Field, Sarah Moore, 1885-1988

Biographical / Historical Note

Sarah Moore Field lived all of her long life in the gracious home at 266 Main Street in North Andover, Massachusetts. Purchased by her great-grandparents, Jeremiah Smith and Sarah Field in 1874 the Field household reflected a restrained, upper middle class taste. Sarah Moore Field became the family historian and carefully preserved the furnishings, photographs, financial records, letters, memorabilia, and personal property accumulated by three generations of her family in hope that one day the Field House would be opened to the public. Though her dream never came to fruition, selected items from her collection, such as these theatre programs, will continue to be accessible to the public.

Theater programs and playbills have evolved significantly over the course of the 19th and 20th century. Appearing first as a single sheet, usually consisting of the actors’ names and scenes in the play, by the early 1900s playbills had evolved into booklets which often included advertisements and actors’ biographies. Playbills briefly reverted back to the single sheet format during World War II. Starting in the early 1900s, souvenir program books were also printed to commemorate a specific play during its run, and were not tied to specific performances or theaters. These programs were larger than playbills and usually include photos of the actors, biographies, and a summary of the plot.

Found in 3 Collections and/or Records: