1905 Sherman Brown Manager Davidson Theatre Milwaukee Signed Performance Letter

From the end of the 1800s through the early 1900s, most theatre and opera house managers in the United States and Canada had to book their entertainment through Syndicates which controlled the touring schedules of most traveling shows and entertainers. One of the most prominent Syndicates was run by Marc Klaw and Abraham Lincoln Erlanger in New York City. This lot is a letter sent in 1905 to Klaw and Erlanger from Sherman Brown, manager of the Davidson Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the letter, Brown asks about the availability of shows for the next month. Printed on the back of the letter is a list of all the theatres in the management chain which included Davidson.

Sherman Brown was a notable figure in Milwaukee’s theatrical scene, serving as the inaugural manager of the Davidson Theatre when it opened in 1890. At just 22 years old, Brown, originally from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was appointed to oversee the theater’s operations.

The typed letter is on Davidson Theatre letterhead and is approximately 11″ tall by 8.5″ wide. It is hand-signed by Sherman Brown.