Printer-friendly

On Display: "Joseph Urban & the Great American Revue" In The Rare Book & Manuscript Library

NEW YORK, July 19, 2012 –

From July 2 until August 27, 2012, "Joseph Urban & the Great American Revue" will be on display in the Octagon Room in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library on the 6th floor of Butler Library.


urban-watercolor
"Paris Bridge Over Seine" by Joseph Urban

This exhibition, which runs in response to "The Great American Revue: How Florenz Ziegfeld, George White and Their Rivals Remade Broadway," at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, through July 27, will display some of Urban's original watercolor drawings for the Ziegfeld Follies spanning the years 1915 through 1931, including his Zeppelin Over London Scene and Map for Hello Frisco Scene (Follies of 1915), the latter in celebration of the recently inaugurated transcontinental telephone service.

Also shown will be his Paris Scene of a bridge over the Seine (Follies of 1921), which was the setting for Fanny Brice's rendition of "My Man," which would become the greatest hit of her career. Urban's drawing of the Brooklyn Bridge at dawn for the scene "Dance Away the Night" (Follies of 1931) will additionally be on view. These, and many other watercolors, are augmented by black and white photographs of drawings not in the archive.

Set models on display include the Cotton Field Scene (Follies of 1927), where Ruth Etting and the Jazzbow Girls performed "Shaking the Blues Away;" the Changing of the Guards Scene, where the Follies Girls paraded in uniform before Urban's faithful rendering of Buckingham Palace (Follies of 1931); and for the George White Scandals of 1931, day and night views of the Empire State Building, then the world's tallest building, just completed in May of that year.

When Joseph Urban died in 1933 at the age of 61, he had produced more stage and screen designs, in a wider range of styles, than anyone else of his time. Of these, were all of the Ziegfeld Follies from 1915 until 1931 (except 1925), 29 Midnight Frolics, as well as a number of other Broadway shows including Rio Rita and Show Boat for Ziegfeld.

This exhibition is free and open to the public.

A digital exhibition is also available to view online.

For more information on the exhibition or archive, please contact:

Jennifer B. Lee
Curator, Performing Arts Collections
Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Columbia University
Tel: 212-854-4048

The Rare Book & Manuscript Library owns over 500,000 rare books in some 20 book collections and almost 28 million manuscripts in nearly 3,000 separate manuscript collections. It is particularly strong in English and American literature and history, classical authors, children‘s literature, education, mathematics and astronomy, economics and banking, photography, the history of printing, New York City politics, librarianship, and the performing arts. Individual collections are as eclectic as they are extensive. For more information, please see: http://library.columbia.edu/indiv/rbml.html

Columbia University Libraries/Information Services is one of the top five academic research library systems in North America. The collections include over 11 million volumes, over 150,000 journals and serials, as well as extensive electronic resources, manuscripts, rare books, microforms, maps, and graphic and audio-visual materials. The services and collections are organized into 22 libraries and various academic technology centers. The Libraries employs more than 500 professional and support staff. The website of the Libraries is the gateway to its services and resources: library.columbia.edu.

-END-
5/20/13 CUL

Library News,
Exhibitions & Events


For News & Events Questions
Communications Coordinator
507 Butler Library
535 West 114th St.
New York, NY 10027

Telephone
(212) 854-5289

E-mail
news@libraries.cul.columbia.edu

For Building Access Questions
Library Information Office
201 Butler Library
535 West 114th St.
New York, NY 10027

Telephone
(212) 854-7309

E-mail
lio@columbia.edu