Cécile De Banke, 1913-1988
Scope and Contents
This series contains programs for the Wellesley Verse Speaking Choir, drafts of published and unpublished works, materials regarding Cécile De Banke's estate, copies of plays De Banke produced, and correspondence dating from 1913 to 1988.
Dates
- Creation: 1913-1988
Creator
- From the Collection: Blair, Eleanor, 1894-1992 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research, but contains some material which has been restricted as per the Wellesley College Archives Access Policy: https://www.wellesley.edu/lts/policies/archivesaccess. To make an appointment to view unrestricted materials, please contact the Archives staff by email at archives@wellesley.edu or by phone at (781) 283-3745.
Biographical Note
Cécile De Banke was born on August 12, 1889 in London, England. She traveled extensively throughout her life, moving to South Africa in 1915, where she founded schools of elocutionary and dramatic arts. De Banke came to the U.S. in 1930 and became a member of the Wellesley College faculty as an Associate Professor of Speech from 1932 until her retirement in 1955. She founded Wellesley’s Verse Speaking Choir (VSC) and is the author of “The Art of Choral Speaking” published in 1937. De Banke also published witten work in the field of speech differences.
She authored a three-volume autobiography, Hand over Hand, in 1957 covering her years in England, Bright Weft in 1958 covering her time in South Africa, and American Plaid in 1961 covering her time in the United States. Cécile De Banke was a member of the English Verse Speaking Association, the American Association of Teachers of Speech, the Ontario Association of Teachers of Speech, the American Association of University Professors, and the English Speaking Union. De Banke died on January 2, 1965 at her home in Wellesley, Massachusetts, where she lived for many years with Eleanor Blair.
Extent
From the Collection: 18.5 Linear Feet (In 6 record cartons, 5 oversized boxes, 5 letter-sized Hollinger boxes, 2 card boxes, 1 half-document box, 1 letter-sized half-Hollinger box, 1 legal-sized half-Hollinger box)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Repository Details
Part of the Wellesley College Archives Repository