Morak Sisters vaudeville photo album

Access and use

Location of collection:
George Mason University
2400 Fenwick Library
Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library MS2FL
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Mieko Palazzo
Phone: (703) 993-2220
Fax: (703) 993-2669
Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions.

Terms of access:

Public Domain. There are no known restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Morak Sisters vaudeville photo album, C0405, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Summary

Extent:
.5 Linear Feet 1 item
Abstract:
A photo album of the Morak Sisters aerial and dance troupe, featuring their tour across Canada in 1918, created circa 1926.
Language:
French .
Preferred citation:

Morak Sisters vaudeville photo album, C0405, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

A photo album of the Morak Sisters aerial and dance troupe, featuring their tour across Canada in 1918, created circa 1926. The follow locations were visited: Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta; Brandon, Manitoba; and Weyburn and Regina, Saskatchewan. The album was presumably created by one of the sisters, based off of the more personal tone of the photos. The album features photos of the sisters and their entourage as they toured Canada. Subjects include: outdoor performances of their aerial show, the sisters in costume and every day dress, as well as many traveling group shots. The album also has some newsclippings about the sisters and their performances.

Biographical / historical:

The Morak Sisters (sometimes spelled Morok) were a Belgian vaudeville aerial and dance troupe that toured Canada and the United States in the late 1910s and 1920s, performing as early as 1918 and as late as 1927. The troupe was sometimes billed as the "Four Morak Sisters" or "Morak Sisters & Co." Three of the sisters were named Therese, Louise, and Anna, with one sister likely being named Sadie. The sisters were managed by Fernand Morak. By 1927, the act reduced to three sisters.

A January 1, 1921 edition of "The Billboard" described the Morak Sisters' act: ""[T]he Morok [sic] Sisters, a quartet of personally attractive girls, performed hazardous aerial feats while hanging by the teeth from aerial rotating swinging bars, interspersing their aerial swings with stage poses that were admirable."

Acquisition information:
Purchased by Lynn Eaton from Caroliniana books in July 2020.
Processing information:

Processing completed by Amanda Menjivar in August 2022. Finding aid completed by Amanda Menjivar in August 2022.

Arrangement:

This is a single item collection.

Physical location:
R 72, C 3, S 5
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:
Aerialists
Vaudeville