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Theatre

Exotic Animals, The Van Amburgh Circus & The Lion King of Fishkill

March 22, 2023 by Jaap Harskamp Leave a Comment

Van Amburgh’s MenagerieThe term “exotic pet” refers to wild animals kept in captivity in a domestic setting for the purpose of personal interest or entertainment. With globalization the trade has increased dramatically, although its real scope is difficult to ascertain because for most species there is no registration requirement. Its scale may be a contemporary concern, but the practice itself has a long history. The public has always been obsessed with non-native animals. [Read more…] about Exotic Animals, The Van Amburgh Circus & The Lion King of Fishkill

Filed Under: Arts, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Nature, New York City Tagged With: Circus, Dutchess County, Fishkill, Manhattan, Museums, New York City, Newburgh, Orange County, Performing Arts, Religious History, The Bowery, Theatre, Westchester County, Wildlife, zoology

Battlefield to Stage: The Lives of John Burgoyne

March 16, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

From the Battlefield to the StageThe new book From the Battlefield to the Stage: The Many Lives of General John Burgoyne (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2023) by Norman S. Poser provides a rounded biography, covering not only the Saratoga campaign but also elements of General John Burgoyne’s eventful life that have never been adequately explored. [Read more…] about Battlefield to Stage: The Lives of John Burgoyne

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Arts, Books, Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: American Revolution, Battle of Saratoga, Fort Edward, Fort Ticonderoga, Lake Champlain, Military History, Performing Arts, Theatre

Becoming Barnum: The Anatomical Venus & Tom Thumb in Scotland

March 14, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Becoming Barnum podcastIn this episode of the Becoming Barnum podcast, newly discovered letters from P.T. Barnum reveal details about his activities during the Gen. Tom Thumb tour in Scotland offering insight into Barnum’s anxieties, including his quest for a new play for Gen. Tom Thumb. They also shed light on Barnum’s commissioning of the “Anatomical Venus,” A life-sized, dissectible wax woman, for his American Museum in New York. [Read more…] about Becoming Barnum: The Anatomical Venus & Tom Thumb in Scotland

Filed Under: Arts, History, New York City Tagged With: Circus, New York City, Performing Arts, Podcasts, PT Barnum, sculpture, Theatre

Sadakichi Hartmann: A German-Asian-American Artist’s Struggle for Identity

February 9, 2023 by Jaap Harskamp 1 Comment

conversations with Walt WhitmanIn response to the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing the founding of a new federal agency, the War Relocation Authority (WRA), which began forcibly removing Japanese Americans from the West Coast and relocate them to isolated inland areas. Around 120,000 people were detained in remote camps for the remainder of the Second World War. [Read more…] about Sadakichi Hartmann: A German-Asian-American Artist’s Struggle for Identity

Filed Under: Arts, History, New York City Tagged With: Art History, Arts and Crafts Movement, Asian-American, Cultural History, French History, German-American History, Immigration, Journalism, Literature, Manhattan, modernism, New York City, Photography, Poetry, Theatre, World War Two, Writing

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in Schenectady

January 5, 2023 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

Buffalo BillOn the evening of January 11, 1917, the Schenectady Daily Union announced the passing of William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody, who died the day before in Denver, Colorado, at age 71.

The Union Star described Cody as a “remarkable man,” a “hero of thousands of exploits,” and published a photograph of Cody with an extensive survey of his life and career as a guide, trapper, Pony Express rider, stagecoach driver, Civil War veteran, Medal of Honor recipient for gallantry, buffalo hunter (thus the nickname “Buffalo Bill”) and master showman. [Read more…] about Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in Schenectady

Filed Under: Arts, Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Circus, Cultural History, Horses, Ned Buntline, Performing Arts, Schenectady, Schenectady County, Schenectady County Historical Society, Theatre

Bayreuth & New York; Wagner & Bernstein

October 10, 2022 by Jaap Harskamp 2 Comments

Richard Wagner’s villa in BayreuthIn 1943 Henry Alexander Murray, a psychologist at Harvard University, was commissioned by William Joseph Donovan (“Wild Bill Donovan”) – founding father of the CIA – to prepare an investigative report on behalf of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).

Designated as the “Analysis of the Personality of Adolph Hitler,” it became a ground-breaking study in the fields of offender profiling and political psychology. The inquiry into the malignant and narcissistic personality of the Führer was an effort to understand the “charismatic” nature of his leadership and an attempt to “predict” patterns of his behavior and actions. [Read more…] about Bayreuth & New York; Wagner & Bernstein

Filed Under: Arts, History, New York City Tagged With: German-American History, Jewish History, LGBTQ, Military History, Music, Musical History, Performing Arts, Psychology, Theatre, World War Two

New Book On 20th Century Broadway Photographer Murray Korman

July 28, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

vintage babes of broadway bookThe new book Vintage Babes of Broadway: Through the 20th Century Lens of Murray Korman (The One Big Name Publishing, 2022) by Clyde Adams and Maureen McCabe includes hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and short biographies about the many celebrities and other theatrical aspirants that 20th century publicity photographer Murray Korman took during his long and successful career. [Read more…] about New Book On 20th Century Broadway Photographer Murray Korman

Filed Under: History, Arts, Books, New York City Tagged With: Books, Film History, Manhattan, Musical History, New York City, Performing Arts, Photography, Theatre

The WGY Players: A Pioneering Radio Acting Troupe

July 18, 2022 by Guest Contributor 3 Comments

Early performers on WGYA century after the first commercial radio station began broadcasting, 83% of Americans ages 12 or older listen to the radio in a given week. It’s a technology that we may take for granted now, but the rapid development of radio technology and programming in the early 1920s led to significant changes in American culture and communication. [Read more…] about The WGY Players: A Pioneering Radio Acting Troupe

Filed Under: History, Arts, Capital-Saratoga Tagged With: General Electric, Musical History, Performing Arts, Radio History, Schenectady, Schenectady County, Schenectady County Historical Society, Theatre, WGY Radio

Dan Rice & Spalding’s North American Circus Steamboats

July 11, 2022 by Peter Hess Leave a Comment

Spaldings North American Circus advert 1847Dr. Gilbert R. Spalding was a pharmacist who operated a drug store in Albany, NY.  Gilbert’s father, Guy Spalding, had operated the drug store starting about 1810. The Spaldings sold different varieties of chemicals, oils and alcohol that they would blend into medicinal drugs, paint, stains, varnish, cleaning fluids, and popular drinks.

They could make up a cure for almost anything from a headache to piles, consumption to lumbago. Their ability to blend medicines led their Albany neighbors to nickname both Guy Spalding and, later his son Gilbert, “Doc” Spalding. Gilbert Spalding operated the drug store from about 1840 to 1845. [Read more…] about Dan Rice & Spalding’s North American Circus Steamboats

Filed Under: History, Arts, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, New York City Tagged With: Albany, Albany County, Circus, comedy, Hudson River, New York City, Performing Arts, Steamboating, Theatre

The Albany Museum: Curiosities, Circus & Performing Arts

July 4, 2022 by Peter Hess 3 Comments

1848 painting of State Street in Albany by John Wilson, the Albany Museum is on the right in the building with the colonnade (courtesy Albany Institute of History and Art)Albany’s first museum was started in 1798 in a building on the corner of Green and Beaver streets. In the summer of 1808, two royal tigers were housed at the Thespian Hotel, a circus pitched its tent, and Ralph Letton started the Albany Museum.

The Albany Museum was located in the Old City Hall (Stadt Huys) on the northeastern corner of South Market Street and Hudson Avenue (today’s Broadway and Hudson Avenue). The Old City Hall was built in 1741 and was the site of the 1754 Albany Congress meeting where Benjamin Franklin first proposed the Albany Plan, a plan of union of the colonies that later was a basis for the U.S. Constitution. On its steps, the Declaration of Independence was first read to Albany on July 19, 1776 by the order of the Provincial Congress. With the construction of the new building on Eagle Street in 1808, the Old City Hall was converted into the Albany Museum. [Read more…] about The Albany Museum: Curiosities, Circus & Performing Arts

Filed Under: Arts, Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Albany, Albany County, Art History, Circus, Cultural History, Museums, Music, Musical History, Performing Arts, PT Barnum, Rensselaer County, Theatre, Troy

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