Description: Dated ca. 1935-1965, this photograph shows inmates at the Ohio Reformatory for Women giving a performance. In 1911, the Ohio General Assembly authorized the establishment of a separate women’s penal institution. On September 1, 1916, the Ohio Reformatory for Women opened in Marysville, Ohio, with a population of 34 inmates. When Marguerite Reilley was appointed superintendent of the Reformatory in 1935, she found dirty and unkempt inmates with excessively restricted living habits. She instituted the “human being” program which provided recreation, entertainment, jobs, and vocational training for the inmates. State Archived Series 1679 AV consists of 234 photographs which illustrate daily life in the Ohio Reformatory for Women, as well as photographs of the buildings and grounds, superintendents Marguerite Reilley and Martha Wheeler, and notorious inmate Velma West. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1679AV_B01_F02_003
Subjects: Photography--Ohio; Ohio Reformatory for Women; Prisons; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Theatre--Ohio; Entertainment; Costumes
Places: Marysville (Ohio); Union County (Ohio)
 

Description: Caption reads: "Huron and Euclid. Huron Road near Euclid Avenue - street scene. District #4, Cleveland. John Steinke, 1940." This photograph shows a section of Euclid Avenue, facing East towards the intersection of East Fourteenth (14th) Street and Playhouse Square. Signs and buildings visible in the photograph include: RKO Vaudville (atop Playhouse Square - taken down in 1945) , Chandler Rudd, Rice Business Furniture, Engel & Fetzer, Nanking, Hotel Morrison. The Palace Theatre opened November 1922 in the Keith Building, which at the time was the tallest in Cleveland. Designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Rapp and Rapp, the Palace was a regional flagship of the Keith-Albee chain of vaudeville theaters. The Keith Building has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B04F10_06_01
Subjects: Cleveland (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.; Cleveland Palace Theatre (Cleveland, Ohio); Rapp & Rapp; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Cleveland (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
 

Description: Original description reads: "Theater Project Group in street clothing June 20, 1936, on steps of Memorial Hall at Soldiers' Home, Dayton, Ohio. Director Garland [Geden?] on top row with straw hat." The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was a New Deal project to fund theatre and other live artistic performances in the United States during the Great Depression. It was one of five Federal One projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The FTP's primary goal was employment of out-of-work artists, writers, and directors, with the secondary aim of entertaining poor families and creating relevant art. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B12F12_009_001
Subjects: Federal Theatre Project (U.S.); Theater--Ohio--Dayton; Actors--Ohio--Dayton; Soldiers' homes--Ohio--Dayton
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: Original description reads: "W.P.A. Theater Project June 26, 1936, showing entire cast on stage. Scenery and properties designed, built and painted by employees of the Theater Project. Ladies Costumes designed and made by themselves." The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was a New Deal project to fund theatre and other live artistic performances in the United States during the Great Depression. It was one of five Federal One projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The FTP's primary goal was employment of out-of-work artists, writers, and directors, with the secondary aim of entertaining poor families and creating relevant art. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B12F12_019_001
Subjects: Federal Theatre Project (U.S.); Theater--Ohio; Actors--Ohio
 

Description: Photo of a young woman and her child watching the Showboat Majestic pass on the Ohio River, taken in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration. Majestic is the last active historic showboat on the Ohio River. Tom Reynolds and his family lived, played and performed on the Majestic" from 1923 until World War II. Beginning in 1943 local schools (Hiram College, Kent State University, and Indiana University) began leasing the vessel until the Safety at Sea Act of 1965 tightened restrictions on the use of wooden-hulled boats. The City of Cincinnati owns the showboat and has been keeping its tradition alive since 1967. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F09_003_001
Subjects: Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project--University--Drama Theater--Theatre--Works Progress Administration--Steamboat
Places: Ohio River