Collections

Public Institutions

Dance Institutions

Institution Location Description
Deutsches Tanzarchiv Köln Koln, Germany

Isadora Duncan and her school in Berlin, Elizabeth Duncan and her schools founded between 1911 and 1948, the Isadorables, Raymond Duncan and followers of Isadora’s heritage. Images from selected early programs, chronologies and reviews viewable online. In 2015, Deutsches Tanzarchiv Köln purchased the Archives of Anna Duncan from Kathleen Quinlan.

Dance Heritage Coalition Washington, D.C.

A Tribute to Isadora Duncan as an 'American Dance Treasure' is found here.

Searchable Database for Duncan related videos and films is here.

National Resource Centre for Dance Guilford, Surrey, England

Large collection at University of Surrey: books and news articles related to Isadora Duncan in a searchable database. Visit required to see archived items.

Libraries

Institution Location Description
Bibliotheque National de France Paris, France

Photos of Isadora Duncan. Searchable archive of visible french language newspapers, articles and magazines of Isadora and her followers.

Library of Congress Washington, DC

Photos of Isadora and the Isadorables by Arnold Genthe are part of the LOC's vast collection, viewable here .

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts New York, New York

Of particular interest in the archives are
the Irma Duncan Papers,
Isadora's letters to Gordon Craig, and an
extensive video collection. Visit to access most archives. With a recently added Digital Archive, photos and programs of Isadora and the Isadorables are viewable here. Items in the public domain are available for download.

Museums

Institution Location Description
Bourdelle Museum Paris, France

Antoine Bourdelle’s photographs, drawings, paintings, sculpture, including ‘Dancing Isadora’. A view of Isadora Duncan, Daughter of Prometheus,1919, by Fernand Divoire, illustrated by Bourdelle is seen here.

Dance Museum Havana, Cuba

Opened in 1999, Havana's Dance Museum features a small exhibit related to separate visits and performances by Isadora Duncan, Irma Duncan and Anna Duncan. Programs, photos, books, a post card and a sculpture of Isadora by Paul Philippe are featured. Other main exhibits are dedicated to Alica Alonso, who founded the National Ballet of Cuba. Duncan dancer Jacqueline Crousillat's photos of the Havana Duncan exhibit are
housed on the Archive.

Dansmuseet, Swedish Dance Museum Stockholm, Sweden

The Archives of Anna Duncan were initially loaned to Dansmuseet by Kathleen Quinlan. For photos from the 2010 Anna Duncan exhibit, click here. The Anna Duncan Archives are now at the Deutsches Tanzarchiv Köln.

National Museum of Dance Saratoga Springs, New York

Isadora Duncan is honored in the museum's permanent "Hall of Fame" exhibit.

The San Francisco Museum of Performance and Design San Francisco, California

Extensive collection of 3.5 million items
Some Duncan-related items are housed on the Archive, with permission from the museum. To view the entire Duncan archive, arrange a visit to the Museum.

Victoria and Albert Museum London, England

Edward Gordon Craig Collection

Universities

Institution Location Description
The University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA

Personal archive of Nadia Chilkovsky Nahumck (1906-2008) and her school. See the links and information on Nadia Nahumck's dancer page.

University of California-Irvine Irvine, California

Mary Desti collection on Isadora Duncan, 1901-1930. Mary Desti was a friend and biographer of Isadora.

University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, California

The Howard Holtzman Collection on Isadora Duncan containing some 1500 items: manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, sculpture, drawings, business contracts and box office statements. Visit necessary.

University of Delaware Newark, Delaware

The University Museum at the University of Delaware owns a Virginia Zabriskie Collection of Abraham Walkowitz drawings, a large collection, that was shown in 2000. Arrangements to view the collection can be made through the Collection Manager 24-72 hours in advance of your visit (see website for information).

University of Georgia Athens, Georgia

The Jordan Massee Collection of Isadora Duncan Material

Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN

The Francis Robinson Collection includes a watercolor of Isadora Duncan by Abraham Walkowitz and a set of prints of Isadora by Jose Clara, as well as photographs, clippings, publicity and a text of a lecture by Arnold Rood. Scroll to page 58 of the Finding file to see the Walkowitz watercolor and a full description of the Duncan items. Arrange visit to access collection.

Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Includes images from Jules Grandjouan's Isadora Duncan: Vingt-Cinq Planches, as well as a list of other rare Duncan books in the library's collection.

Other

Institution Location Description
New York Philharmonic Leon Levy Digital Archive New York, New York

New York Philharmonic Leon Levy Digital Archives. For information on several early Isadora Duncan performances, use the search function. A program for a performance of Irma Duncan and the Isadora Duncan Dancers at the Lewisohn Stadium on July 13 and 14, 1932 is viewable here

Private Collections

Housed on Archive Private collections that have been generously shared with and are housed on the Archive.

Collection Description
The Collection of Lynn Armentrout

A collection of programs, photos, announcements from Lynn Armentrout's career as a Duncan dancer, plus photos and incidentals from her collection of Duncan memorabilia.

The Collection of Christy Cornell-Pape

The materials presented here represent a portion of her personal dance collection. Items shown here include various programs, articles, publications, artwork and art folios.

The Collection of Louise Craig Gerber

Merrell Gerber, daughter of Louise Craig Gerber, provided this collection of programs and photos belonging to her mother for the Archive.

The Collection of Jacqueline Crousillat F.

Photos by Duncan dancer and photographer Jacqueline Crousillat F. Includes Duncan dancers as well as photos of a Duncan exhibit from the Dance Museum of Havana, Cuba.

The Collection of Pamela De Fina

From Pamela de Fina's collection, shown here is a 1979 Maria Theresa Heritage program, signed by Maria Theresa "To Pamela, with love, Maria Theresa" and a United Nations Staff Day performance program. Also included is an invitation to the Harkness House Gala Birthday reception for Maria Theresa on the occasion of her 84th birthday. In addition, an article about Maria Theresa written by Pamela. In her private collection, Pamela de Fina has an original collection of photos, programs, clippings of Maria Theresa Duncan given to her by Maria Theresa's son, Rano Bourgeois, along with a letter of permission.

The Collection of Maria-Theresa Duncan

The items in this Collection were given to Pamela De Fina by Maria-Theresa's son Rano Bourgeois with a letter of permission to publish. Anyone wanting to use these items should contact Pamela De Fina (definapamela@yahoo.com).

The Collection of Christina Fessenden

Christina Fessenden's collection of programs, photos, articles and other items, most of which feature the Dionysian Duncan Dancers. Many items were submitted by fellow Dionysian Duncan dancers Annah G McCluskey and Deborah Vaernes.

The Collection of Catherine Gallant

The Collection of Mignon Garland

Victor Garlin, son of Duncan dancer Mignon Garland, has generously shared his mother's Duncan dance collection here. Mignon's lifelong dedication to Duncan dance and the history of her performing group, the San Francisco Duncan Dancers, will be presented through photos, programs, documents and
videos .

The Collection of Joanna Gewertz Harris

From an extensive personal dance collection, items displayed here include a collection of drawings by Valentine Lecomte published by Raymond Duncan; Dance Magazine’s July 1977 centennial series dedicated to Isadora, Part 1; a 1920 program featuring the Isadorables in Paris; and a Newsletter by Carol Pratl dedicated to Soviet Duncan dancer Elena Terentieva. Joanna's private collection also includes several original watercolors by Abraham Walkowitz (owned by Edwin Eigner).

The Collection of Beth Jucovy

Photos from Beth Jucovy, Dance Visions/NY. Beth Jucovy has in her private collection Julia Levien's collection of programs, letters, original drawings, and some of her videos. Please contact Beth regarding this collection, at dancevisions.ny@gmail.com.

The Collection of Barbara Kane

Aspects of collection of photos, programmes, articles, drawings, leaflets, and news clippings acquired over the last 40 years. If you would like to reproduce anything from her collection, please contact Barbara at iddg_londonparis@yahoo.co.uk.

The Collection of Hortense Kooluris

Photos and other memorabilia from the career of Hortense Kooluris, donated by her son Kirby Kooluris for use on the Archive.

The Collection of Janaea Rose Lyn (McAlee)

The materials included here represent a portion of the entire collection which includes additional photos, artwork, programs and publications. Acquired over a period of forty years, primary source locations include New York City, San Francisco and Paris. For more information contact Janaea Rose Lyn.

The Collection of Annah G McCluskey

Photos, programs and other items related to the career of Duncan dancer Annah G McCluskey.

The Collection of Francoise Rageau

The Collection of Adrienne Ramm

The Collection of Katharina Van Dyk

Exhaustive bibliography of Isadora Duncan by French student Katharina Van Dyk, created during her doctoral studies at University Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, dance studies department, 2015.

The Isadora Duncan Archive Collection

Items obtained by or created for the Isadora Duncan Archive.

Photos, programs and other items related to Duncan dancer Annah G McCluskey.

Housed Privately

Collection Description
The Collection of Paul-James Dwyer

This collection contains three parts: (1) The Lillian LOEWENTHAL Collection, York University, Scott Libraries, Special Collections, Toronto Canada; (2) dance OREMUS danse Collection, Combermere, Ontario and (3) dance OREMUS danse and Paul-James DWYER Fonds, York University, Scott Libraries, Special Collections, Toronto, Ontario.

Websites

Website Description
The Isadora Duncan Pandect

Published by the Dora Stratou Dance Theater, Athens. Edited by Alkis Raftis, with material from his collection.

Isadora Duncan Virtual Museum

Russian website dedicated to Isadora Duncan

Roger Viollet Archive

Thumbnail views of drawings (mainly by Antoine Bourdelle) and photographs of Isadora Duncan available for viewing.