston, Beauty Spots Hobart and Surrounding Districts, Jenolan Caves; (File) - Folio-Box 36
Royal Command Performance " A Unicorn for Christmas" special presentation programs, St James Theatre Auckland; " A Unicorn for Christmas" World Premiere programs, St James Theatre Wellington;Framed painting of illustration used for " A Unicorn for Christmas" programs, 1962-1963 (File) - Folio-Box 36
Design (with fabric sample on verso of frame) for Dame Joan Sutherland's Lakme, Australian Opera, 1976 (File) - Folio 37
Design for Fiddler from Fiddler on the Roof, Australian Opera, 1984 (File) - Folio 38
Costume designs or Don Carlos (female chorus) and Masked Ball (male chorus), Australian Opera, 1968 (File) - Folio 39
Costume sketches mounted on cardboard for Henry V, Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust plus 1 x exhibition invite for Design for the Theatre; A Collection of Paintings and Costumes by Courtesy of the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, Auckland, 1964 (File) - Folio 40
Tube containing 5 x fine art reprodutions for Lakme (1 copy, numbered) and Lady Bowlers (2 copies, West Australian Art Gallery), 2x program copies of the ballroom scene from Un Ballo in Maschera, Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust Opera (1969), 1969-1975 (File) - Folio 41
Series. Bottersnikes & Gumbles
Original drawings,artworks and paste ups for four of the Bottersnikes and Gumbles books, 1967-1989 (File) - Box 15
Original drawings,artworks and paste ups for four of the Bottersnikes and Gumbles books, 1967-1990 (File) - Box 16
Original drawings,artworks and paste ups for four of the Bottersnikes and Gumbles books, 1967-1991 (File) - Box 17
Original drawings,artworks and paste ups for four of the Bottersnikes and Gumbles books, 1967-1992 (File) - Box 18
Original drawings,artworks and paste ups for four of the Bottersnikes and Gumbles books, 1967-1993 (File) - Box 19
Original drawings,artworks and paste ups for four of the Bottersnikes and Gumbles books, 1967-1994 (File) - Box 20
Series. Publications
Sydney Panoramas, Blue Mountains Panoramas (File) - Folio 14
Series. Colour transparancies
Twelve 6 x 6 colour transparencies originally housed in Box 1 in folder titled 'Desmond Digby and James Alison personal photographs and ephemera', 1950s-1980s (File) - Box 42
Two 6 x 6 colour transparencies originally housed in Box 4 in folder titled 'Work With Hugh Skillen", 1957 (File) - Box 42
One 6 x 6 colour transparencies originally housed in Box 4 in folder titled 'Slade School of Fine Arts, London', 1955-1957 (File) - Box 42
Fourteen unmounted 35mm colour transparancies originally housed in Box 9 in folder titled 'Das Rheingold, Australian Opera, Director Andrew Sinclair', 1984 (File) - Box 42
Forty three mounted 35mm colour transparencies: Paintings "Hat ladies", Macquarie Gallery, 1965 (File) - Box 42
Seventy two mounted 6x6 colour transparencies: Transparencies, Die Fledermaus, Elizabeth Trust Opera, 1963 (File) - Box 42
Nineteen mounted 6 x6 Transparencies of paintings of a Man for all seasons (File) - Box 42
Eight strips of 16 mm film of "A man for all seasons, AETT, 1962 (File) - Box 42
Four mounted and fifty one unmounted 6x6 colour transparencies of Henry V, 1964 Adelaide Festival, AETT, 1964 (File) - Box 42