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Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman opened at Broadway’s Morosco Theatre on February 10, 1949, and won that year’s Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Archival records preserve photographs of the original production and an opening-night Playbill, but they do not verify a gallery of opening-night social arrivals or a party.
What the surviving images show
The distinction matters: a photograph associated with the play is not necessarily an opening-night photograph. The located records document production history—stage scenes, a set, and a program—rather than a verified social gathering on February 10, 1949.
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- The Library of Congress catalog describes Thomas Chalmers, Gene Lockhart, and Howard Smith at the Morosco Theatre in a photograph dated November 10, 1949, nine months after the premiere. The record attributes it to Wide World and notes that it came from the collections of Encyclopedia Britannica. It is production documentation, not an opening-night social image.
- The New York Public Library Digital Collections lists a “Set for the 1949 stage production Death of a Salesman,” associated with its Billy Rose Theatre Division photograph file and designer Jo Mielziner. The photographer is unknown, and the catalog says NYPL could not conclusively determine the item’s copyright status.
- Playbill’s production vault lists an “Opening Night” Playbill dated February 1949. It is an opening-night program artifact, not a photograph of the event.
- TIME’s June 5, 2015 LIFE photo gallery presents production scenes credited to W. Eugene Smith and the LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images. Its captions identify moments involving Willy, his family, and the funeral; they do not establish that the scenes were photographed on opening night.
The original Broadway production
The Internet Broadway Database records the Morosco Theatre run from February 10, 1949, through November 18, 1950: 742 performances. Its production record credits Arthur Miller as writer, Elia Kazan as director, Jo Mielziner for scenery and lighting, Julia Sze for costumes, and Alex North for incidental music. Kermit Bloomgarden and Walter Fried produced the play.
Opening-night cast
IBDB’s opening-night cast included Lee J. Cobb as Willy Loman, Mildred Dunnock as Linda, Arthur Kennedy as Biff, Cameron Mitchell as Happy, and Thomas Chalmers as Uncle Ben. Other listed performers were Alan Hewitt, Howard Smith, Hope Cameron, Winifred Cushing, Ann Driscoll, Constance Ford, Don Keefer, and Tom Pedi.
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Those names refer to the opening-night cast, not every actor who appeared during the long run. IBDB records Gene Lockhart, Albert Dekker, and Thomas Mitchell as later Willy Loman performers, and Peggy Allenby as a later replacement for Dunnock as Linda.
Why the play is called Pulitzer-winning
The Pulitzer Prizes lists Death of a Salesman as the 1949 Drama winner. The award was for Miller’s play; it was not a separate prize awarded to each cast member, production photograph, or archival item. The Broadway production also received the 1949 Tony for Best Play and awards recorded by IBDB for Arthur Kennedy (featured actor), Jo Mielziner (scenic design), Kermit Bloomgarden and Walter Fried (dramatic producers), Arthur Miller (author), and Elia Kazan (director). The Pulitzer record gives the award and its official description.
How to assess a photo or program
- Check the date. Compare the image’s documented date with February 10, 1949, the Broadway opening.
- Identify the occasion. A stage scene, set photograph, or Playbill documents the production but does not establish a social event.
- Distinguish original cast from replacements. A performer photographed later in the run may not have been in the opening-night cast.
- Read the holding institution’s record. Captions and catalog notes can identify people, creators, and provenance, but gaps should not be filled by guesswork.
Image access and reuse
A catalog listing does not grant permission to republish an image. The Library of Congress record warns that publication may be restricted, and NYPL notes uncertain copyright status for its set image. Check the specific item’s record and confirm reproduction terms, required credit, and rights with the holding institution or rights holder before reuse.
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