William P. and Alger Lancaster papers, 1892-1965 | Louisiana Research Collection

By Nain Martinez

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Collection Overview

Title: William P. and Alger Lancaster papers, 1892-1965

ID: LaRC/Manuscripts Collection 767

Primary Creator: Lancaster, William P.

Other Creators: Lancaster, Alger.

Extent: 1.0 Boxes. More info below.

Arrangement: Arranged chronologically. The collection consists of 1 box. It is 0.5 linear feet.

Date Acquired: 08/20/1971

Subjects: Blackface entertainers -- United States., Lancaster, Alger., Lancaster, William P., Lasses White Minstrels., Minstrel shows -- United States., Theater -- Louisiana -- New Orleans -- History., Vaudeville -- United States.

Forms of Material: Brochures., Certificates., Circulars (fliers), Clippings (information artifacts), Correspondence., Financial records., Greeting cards., Invitations., Photographs., Posters., Sheet music., Telegrams., Theater programs.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

This collection includes handwritten and typed personal and professional correspondence, photographs, posters, programs, clippings, printed material, scores, financial papers, telegrams, envelopes, invitations, greeting cards, contracts and other papers of William P. Lancaster, music teacher, and Alger Lancaster, theatrical producer and theater owner.

Biographical Note

William P. Lancaster was a music teacher in Monticello, Arkansas at the end of the nineteenth century. Documents from the 1890s suggest he may have had some connection to the St. Charles Theatre and Academy in New Orleans. By 1896, William Lancaster left Arkansas, spent some time in Texas and eventually settled in Fayette County, Tennessee, where he again taught school. Alger Lancaster, originally from Jackson, Tennessee, began a career in travelling minstrel shows around the turn of the twentieth century. Until the mid-1930s, he managed the "Lasses White Minstrels," a musical comedy and variety act that gained some fame in the theater business, and was known for the use of blackface. He also collaborated in the management of several other vaudeville companies. Alger Lancaster managed temporary engagements around the country, including in New Orleans. In the early 1930s he worked as assistant manager of the Tulane Theater, and opened two companies of his own. In 1936, he closed the companies and moved to Stuttgart, Arkansas, where he managed local theaters and a drive-in movie. Around 1960, Alger Lancaster retired with his wife to Pass Christian, Mississippi. The relationship between William P. and Alger Lancaster is unclear. There is evidence that they were both connected at some point to the same area of Tennessee, and that William P. Lancaster was in contact with Alger's father, John L. Lancaster, and Alger's paternal uncles during the 1890s.

Subject/Index Terms

Blackface entertainers -- United States.
Lancaster, Alger.
Lancaster, William P.
Lasses White Minstrels.
Minstrel shows -- United States.
Theater -- Louisiana -- New Orleans -- History.
Vaudeville -- United States.

Administrative Information

Repository: Louisiana Research Collection

Alternate Extent Statement: 0.5 linear feet

Access Restrictions: Collection is open to the public. No known restrictions.

Use Restrictions: Physical rights are retained by the Louisiana Research Collection. Copyright is retained in accordance with U.S. copyright laws.

Acquisition Source: Vivian Lancaster, wife of Alger Lancaster.

Acquisition Method: Gift.

Preferred Citation: William P. and Alger Lancaster papers, Manuscripts Collection 767, Louisiana Research Collection, Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118.

Processing Information: Collection processed in 1988 by WEM; in 1997 by HB; and rehoused in 2009 by Eira Tansey and Elizabeth Chambers.

Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid information entered in Archon by LAC Group in 2011. Revised by LAC Group 8/17/11.

Other Note: OCLC Number: 317117914

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1: William P. and Alger Lancaster papers],
[All]

Box 1: William P. and Alger Lancaster papers

Folder 1: Lasses White material: Letterhead; show flyers and posters; sheet music, show program, undated; The Billboard (Theatrical Digest and Review of the Show World) 1924 January 26.
Folder 2: Correspondence and other papers, 1892-1894: Correspondence, 1893 January-1894 January; practice sheet for verb conjugation 1892 January 26; certificate exempting William P. Lancaster from working in the streets (Monticello, Arkansas), 1894 October 20.
Folder 3: Correspondence, employment recommendations regarding William P. Lancaster, 1894 May-August
Folder 4: Correspondence, 1894 September-December
Folder 5: Correspondence, 1895 January-November
Folder 6: Correspondence, 1896 January-1898 December
Folder 7: Correspondence, 1916 November-1945 July
Folder 8: Correspondence, 1950 April-1954 June
Folder 9: Correspondence, 1955 January-1958 September
Folder 10: Correspondence; letterhead, performer contract, 1959 March-1965 December; undated
Folder 11: Greeting cards from governors, undated
Folder 12: Notes to William P. Lancaster, undated; issue of The Journal (Montgomery County, Kansas), 1892 October 5
Folder 13: Sheet music, photographs, brochures, business cards, and other papers
Folder 14: Letterheads and performance brochures, undated
Folder 15: Assorted papers from William P. Lancaster's teaching career, 1890s
Folder 16: Newspaper clippings, undated
Folder 17: Show programs and tickets, undated
Folder 18: Alger Lancaster personal items; name placards, business cards, post cards
Folder 19: The Greenhouse: Two booklets.
Folder 20: Newspaper clippings, 1910s-1960s: Many undated/origin unknown.
Folder 21: Certificates
Folder 22: Newspaper clippings, 1910s-1960s: Many undated/origin unknown.
Folder 23: Show programs and posters, 1910s-1930s
Folder 24: Newspaper clippings

Browse by Box:

[Box 1: William P. and Alger Lancaster papers],
[All]

Tulane University Special Collections