James Foster Milliken was born in 1847 in Lewistown, Pennsylvania. Known as
New York Public Library Archives and Manuscripts. James Foster Milliken papers, 1887-1894, http://archives.nypl.org/the/21268#bioghist (accessed 26 March 2019).
The J. F. (James Foster) Milliken Collection, 1884-1894, documents a period of Milliken's career as a theatrical agent and producer for nineteenth century vaudeville and variety acts. The bulk of this small collection is made up of correspondence sent to Milliken and his associates by actors, entertainers, theatre managers, and venue owners over a decade.
Previously cataloged in the card catalog, this collection maintains the original arrangement and is divided into two series: Series I. Recipient, 1884-1894, undated (13 folders) and Series II. Miscellaneous, 1885-1891, undated (4 folders). Both series are described at the item-level and arranged alphabetically by correspondent. Letters in the recipient series are addressed primarily to Milliken (referred to frequently as the Colonel), whereas letters in the miscellaneous series include third-party correspondence addressed to Milliken's known associates, Robert Fraser and Harry W. Cortiss.
The correspondence in this collection illustrates the business side of vaudeville, variety acts, and other performances in theatrical circuits across the country during the late nineteenth century. A majority of Milliken's business was in New York (his home base) and surrounding areas (Philadelphia and New Jersey), though he did work with circuits and theatres across the country, some as far west as Seattle. Most of the letters are from actors and other performers writing to Milliken seeking work on the stage. Subsequent correspondence sometimes includes negotiations on contract terms, payments owed, or feedback (positive or negative) about their assignments. Other correspondents include agents, billboard artists, composers, playwrights, theatre managers, and other professionals involved in the world of theatre and performing arts.
Correspondents who are well-represented include Harry W. Cortiss, an associate of
Milliken's, Harry J. Norman, a theatre manager who helped produce Milliken's own
works, and Albert Tavernier, a theatre manager of the Tavernier Comedy and Dramatic
companies representing Ida Van Cortland, a vaudeville actress. Notable
correspondents include two of the Frohman brothers, Daniel and Gustave (famed
theatrical producers) and Eduard Holst, a prolific Danish playwright and composer.
Milliken worked with a variety of acts, some of interest to note include Adolf
Popper,
In addition to correspondence, other materials of interest include agreements,
receipts, registration forms (for actors applying for work), and a list of
Acquired as a segment of the Messmore Kendall Collection, 1958. The J. F. Milliken Collection was formerly a part of the Center's Theater Arts Manuscripts Collection, but now forms a separate, discrete collection.
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J. F. (James Foster) Milliken Collection (Manuscript Collection MS-02840). Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin.
Anne Kofmehl and Joan Sibley, 2019
This finding aid replicates and replaces information previously available only in a card catalog. Please see the explanatory note at the end of this finding aid for information regarding the arrangement of the manuscripts as well as the abbreviations commonly used in descriptions.
There are several related performing arts collections at the Harry Ransom Center that may be of interest to researchers of vaudeville and variety performance, including: Tony Pastor, Harry Houdini, Roy Arthur, Al Emmett Fostell, Florenz Ziegfeld, Popular Entertainments, Theater Biography, and Theater Arts Manuscripts collections. Two other small J. F. Milliken collections are located at the New York Public Library, one in the Manuscripts and Archives Division, the other in the Billy Rose Theatre Division of the New York Library for the Performing Arts.