Theodore E. Steinway collection of Steinway & Sons ephemera
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Abstract
Material on the history of renowned piano makers Steinway & Sons, and other manufacturers, largely assembled by company president Theodore E. Steinway (1883–1957), author of People and Pianos: A Century of Service to Music: Steinway & Sons, New York, 1853–1953. The collection includes some photographs, a few financial reports, and a wealth of ephemera, including advertisements, brochures, trade catalogs, newspaper clippings, sheet music, a run of concert programs from Steinway Hall (1876–1890), and transcripts of Theodore Steinway's commentary for WQXR Radio's Tuesday evening broadcasts of recorded piano music from Symphony Hall (1941–1942).
Biographical / Historical
Theodore Edwin Steinway (1883–1957) was a grandson of Henry E. Steinway (1797–1871), who founded the famed piano manufacturing firm of Steinway & Sons in Manhattan in 1853. In 1864 Theodore's father, William Steinway (1835–1896), opened Steinway Hall, a lavish performance venue to showcase the company's instruments, at 109 East 14th Street (it housed the New York Philharmonic until Carnegie Hall opened in 1891; a later Steinway Hall opened at 111 West 57th Street in 1925). Beginning in the 1870s, William moved operations to Queens, establishing around the piano factory a company town called Steinway Village to house his craftsmen and their families (it is now part of the neighborhood of Astoria). Theodore Steinway served as president of the firm from 1927 to 1955, and then as chairman of the board from 1955 until his death just two years later. Theodore's son, Henry Ziegler Steinway (1915–2008), was the last member of the family to head Steinway & Sons before its sale in 1972.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in five series:
- Series I.
- Programs, 1866–1979
- Series II.
- Advertising, 1860–1986
- Series III.
- Piano catalogs, circa 1870–1950
- Series IV.
- Sheet music, 1870s–1898, undated
- Series V.
- Miscellaneous, 1865–1974, undated
Scope and Contents
This collection contains material largely assembled by Steinway & Sons president Theodore Edwin Steinway (1883–1957), author of the 1953 company history People and Pianos: A Century of Service to Music: Steinway & Sons, New York, 1853–1953. It includes a wealth of ephemera—advertisements, brochures, manufacturers' catalogs, newspaper clippings, sheet music—some photographs, and (minimal) financial reports, as well as a substantial run of programs for concerts held at Steinway Hall (1876–1890), the firm's self-built performance venue and showroom at 109 East 14th Street, Manhattan (in use 1864–1925). Also present are transcripts of Theodore Steinway's commentary for WQXR Radio's Tuesday evening broadcasts of recorded piano music from Symphony Hall (1941–1942).
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Organizations
Families
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Access Restrictions
This collection is stored offsite. To arrange to consult it, please go to www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282. Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: www.nyhistory.org/rights-and-reproductions.
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as the Theodore E. Steinway Collection of Steinway & Sons Ephemera, MS 3181, New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Henry Z. and John H. Steinway, 1987.
Separated Materials
The gift of this collection included a photocopied set of the ten-volume diary of William E. Steinway, covering 1861–1896. It has been cataloged separately (click here for the record). Rather than request it, researchers should consult the digitized originals via the Smithsonian Institution: americanhistory.si.edu/steinwaydiary/.
It also included seven scrapbooks of concert and theatre programs dating from 1908-1917, and assembled by Frederick T. Steinway (1860-1927), which are housed in boxes 33 and 34 of the New-York Historical Society Collection of Scrapbooks and Clippings, 1709-1974 (MS 3158).
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection appears to have been minimally processed by New-York Historical Society staff around 1988. Archivist Joseph Ditta placed the loose volumes inside record cartons, replaced some deteriorating boxes, and described the whole collection in this finding aid in January 2022.