Brooklyn Public Library | Brooklyn Collection | Digital Collections
© 2006 Brooklyn Public Library—Brooklyn Collection.
The Brooklyn Theater Playbills and Programs Collection is made up of approximately 800 items, representing motion pictures, musical concerts, high school commencement exercises, lectures, photoplays, vaudeville, and burlesque, as well as the more traditional offerings such as plays and operas, from the late 1880s to 1940s. During this period, the performing arts thrived in Brooklyn; 128 theaters are included in this collection. Please note that due to the scope and fragility of the collection, only a selection of covers from the collection have been digitized and are available online.
In order to provide improved access, a detailed finding aid (PDF) to the collection has been developed.
The collection is housed and managed by the Brooklyn Collection and is accessible by appointment for on-site consultation in the Central Library. For more information or to make an appointment please call 718.230.2762.
Related Brooklyn Resources
Among other collections, the Brooklyn Public Library provides online access to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, the Fulton Street Trade Card Collection and illustrated covers from the Brooklyn Sheet Music Collection.
Articles, trade cards and sheet music pieces may provide historic information on theaters, performers, composers, or others.
View the related items in a split screen view.
Other Related Digital Resources
Some of Brooklyn Public Library's most distinctive collections are available online, including manuscripts, rare children's books, and more than 10,000 historic photographs of Brooklyn neighborhoods, residents, buildings, bridges, amusement parks, and more. Digital and print reproductions of historic photographs are available for purchase. View BPL's Digital Collections.
Advisory
Some historic materials may illustrate offensive stereotypes. Such materials should be viewed in the context of their relevant time periods.
The Illustrated Covers from the Brooklyn Sheet Music Collection and Theater Playbills and Programs Collection electronic access and digitization project was supported in part by funds from the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) through the New York State Regional Bibliographic Databases Program.