• Visit
    • Museum Accessibility
    • Community Access
    • Group Visits and Tours
    • Programs
      • History Café
      • MOHAI Mercantile Literary Series
      • First Thursday
      • Denny Lecture
      • Al Young Educator of the Year
      • Everyday Heroes
    • MOHAI Mercantile
    • Gourmondo at MOHAI
  • Exhibits
  • Events
  • Collections and Research
    • Collections Search
    • Themed Collections
    • Research Library
    • Image Ordering
    • Donate an Artifact
    • Curator’s Fellowship
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Membership at MOHAI
    • Gift Memberships
    • Corporate Support
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • Self-Guided School Year Explorations
      • Creating Our Community
      • Cracking the History Code: Salish Stories
      • Cracking the History Code: Settling Around the Sound
      • Hands on History
      • Self-Guided Summer Field Trips
      • Homeschool Group
    • Portable Museum Program
    • Scholarships
    • Education FAQ
    • Primary Source Analysis
    • Online Curricula
    • Teen Programs
    • Idea Lab
    • Discovery Packs
    • Summer Camps
  • About
    • Annual Reports
    • The MOHAI Blog
    • Contact MOHAI
    • Opportunities
    • Leadership
    • Private Events
  • Donate
  • Tickets
  • Membership
HomeCollections and ResearchCollections Search

Collections Search

Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

Download lower resolution images directly from an item page. MOHAI offers high-resolution digital reproductions of photographs and other materials from our collections for personal and professional use.

We have many more items in our collections and not everything you see online is on view at the museum. We have additional materials online at the University of Washington’s Digital Collections.

MOHAI Statement on Harmful Content

Search by Collection

Not finding what you are looking for?
Ask the MOHAI Collections Staff

869 results for: Performing Arts and Music

Share:
Image of Portrait of Julia Rochester, Seattle, 1893
Photograph

Portrait of Julia Rochester, Seattle, 1893

Julia Gwynn Smith (1860-1931) was born in Missouri and came to Seattle in 1889 with her husband, George A. C. Rochester (1855-1929), a prominent lawyer, judge, and Librarian of the Seattle Public Library from 1907. An accomplished vocalist, Julia Rochester organized the Capitol Hill Unit of the Music and Art Foundation and represented the Ladies' Musical Club of Seattle at…
ID Number:1973.5625.2
Date:1893
Image of Liberty Theatre souvenir, Seattle, October 27, 1914
Ephemera

Liberty Theatre souvenir, Seattle, October 27, 1914

Seattle's Liberty Theatre opened at First Avenue and Pike Street in 1914, intending to be "a theatre which for perfection of appointment, convenience and luxuriousness has no equal this side of Chicago." The exterior of the building featured a forty-foot-high Statue of Liberty, illuminated by 1,200 lamps of eight different colors. When it was built, the movie theater's concave screen…
ID Number:1973.5659.1
Date:1914
Image of Greek Dance Group, Seattle, circa 1930
Photograph

Greek Dance Group, Seattle, circa 1930

The sleeve this photo names this as a Greek Dance Group from the Mary Ann Wells School. Mary Ann Wells founded the dance department at Seattle's Cornish School of the Arts (now Cornish College of the Arts) and taught there for seven years. Sometime around 1920, she started her own dance school, which operated until 1958. Robert Joffrey and many…
ID Number:1974.5923.17
Date:Circa 1930
Image of Dancers from production of
Photograph

Dancers from production of "Carmen," Seattle, circa 1930

This photo of unknown dancers from a production of Carmen was taken around 1930 and part of a collection of McBride and Anderson photographers.Born in 1863, Ella McBride began working in the photography field in 1909 when she managed the Edward Curtis Studio. She opened her own studio in 1917 with Wayne Albee. Albee moved to San Diego in 1925,…
ID Number:1974.5923.19
Date:Circa 1930
Image of Dancer Gloria Grafton, Seattle, circa 1930
Photograph

Dancer Gloria Grafton, Seattle, circa 1930

Gloria Grafton, who is described here as a dancer, also became known as a singer and movie actress. Her singing credits include "Two Cigarettes in the Dark" (1934), and her screen appearances include "Oh, What a Business!"(1934) and "Lost Angel" (1943). This photo of Grafton is part of a collection from McBride and Anderson photographers.Born in 1863, Ella McBride began…
ID Number:1974.5923.25.2
Date:Circa 1930
Image of Cast of the Junior League children's play
Photograph

Cast of the Junior League children's play "The Golden Ball," Seattle, May 1934

For more than a century, Junior League members have confronted society’s most pressing issues and tackled its toughest problems, leaving an unrivaled legacy of reform. Since its inception in 1923, members of the Junior League of Seattle (JLS) have worked to improve our community through mission-driven projects and hands-on work with many Community Partners.Some JLS projects included entertainment for children.…
ID Number:1974.5923.26.1
Date:1934
Image of Glenn Hughes, Seattle, circa 1930
Photograph

Glenn Hughes, Seattle, circa 1930

Glenn Hughes (1894-1964) arrived at the University of Washington as a teaching fellow in September 1919, later to became director of the University of Washington's drama program in 1930. He continued in that position until 1961. His innovative curriculum coupled with the University's state of the art facilities made the drama program one of most famous and profitable in the…
ID Number:1974.5923.27
Date:Circa 1930
Image of Dancers in 'Daughters of the Nile,' Seattle, 1931
Photograph

Dancers in 'Daughters of the Nile,' Seattle, 1931

This photo of the dancers in the Daughters of the Nile production is part of a collection from McBride and Anderson photographers. Born in 1863, Ella McBride began working in the photography field in 1909 when she managed the Edward Curtis Studio. She opened her own studio in 1917 with Wayne Albee. Albee moved to San Diego in 1925, and…
ID Number:1974.5923.238
Date:1931
Image of Woman's Century Club members in costume, Seattle, 1928
Photograph

Woman's Century Club members in costume, Seattle, 1928

A group of prominent Seattle women founded the Woman's Century Club in 1891. Club activities included the study of the arts and social issues, and members also lobbied for social justice. The club's 350 members campaigned to elect Seattle's first woman mayor, Bertha Landes, who was a former president of the organization.In this photo, club members appear to be role…
ID Number:1974.5923.240
Date:1928
Image of See Seattle: Official Song and Waltz of the A.Y.P. Exposition
Music, notated

See Seattle: Official Song and Waltz of the A.Y.P. Exposition

The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition was held on the University of Washington campus from June 1 to October 16, 1909. The fair celebrated the years of prosperity brought to the city since the first gold arrived from Alaska in 1897. “See Seattle” was promoted as "the official song and waltz of the A-Y-P Exposition," but many pieces were written to promote Seattle’s…
ID Number:1975.6130.1
Date:1909
Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 … 87 Next

Land Acknowledgement

MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
  • Plan a Visit
  • Directions and Parking
  • Accessibility
  • Group Tours
  • About

Sign up to Receive our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright 2026, Museum of History & Industry. All Rights Reserved