Overview
Jerry Bywaters Special Collections, Hamon Arts Library, Southern Methodist University
Signaigo, G.J. (George Joseph)
G. J. Signaigo collection of theater materials
1894-1950
8 boxes (4.5 linear feet)
George Joseph Signaigo was a prominent Dallas businessman who co-owned the Brannon-Signaigo Cigar Company of Texas. The majority of the material in this collection consists of theater programs that were collected over the course of Signaigo's life. The collection includes correspondence, ephemera, manuscripts, publicity and published works relating to the theater. Most of the material originates from Dallas, Texas, but there is also material from New York City and other states and cities.
Material is in English
Biographical Note
George Joseph Signaigo was born in Grenada, Mississippi in 1874. Following the death of his parents in 1879, he moved to Marshall, Texas with his uncle. After graduating from St. Edward’s College in Austin, his uncle put him in charge of the operation of the Ginocchio Hotel in Fort Worth and the Ginocchio Hotel in Marshall. Signaigo married Elizabeth Cook of Marshall in 1898 and had three daughters, Ethel (Mrs. Myron Everts), Alice (Mrs. J. Percival Rice) and Eula (Mrs. D.C. McBride, later Mrs. Frank A. Selecman).
Signaigo took over the hotels after his uncle’s death, and expanded his holdings to include hotels in Mineola, Texas, Boyce, Louisiana and Addis, Louisiana. All located near Texas and Pacific Railway terminals, the Ginocchio Hotels did most of their business selling meals to train passengers. However, news of the advent of dining cars prompted Signaigo to sell the hotels rather than face this potential threat to their primary source of revenue.
In 1912, he moved to Dallas and established the Brannon-Signaigo Cigar Company of Texas with his childhood friend, Harper Brannon. He continued to be involved in the cigar company until his death in 1952. Throughout his life, Signaigo enjoyed traveling the world with his family and attending the theater.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Signaigo Collection primarily consists of theater programs from Texas and New York. The programs have a wide range of dates, but most can be dated from 1910-1930. The programs are from many different locations and reflect both Signaigo’s love of travel and the places where he lived and conducted business over the years.
The collection also includes a small amount of correspondence, publicity, published works, and manuscripts. The correspondence identifies G. J. Signaigo as the co-owner of the Brannon-Signaigo Cigar Company of Texas and consists of several letters advertising local theater productions. The publicity contains advertisements for opera and theater performances in New York City and also includes advertisements without an identified location. The published works include theater review periodicals. The manuscripts list actors and actresses of the theater and identify what productions they have performed in and also includes a scrapbook of poetry from Grenada, Mississippi.
Arrangement of the Collection
The collection is organized into 6 series:
- Series 1: Programs
- Series 2: Published Works
- Series 3: Publicity
- Series 4: Correspondence
- Series 5: Ephemera
- Series 6: Manuscripts
Related Materials
This is one of the collections in the McCord/Renshaw collection on the performing arts.
Access to Collection:
Collection is open for research use. Appointment with curatorial staff at Hamon Library is required.
Publication Rights:
Permission to publish materials must be obtained from the staff of Jerry Bywaters Special Collections.
Copyright Statement:
It is the responsibility of the user to obtain copyright authorization.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following terms in the Southern Methodist University Libraries' online catalog. Researchers desiring related materials may search the catalog using these terms.
Theater -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
Theater programs -- United States -- Specimens.
Texas -- Intellectual life -- 20th century.
Programs -- 20th century.
Mary McCord/Edyth Renshaw collection on the performing arts.
Preferred Citation
G. J. Signaigo collection of theater materials, McCord/Renshaw collection on the performing arts, Jerry Bywaters Special Collections, Hamon Arts Library, Southern Methodist University.
Custodial History
The Signaigo Collection was acquired as a component of the McCord/Renshaw Collection on the Performing Arts. It was donated to the McCord Museum of the Theatre in 1955 by George J. Signaigo’s daughters, Mrs. J. Percival Rice, Mrs. D. C. McBride, and Mrs. Myron Everts.
Acquisition Information
Gift, Mrs. J. Percival Rice, Mrs. D. C. McBride, and Mrs. Myron Everts, 1955.
Processing Information
The Signaigo Collection was received in no discernable order. During its processing, the collection was divided into separate files for clippings, correspondence, documents, ephemera, programs, publicity, and published works. Folded documents were flattened, and the papers were arranged alphabetically by subject and medium, placed in acid-free folders and stored in acid free boxes.
Processed by
Emily George, 2007.
Finding Aid written by
Emily George, 2008.
Edited by Sam Ratcliffe.
Encoded by
Lara Corazalla, 2008.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series 1:
Programs
The dates of the programs range from 1895-1950. The folders are primarily organized by locations, with exceptions for programs without a clear location identified.
The Arkansas, California, Colorado and Chicago, Illinois programs include local opera, vaudeville and theater productions. Programs of particular note include many programs from 1899-1926 in New Orleans, including many from Tulane University. Since 2005, the existence of these programs may have taken on added significance in light of the effects of Hurricane Katrina on archival repositories in the New Orleans area.
11Arkansas [n.d., 1 item]
12California [1920-1933, 7 items]
13Colorado [1926-1968, 7 items]
14Illinois-Chicago (A-G) [1896-1944, 17 items]
15Illinois-Chicago (H-O) [1901-1926, 10 items]
16Illinois-Chicago (P-Z) [1906-1946, 11 items]
17Louisiana [circa 1907, 4 items]
18Louisiana-New Orleans-Crescent Theatre [1899-1911, 9 items]
19Louisiana-New Orleans-Dauphine Theatre [1908-1911, 14 items]
110Louisiana-New Orleans-General [1906-1926, 9 items]
111Louisiana-New Orleans-Grand Opera House [circa 1906, 4 items]
112Louisiana-New Orleans-Greenwall Theatre [1907-1909,4 items]
113Louisiana-New Orleans-Orpheum [1904-1920, 16 items]
114Louisiana-New Orleans-Tulane Theatre (A-H) [1904-1911,12 items]
115Louisiana-New Orleans-Tulane Theatre (I-N) [1904-1911, 9 items]
116Louisiana-New Orleans-Tulane Theatre (O-Z) [1903-1912, 8 items]
The Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire and New Jersey programs include local productions of opera, vaudeville and theater. The New York programs document Broadway, vaudeville and other theater productions from the early 1900s from specific venues.
21Maine [1934, 2 items]
22Massachusetts [1917, 1 item]
23Michigan [1943, 1 item]
24Missouri [1896-1946, 9 items]
25New Hampshire [1938, 2 items]
26New Jersey [circa 1916, 3 items]
27New York [1901-1946, 6 items]
28New York-New York-Belasco Theatre [1919-1936, 5 items]
29New York-New York-Booth Theatre [n.d., 10 items]
210New York-New York-The Broadhurst Theatre [1920-1937, 5 items]
211New York-New York-Cort Theatre [1914-1938, 5 items]
212New York-New York-Empire Theatre [circa 1944, 5 items]
213New York-New York-Forty-Eighth Street Theatre [1917-1946, 6 items]
214New York-New York-Lyceum Theatre [1916-1942, 5 items]
215New York-New York-The Music Box [1921-1940, 6 items]
216New York-New York-The Playhouse [1917-1938, 6 items]
217New York-New York-Plymouth Theatre [1930-1938, 5 items]
218New York-New York-The Winter Garden [1912-1944, 7 items]
These New York programs are from many various venues and are organized alphabetically by venue. They include many different Broadway, vaudeville and theater productions.
31New York-New York (A-B) [13 items]
32New York-New York (C-E) [1909-1946, 19 items]
33New York-New York (F-G) [1909-1944, 18 items]
34New York-New York (H-J) [1896-1946, 13 items]
35New York-New York (K-L) [1909-1928, 10 items]
36New York-New York (M-N) [1901-1946, 19 items]
37New York-New York (O-R) [1916-1938, 11 items]
38New York-New York (S) [1907-1944, 10 items]
The Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Dakota programs are significant because they demonstrate the universal appeal of opera and theater in the United States, outside of major cities such as New York and Chicago. The Dallas, Texas programs are of particular note because the Capitol Theatre, Circle Theatre, Cycle Park Theatre and the original Dallas Opera House no longer exist.
41New York-New York (T-Z) [1909-1946, 7 items]
42Ohio [1896, 1 item]
43Pennsylvania [1896-1941, 7 items]
44South Dakota [n.d. 1 item]
45Texas-Dallas-Capitol Theatre [n.d. 13 items]
46Texas-Dallas-Circle Theatre (A-H) [1924-1926, 50 items]
47Texas-Dallas-Circle Theatre (I-Z) [1921-1926, 43 items]
48Texas-Dallas-Cycle Park Theatre [1912-1918, 26 items]
49Texas-Dallas-Dallas Opera House (A-E) [1903-1923, 16 items]
410Texas-Dallas-Dallas Opera House (F-L) [1895-1917, 23 items]
411Texas-Dallas-Dallas Opera House (M-R) [1900-1917, 20 items]
These Dallas, Texas programs include opera, vaudeville and theater productions.
51Texas-Dallas-Dallas Opera House (S-Z) [1908-1917, 24 items]
52Texas-Dallas-Empire Theatre [1909, 5 items]
53Texas-Dallas-Fair Park Casino-Starlight Operetta [1941-1943 37 items]
54Texas-Dallas-Fair Park Casino-Starlight Operetta [1944-1947 49 items]
55Texas-Dallas-Fair Park Casino-Starlight Operetta [1948-1950 20 items]
56Texas-Dallas-Fair Park Auditorium [1918-1950, 51 items]
57Texas-Dallas-The Garden Theatre [circa 1913-1914, 32 items]
58Texas-Dallas-General [1912-1946, 27 items]
59Texas-Dallas-Gulf Oil Theatre [circa 1949, 6 items]
510Texas-Dallas-Hippodrome Theatre [n.d. 24 items]
511Texas-Dallas-Jefferson Theatre [circa 1915, 17 items]
512Texas-Dallas-Lake Cliff Casino [1912-1914, 18 items]
These programs are from the Majestic Theatre in Dallas, Texas. They are of particular note because the Majestic Theatre is one of the few theaters in Dallas from this era that has been continually operated.
61Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1908, 1 item]
62Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1912, 3 items]
63Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1913, 19 items]
64Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1914, 11 items]
65Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1915, 10 items]
66Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1916, 19 items]
67Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1917, 15 items]
68Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1918, 19 items]
69Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1919, 21 items]
610Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1920, 25 items]
611Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1921, 19 items]
612Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1922, 8 items]
Programs of particular note include Greenwall’s Fort Worth Opera House and the Marshall, Texas programs.
71Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1923, 20 items]
72Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1924, 17 items]
73Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1925, 5 items]
74Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [1935, 2 items]
75Texas-Dallas-Majestic Theatre [n.d. 10 items]
76Texas-Dallas-Melba Theatre [1924-1940, 8 items]
77Texas-Dallas-Old Mill Theatre [1913-1914, 7 items]
78Texas-Dallas-The Palace Theatre [1923-1932, 21 items]
79Texas-Dallas-The Playhouse [1950, 7 items]
710Texas-Dallas-The Showhouse/Uptown Theatre [1931-1935, 58 items]
711Texas-Fort Worth [1924, 4 items]
712Texas-Fort Worth-Greenwall’s Fort Worth Opera House [1900, 8 items]
713Texas-Houston [1917, 1 item]
714Texas-Houston-Palace Theatre [1923-1926, 10 items]
715Texas-Marshall [1908, 2 items]
716Texas-Marshall-The Auditorium [circa 1909, 29 items]
717Texas-Marshall-The Grand [n.d. 13 items]
718Texas-Marshall-Marshall Opera House (A-O) [1899-1906, 99 items]
719Texas-Marshall-Marshall Opera House (P-Z) [1900-1905, 67 items]
Programs of particular note include the foreign programs which were probably collected by Signaigo while traveling with his family.
81Texas-San Antonio [1904, 3 items]
82Virginia [1914-1920, 2 items]
83Washington D.C. [1917-1934, 2 items]
84Denmark [1938, 1 item]
85England [n.d. 2 items]
86France [n.d. 6 items]
87Misc. [1896-1924, 9 items]
88Souvenir [n.d. 2 items]
Series 2:
Published Works
The 7 periodicals include publications documenting theater reviews.
89Published Works-Periodicals [7 items]
Series 3:
Publicity
The publicity items consist of advertisements for theater productions.
810Publicity-New York [22 items]
811Publicity [17 items]
Series 4:
Correspondence
The correspondence consists of three letters sent to G.J. Signaigo from 1894-1942 by local theater productions, a telegram from Cleburne describing a visit and a letter listing the members of a theater company in 1894. This latter letter relates to the manuscripts identifying actors and actresses and their productions, which apparently was a personal project of Signaigo.
812Correspondence [1894-1942, 4 items]
Series 5:
Ephemera
The twelve items of ephemera include handwritten notes, a diagram of the seating plan of the Auditorium in Fair Park in Dallas, a copy of "Texas" the Centennial Souvenir Poem, and cardboard. Ephemera of particular note include three handwritten lists labeled Orange Blossoms, Rosebuds, and Bob-balls.
813Ephemera
Series 6:
Manuscripts
Manuscripts of particular note include four binders containing lists of actors and actresses with the productions in which they performed and one scrapbook/notebook containing clippings of poems from newspapers inscribed "Alice Walters Signaigo, Grenada, October 4, 1868." The scrapbook also includes a note to George that the notebook was found in Memphis.
9Manuscripts