Abstract
The Carmella Rickman Papers (1955-1999) document Rickman’s career as a burlesque dancer as well as her later life in Las Vegas, Nevada. She performed primarily in Washington, D.C. and along the east coast of the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. Materials include promotional photographs of Rickman and newspaper and magazine clippings about her performances, as well as photographs and promotional material for other burlesque dancers. The collection includes one beaded costume worn by Rickman. It also includes photographs of Rickman’s life in the 1990s in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Scope and Contents Note
The Carmella Rickman Papers (1955-1999) document Rickman’s career as a burlesque dancer as well as her later life in Las Vegas, Nevada. She performed primarily in Washington, D.C. and along the east coast of the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. Materials include promotional photographs of Rickman and newspaper and magazine clippings about her performances, as well as photographs and promotional material for other burlesque dancers. The collection includes one beaded costume worn by Rickman, as well as large cutout of Rickman used to promote her performance. The collection also includes photographs of Rickman’s life in the 1990s in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged by subject.
Biographical / Historical Note
Born December 10, 1929, Carmella Antoinette Rickman lived in the Washington, D.C. area for much of her professional career as a burlesque dancer. Her promotional material claimed she was discovered while working as a hostess at a restaurant. She used the stage name Carmella: The Sophia Loren of Berlesk. Under her agent, Sol Goodman, she performed in Washington D.C. and travelled extensively for engagements along the east coast. She also performed internationally in Panama and Canada. In addition to her dancing, Rickman was a seamstress and made her own costumes. She performed regularly from the mid- to late-1950s until approximately the late-1960s. Rickman had three children. She lived in Southern Nevada in her later life and passed away in Las Vegas on January 11, 2008.
Preferred Citation
Carmella Rickman Papers, 1955-1999. MS-00541. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were acquired from the estate of Carmella Rickman; accession number 2008-008.
Processing Note
In 2018, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Angela Moor rehoused and arranged the materials, entered the data into ArchivesSpace, and wrote the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards.