Central Library

Dante Alighieri, born 1265, was one of the greatest Italian poets during the late Middle Ages. Dante Alighieri , commonly known as Dante, was the touchstone for establishing the literature of Italy. His representations of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven was influential for the larger body of Western art. Dante is best kn...

Portrait of an unknown figure titled "Treat Head". The figure is captured in a sinister portrayal. The atmosphere is extremely dark, obscuring the model in shadows. Shadow effect is a major component of this portrait. As the figure is lit from below, casting the dark silhouette of their hands eerily on the model's...

Dainty Marie Meeker was a vaudeville star and physical fitness icon in the early 1900s. She was originally from Leavenworth, Kansas, where her father was a guard at the prison. She rose to fame quickly for her multi-talented performances on the Broadway stage. She was cited in a 1913 issue of The Leavenworth Times for...

Nance O'Neil was called the American Bernhardt, playing significant roles such as Lady Macbeth and Camille. She moved from theatre to silent film in 1915 after signing with William Fox. She was overshadowed by Fox's other star Theda Bara and returned to the theater in 1918. Nance came back to talking films around 192...

Nan Halperin appeared on the vaudeville stage at the age of fifteen performing impersonations and comedic musical numbers. Over the course of her career, she became known as America’s “Famous Satirist” for her impersonations of the life stages of ordinary American women as well as the "Wonder Girl" because of how fast...

Clifton Webb performed in vaudeville and on Broadway, primarily in musicals, before director Otto Preminger took notice and brought him to Hollywood to appear in the 1944 film noir "Laura". His mother, with whom he lived until her death at age 91, transferred her own theatrical ambitions to the son she called "little W...

George Beban was born in California in the year 1873. Beban was an actor, writer, director, producer, and editor of over thirty films through 1910 to the 1920s. Beban had been a minstrel performer with the legendary team of Weber & Fields. Beban personal success was achieved producing and co-writing the play "The Si...

Originally born in Stockholm, Sweden, Jan Rubini was an actor, concert violinist, and composer. He was known for Clancy Street Boys (1943), Bal Tabarin (1952) and Jan Rubini and Orchestra (1937). Hixon manipulated the background of this portrait with sweeping brushstrokes that fade into solid white along the left-hand...

Emil Chaquette was a violinist and leader of a 'society orchestra' in the early 1900s. Chaquette and well-known pianist Eddie Kuhn joined forces to create the seven-piece Kuhn-Chaquette Orchestra in 1918. Loren McMurray, a star saxophonist in the scene, joined them and their individual fame set the young group up for s...

Dorothy Jardon was an American opera singer and actress. She sang soprano in "The Wedding Trip" in 1912 and played the role of Bimoula in the musical comedy "Oh! Oh! Delphine!" in 1913. She is pictured in lavish pose and dress, looking upward while casting one hand with a dramatic flare near her face and the other to h...