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This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 24.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 3,200 items) |
| Abstract | Augustus Thomas wrote popular plays, such as Alabama and Arizona, during the 1890s and the first fifteen years of the twentieth century. In all, he wrote or adapted more than 100 plays, though not all were published. Thomas also was a leader in dramatic organizations and an active participant in the Democratic Party and in debates about political questions of his day. He was married to Lisle Colby Thomas. The collection contains manuscript versions of seventy-five of Augustus Thomas's plays. Other materials include professional correspondence, chiefly concerning plays, actors, and other topics relating to the theater and publishing, and one letter, 1924, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Thomas, asking his advice as a delegate of the Democratic National Convention; personal correspondence consisting mainly of letters from Thomas to his son Luke Thomas, September 1910-June 1914, and chiefly concerning daily activities and the health of family members; speeches, eulogies, essays, and other miscellaneous writings; clippings of Augustus Thomas's cartoons; articles about his career; numerous reviews of his plays; telegrams sent to Lisle Colby Thomas on her husband's death; a typescript copy of her A Well-known Playwright's Wife; a sketch book with drawings and personal messages addressed to Thomas from various artists, including Frederic Remington; the program from a 1909 Lambs Club fund-raising event; and a copy of the privately published honeymoon diary of Augustus Thomas's daughter, Glory Thomas Elliott, describing her trip to England and France in 1924. There are also a 35mm black-and-white sound film, circa 1919-1930, of Augustus Thomas and the actor Francis Wilson conversing in Clearwater, Fla., and related film notes, 1974, by Ronald Davis. |
| Creator | Thomas, Augustus, 1857-1934. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Rare Book Literary and Historical Papers. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Processing Information
Processed by: Manuscripts Department Staff
Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007
Updated by: Sarah Arnold because of film processing, February 2011; Danielle Fasic, November, 2012; Nancy Kaiser, August 2020; Laura Smith, January 2022
Diacritics and other special characters have been omitted from this finding aid to facilitate keyword searching in web browsers.
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical Information
After early years as a journalist, Augustus Thomas wrote popular plays, such as Alabama and Arizona, during the 1890s and the first fifteen years of the twentieth century. In all, he wrote or adapted more than 100 plays, though not all were published. Thomas was a leader in dramatic organizations and in the Democratic Party and in debates about political questions of his day. He was married to Lisle Colby Thomas, sister of Bainbridge Colby, who served as United States secretary of state, 1920-1921.
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Scope and Content
The collection contains manuscript versions of seventy-five of Augustus Thomas's plays. Other materials include professional correspondence, chiefly concerning plays, actors, and other topics relating to the theater and publishing, and one letter, 1924, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Thomas, asking his advice as a delegate of the Democratic National Convention; personal correspondence consisting mainly of letters from Thomas to his son Luke Thomas, September 1910-June 1914, and chiefly concerning daily activities and the health of family members; speeches, eulogies, essays, and other miscellaneous writings; clippings of Augustus Thomas's cartoons; articles about his career; numerous reviews of his plays; telegrams sent to Lisle Colby Thomas on her husband's death; a typescript copy of her A Well-known Playwright's Wife; a sketch book with drawings and personal messages addressed to Thomas from various artists, including Frederic Remington; the program from a 1909 Lambs Club fund-raising event; and a copy of the privately published honeymoon diary of Augustus Thomas's daughter, Glory Thomas Elliott, describing her trip to England and France in 1924. There are also a 35mm black-and-white sound film, circa 1919-1930, of Augustus Thomas and the actor Francis Wilson conversing in Clearwater, Fla., and related film notes, 1974, by Ronald Davis.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Plays, 1880-1939.
Arrangement: Alphabetical.
Manuscript versions of seventy-five of Augustus Thomas's plays and screenplays, many of which were never published. Some manuscripts may be of adaptations.
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Series 2. Other Materials, 1869-1974.
Other materials include professional correspondence, chiefly concerning plays, actors, and other topics relating to the theater and publishing, and one letter, 1924, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Thomas, asking his advice as a delegate of the Democratic National Convention; personal correspondence consisting mainly of letters from Thomas to his son Luke Thomas, September 1910-June 1914, and chiefly concerning daily activities and the health of family members; speeches, eulogies, essays, and other miscellaneous writings; clippings of Augustus Thomas's cartoons; articles about his career; numerous reviews of his plays; telegrams sent to Lisle Colby Thomas on her husband's death; a typescript copy of her A Well-known Playwright's Wife; a sketch book with drawings and personal messages addressed to Thomas from various artists, including Frederic Remington; the program from a 1909 Lambs Club fund-raising event; and a copy of the privately published honeymoon diary of Augustus Thomas's daughter, Glory Thomas Elliott, describing her trip to England and France in 1924. There are also a 35mm black-and-white sound film, circa 1919-1930, of Augustus Thomas and the actor Francis Wilson conversing in Clearwater, Fla., and related film notes, 1974, by Ronald Davis.
| Box 29 |
Correspondence, 1869-1939Correspondence mainly concerns plays, actors, and other topics relating to the theater and are between Augustus Thomas and various actors, theater organizations, and publishers. There is also a letter from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Augustus Thomas, dated 1924, asking his advice as a delegate of the Democratic National Convention. A copy of Augustus Thomas's reply is included. |
PoetryHandwritten drafts of poetry by unidentified authors. |
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Lisle Colby Thomas, telegrams, 1934Sent following the death of Augustus Thomas. |
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Miscellaneous manuscripts and typescripts |
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Miscellaneous notes on playwriting |
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Playbills and programs |
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Sketches, pamphlets, and miscellaneous items |
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Addresses |
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Funeral addresses |
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Published addresses |
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Prefaces |
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Manuscripts for essays and articles |
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Published periodical articles |
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Synopses of plays and motion picture scenarios |
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| Box 30 |
ScrapbookPrimarily clippings reviewing Augustus Thomas's plays. Scrapbook is self-adhesive with "Mark Twain's Scrapboook" printed on the cover. |
Harvest Moon Reviews |
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Clippings and publicity materialsRelating to various plays and theatrical organizations. |
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| Box 31 |
ScrapbooksThree volumes of clippings with reviews of Augustus Thomas's plays, programs from his plays, and letters from actors, publishers, and theatrical organizations. |
Lisle Colby Thomas, memoirsA Well-known Playwright's Wife. |
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| Box 32 |
Correspondence, 1910-1914Mainly with Augustus Thomas's son, Luke Thomas, concerning daily activities and the health of various family members. |
| Box 33 |
Glory Thomas Elliott diary, 1924Copy of the privately published honeymoon diary describing Glory Thomas Elliott's trip to England and France. |
Manuscript Autographe, 1933A French publication, directed by Jean Royere, containing facsimiles of manuscripts of members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, advertisements, biographies, and reproductions of portraits. |
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| Oversize Volume SV-12000/1 |
Sketchbook, 1892-1902Portrait and full-figure sketches by a variety of artists with accompanying personal messages or quotes addressed to Augustus Thomas. At least two drawings are by American artist Frederic Remington. None of the sketches appear to have been made by Thomas, though at least one depicts him. |
| Film F-12000/1 |
Film: Augustus Thomas and Francis Wilson, circa 1919-193035 mm black-and-white sound film of Thomas and the actor Francis Wilson conversing in Clearwater, Fla. |
| Box 33 |
Film notes by Ronald Davis, 1974Notes describe in detail the content of the black-and-white 35mm film of Augustus Thomas and Francis Wilson. |
Image Folder PF-12000/1-2
PF-12000/1PF-12000/2 |
Portraits and group carte-de-visite |
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Series 3. Microfilm.
Reel M-12000/1-4
M-12000/1M-12000/2M-12000/3M-12000/4 |
Microfilm |
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Items Separated