Category Archives: Resources

Online and offline resources to help you in all aspects of propping a show.

Resources

Sizes

You may have noticed a new link over on the side link: Sizes. If you haven’t checked it yet, you’re missing out. Sizes lists the sizes of things and the units used to describe them. It may sound dry, but it is an incredibly useful reference for a props person.  Here is just a sampling of the variety of information you can find there:

Resources

Telephone History

Ron DeMarco, head of props at Emerson University, had these images on a CD he shared with me showing a visual history of the telephone. It’s great for research! Click on any of them for a larger view.

A visual history of telephones from 1876 to 1976
A visual history of telephones from 1876 to 1976

The next image is virtually identical to the previous, but it includes some additional models.

Telephones from 1876 to 1965
Telephones from 1876 to 1965

I can’t wait for that picture phone! Finally, here’s a quick history of public telephone styles:

Public telephones from 1890 to 1985
Public telephones from 1890 to 1985

If you have a play that requires a public telephone in a contemporary setting… what play are you doing? Just kidding; though rare, you can still find payphones in many cities these days.

Resources

33 Ephemera Collections on Flickr

originally uploaded by Sara1973
originally uploaded by Sara1973

Flickr is an incredible source for scans of ephemera from all eras. There is so much to find on there. One of my dreams is to somehow organize and catalog all of this; until then, all I can give you is a somewhat ordered list of things I’ve found. Remember that this only represents a sliver of a portion of what’s available on the internet.

Continue reading 33 Ephemera Collections on Flickr →

Resources

New York Public Library Digital Galleries

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Miss Fanny Kemble as Portia in the Merchant of Venice
Miss Fanny Kemble as Portia in the Merchant of Venice

As a props person, you’re always looking online for images, whether as research for pieces, inspiration for set dressing, or as elements for a paper prop.

The New York Public Library has a great digitized collection of images in their Digital Gallery.  Some proptacular highlights include cigarette cards from pre-1900s to the mid-20th century; dust jackets from American and European books, 1926-1947; decoration in the Age of Napoleon; and  a collection of restaurant menus from 1851 to 1930.

There is also a ton of theatre-related photographs and ephemera, such as the Vandamm Studio Photographs of theatre productions and players from 1900 to 1957.

These digital galleries have so much visual reference and research; I highly recommend taking the time to look through it all and bookmarking or taking note of what you might find useful in the future.