{"id":12042,"date":"2026-07-30T11:00:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T15:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=12042"},"modified":"2026-07-30T11:02:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T15:02:07","slug":"from-the-archives-silent-film-early-hollywood-ephemera-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=12042","title":{"rendered":"From the Archives: Silent Film & Early Hollywood Ephemera Collection"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

This blog post was written by Maris Tiller, SCRC Research Services GRA. Maris is\u00a0<\/em>a Graduate student pursuing her Master\u2019s in Creative Writing with a concentration in fiction.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today in SCRC, we\u2019re going way back in time to the start of Hollywood and American cinema with our Silent film and early Hollywood ephemera collection<\/a>! Contained in this single-box collection are souvenir programs, pamphlets, and small advertisements for various films of the silent and early sound era. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Programs like these were and are common for theater performances.\u00a0They give the audience an idea of the cast,\u00a0an overview of the production, and serve as take-home memorabilia for the show. These programs\u00a0are\u00a0no\u00a0different!\u00a0Available for purchase at\u00a0the\u00a0movie theater, these programs offered film enthusiasts information about the cast, crew, production, and film stills.\u00a0Typically, they cost the same amount as the movie ticket itself.\u00a0It was also common for programs to include a summary of the film.\u00a0Bigger, longer productions received lengthier and\u00a0more extensive summaries that spanned multiple pages, while smaller\u00a0movies were given a brief paragraph or two\u00a0(Singh).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Through these records, we can see that popular subjects for films of the day included politics, history, and theater. For example, we have <\/span>The Courage of Silence<\/span><\/i>, about a woman during World War I,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

An adaptation of Henrik Ibsen\u2019s <\/span>Ghosts<\/span><\/i>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Heart of a Hero<\/span><\/i>, a biographical film about American Revolutionary War spy Nathan Hale,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0And\u00a0<\/span>The Children Pay<\/span><\/i>, dealing with the effect of divorce on children and families.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Notable\u00a0also is this program for\u00a0<\/span>Camille<\/span><\/i>, an adaptation of Alexander Dumas\u2019\u00a0<\/span>The\u00a0Lady of the Camellias<\/span><\/i>, which was a major\u00a0starring vehicle for Alla Nazimova and\u00a0popular\u00a0silent film\u00a0heart-throb\u00a0Rudolph Valentino.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Also featured here are multiple programs for films starring Dorothy and Lillian Gish, who were big stars at the time. Starting as child actors in the theater, the Gish sisters made a name for themselves by the time they were teenagers. Lillian had a reputation for dramatic roles while Dorothy played more comedic parts. During their silent film careers, they frequently worked with prominent director D.W. Griffith. Lillian Gish continued to find work into the sound era and is often referred to as the \u201cfirst lady of cinema.\u201d (Stans)\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

For larger, more complex productions, there were more detailed programs created. In addition to the usual content found in smaller pamphlets, these programs include extensive summaries of the film, the actors\u2019 biographies, and background information about the production.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Below, you can see examples from two Lillian Gish vehicles:\u00a0<\/span>Romola<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>The Scarlet Letter<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Fun fact:<\/span>\u00a0Romola<\/span><\/i>\u00a0also\u00a0co-stars Dorothy Gish!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0Sound\u00a0era,\u00a0films\u00a0continued to have\u00a0souvenir programs!\u00a0The example below is a program for the\u00a01936\u00a0best-picture Oscar winner\u00a0<\/span>The Great Ziegfield<\/span><\/i>, which\u00a0not only talks about the film and its production, but also the\u00a0life\u00a0of\u00a0Florenz Ziegfield, on which the film is based.\u00a0Stills included in the programs place emphasis on spectacle, glamour, and excess.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Souvenir film programs remain a hot collectible item for Old Hollywood enthusiasts to this day! They are important documents in the history of film that not only offer insight into the films themselves, but also the time in which they were produced. Even as some films from the silent and early Hollywood eras have become lost, documents like these can provide proof of their existence and popularity.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cited Sources\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Silent film & early Hollywood ephemera collection, C0337, Box 1, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Singh,\u00a0Anjuli. \u201cPart 2: Treasures from Hollywood\u2019s Silent Era | National Museum of American History.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>National Museum of American History<\/span><\/i>, 5 July 2017, americanhistory.si.edu\/explore\/stories\/part-2-treasures-hollywoods-silent-era.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stans, Lea. \u201cSilents Are Golden: The Iconic Careers of Lillian and Dorothy\u00a0Gish .\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Classic Movie Hub Blog<\/span><\/i>, 23 Jan. 2020, www.classicmoviehub.com\/blog\/silents-are-golden-the-iconic-careers-of-lillian-and-dorothy-gish\/.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow SCRC on Social Media and look out for future posts on our\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>, and\u00a0Bluesky<\/a>\u00a0accounts. To search the collections\u00a0held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail\u00a0us at\u00a0speccoll@gmu.edu<\/a>\u00a0or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  This blog post was written by Maris Tiller, SCRC Research Services GRA. Maris is\u00a0a Graduate student pursuing her Master\u2019s in Creative Writing with a concentration in fiction.   Today in SCRC, we\u2019re going way back in time to the start of Hollywood and American cinema with our Silent film and early Hollywood ephemera collection! […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101025,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t