Abstract
The Karl Carsony Papers (1918-2011) are comprised of photographs, newspaper clippings, ephemera, and artifacts representing Karl (Schrom) Carsony's acrobatic career and personal life. The bulk of the materials in this collection date from approximately the early 1950s through the late 1970s. The materials also include vacation photographs of Karl (Schrom) Carsony and his wife, Margot Meyers. The materials also include promotional photographs, posters, and fliers for the Carsony Brothers, which was an acrobatic show consisting of Karl Carsony and his twin brothers, Joe and Bert Schrom.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
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Scope and Contents Note
The Karl Carsony Papers (1918-2011) are comprised of photographs, correspondence, ephemera, and artifacts representing Karl (Schrom) Carsony's career as an acrobat as well as his personal life. Personal records include photographs and ephemera from his life in Nazi-occupied Austria, as well as his internment at Camp Carson, a prisoner of war camp in Colorado Springs. The majority of this collection includes photograph albums and scrapbooks of Carsony's travels around the world with his wife, Margot Meyers. The bulk of the materials in this collection date from approximately the 1950s through the late 1970s.
Access Note
Collection is open for research, with the exception of materials that are restricted to protect
personally identifiable information. Restrictions are noted at the file level of this inventory, and will be open for research use January 1, 2070.
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 chronologically by subject.
Biographical / Historical Note
Karl Carsony was an Austrian-born acrobat and balancing artist who performed primarily in the United States and Europe from the 1940s-1970s. He was well known for performing a handstand on a cane while balancing atop the Sahara Hotel and Casino sign in Las Vegas, Nevada--a publicity stunt for the hotel's opening in 1952.
Karl Schrom was born in Vienna, Austria in 1924, he adopted the name Carsony from the name of the American prisoner-of-war camp (Camp Carson) where he was imprisoned in Colorado Springs, Colorado during World War II. His post-war return to Europe was characterized by Carsony performing his balancing acts with his identical twin brothers Joe and Bert--together they were known as the Carsony Brothers. The trio performed throughout Europe, Australia, and Asia including runs at the Lido de Paris in France and the Palladium in London, England.
In the United States, the Carsony Brothers performed at New York City nightclubs, as well as showrooms in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they appeared in the Folies Bergere at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino, the Casino de Paris and Vive Les Girls at the Dunes Hotel and Casino, and other entertainment industry venues. After the death of his brothers in 1964, Karl Carsony performed solo or was assisted by his wife Margot Meyers, a former ballet dancer and showgirl. Meyers danced in the Casino de Paris, La Nouvelle Eve, and also performed with Bill Hayley and the Comets during the 1950s. Carsony and Meyers retired in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1980s.
Carsony died in 2012.
Preferred Citation
Karl Carsony Papers, 1918-2011. MS-00807. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 2016 by David Wright, the trustee for the Karl Schrom Living Trust; accession number 2016-028.
Processing Note
Materials were inventoried by Tammi Kim in 2016. In 2018, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Lee Hanover rehoused and arranged the materials, and brought the finding aid up to professional standards.