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Items Letter from Phyllis Curtin to Radford Bascome

Letter from Phyllis Curtin to Radford Bascome

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Library division & collection with this item:

LIBRARY DIVISION
Jerome Robbins Dance Division

  • Choregraphie
  • A long minuet as danced at Bath
  • Sketchbook
  • Scrapbook documenting the appearances of dancer Alice Eis and her partner Bert French
  • The dance score
  • Traité élémentaire, théorique et pratique de l'art de la danse
  • Sketchbook
  • Coreografie per ballabili d'opera
  • Caricature of Sergeĭ Dyagilev
  • La sténochorégraphie
  • Ehon Tsūhōshi
  • Le maître a danser
  • America
  • Costume designs for the ballet La Pastorella Svizzera
  • Simplicité
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COLLECTION
Radford Bascome collection

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SUB-COLLECTION
Book 7

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SUB-COLLECTION
Letters from Margery Beddow, Phyllis Curtain, and Bob Herget

This Item

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Title
Letter from Phyllis Curtin to Radford Bascome
Names
Bascome, Radford, 1913-1984 (Addressee)
Curtin, Phyllis (Author)
Collection

Radford Bascome collection

Book 7

Letters from Margery Beddow, Phyllis Curtain, and Bob Herget

Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1954-06-06
Library locations
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Shelf locator: *MGZEB 18-6812
Topics
Dance photography
Genres
Correspondence
Manuscripts
Notes
Biographical/historical: W. Radford Bascome, Jr., born 1913 in New York, made his living in the field of public relations until he developed his hobby of photography into a profession in 1953. He descended from a military family and maintained status in the United States Marine Corps reserves while also being active in honing his photography skills. His avenue into dance photography was by chance when he used dancers to test a new electronic flash unit on his camera. His first dance pictures sold and led to Bascome becoming a significant photographer of the New York ballet scene in the mid-20th century. In 1955, just two years into his professional career, the New York City Center gallery held an exhibition of his photographs of the New York City Ballet titled The Ballet in Mood and Movement. The exhibition featured mostly black and white 35mm candid pictures taken backstage during rehearsals and performances. He was one of George Balanchine's favored artists and was given unparalleled access to the New York City Ballet as a result. Bascome's work was also seen in print such as his experimental "Rorschach Ballet" photographs which were featured in a 1954 Life Magazine spread. In the early 1960s he contributed to Dance Magazine's Cook of the Month articles featuring favorite recipes of dancers Violette Verdy and Lupe Serrano. He both wrote and photographed for the articles. In addition to his dance photography, he also is credited for various Mercury Records album covers most notably the conductor and composer Antal Doráti. Bascome died in 1984 at age 70 on Long Island.
Physical Description
Extent: 1 page
Type of Resource
Text
Languages
English
Identifiers
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b21733729
MSS Unit ID: 24669
Archives EAD ID: 3194006
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 412ebe20-4940-0139-2e4e-0242ac110003
Rights Statement
The copyright and related rights status of this item has been reviewed by The New York Public Library, but we were unable to make a conclusive determination as to the copyright status of the item. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.

Item timeline of events

  • 1913: Creator Born
  • 1954: Created
  • 1984: Creator Died
  • 2026: Digitized
  • 2026: Found by you!
  • 2027

MLA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Letter from Phyllis Curtin to Radford Bascome" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1954. https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/45265b50-4940-0139-75fa-0242ac110003

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Letter from Phyllis Curtin to Radford Bascome" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed September 21, 2026. https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/45265b50-4940-0139-75fa-0242ac110003

APA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1954). Letter from Phyllis Curtin to Radford Bascome Retrieved from https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/45265b50-4940-0139-75fa-0242ac110003

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/45265b50-4940-0139-75fa-0242ac110003 | title= (text) Letter from Phyllis Curtin to Radford Bascome, (1954)|author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=September 21, 2026 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Letter from Phyllis Curtin to Radford Bascome