2026-3-23 Guide to the Janet Chandler Papers, 1915-1940s, 1970s-1988, bulk 1921-1935 SPEC.TRI.0127 Finding aid prepared by Audrey Wimbiscus Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2026 March This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2026-04-06T12:13-0400 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Janet Chandler Papers SPEC.TRI.0127 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 1.84 Cubic feet Bulk, 1921-1935 1915-1940s, 1970s-1988, bulk 1921-1935 Janet Chandler (1911-1994) was an American film actress, model, and child dancer. The Janet Chandler Papers date from 1915-1940s and 1970s-1988, with the bulk of materials dating from 1921-1935, and consist of five scrapbooks, loose photographs, newspaper clippings, school yearbooks, and dance programs from Chandler's early life. The scrapbooks consist primarily of newspaper clippings with photographs and articles about Chandler's modeling career, dance performances, and the beginnings of her movie career, while the dance programs are mostly from performances through the Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts. Materials dated 1970s to 1988 are incidental personal correspondence received by Chandler, as well as brochures about California real estate. (2) flat boxes; (2) oversize flat boxes; (1) 5" letter document box English Chandler, Janet Arrangement of Materials

The Janet Chandler Papers are arranged in chronological order. Items with the same date are further arranged in alphabetical order by title.

 Acquisitions Information

Accession No. TRI.2026.0002: Purchased, 2019 February

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Janet Chandler Papers, SPEC.TRI.0127, Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute, Ohio State University

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

Processed by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2026 March; Finding aid written by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2026 March

 Biographical Note

Janet Chandler (1911-1994) was an American film actress, model, and child dancer; her birth name was Lillian Elizabeth Guenther. After her family moved to Los Angeles, California in her childhood, she began dance training at the Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts, a school founded by dancers Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. As a teenager, Chandler attended The Orton School, and was a local model in Southern California fashion shows and newspaper articles. She was signed by Fox Film Corporation in 1932 and starred in several films by the studio in the early 1930s. None of her films were commercial successes, and she was dropped by the studio in 1933, though continued acting until 1935. Chandler retired from acting in 1935 after being injured on the set of the movie Rough Riding Ranger. That same year, Chandler married her first husband, George Edward Barrett, with whom she had three daughters before their divorce in 1947. During that marriage, Chandler worked on radio shows in New York. Following the divorce, Chandler moved back to California and earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1952. She was briefly married to playwright Joseph A. Kramm in 1956, and lived out the rest of her life in Los Angeles, California.

 Scope and Contents

The Janet Chandler Papers date from 1915-1940s and 1970s-1988, with the bulk of materials dating from 1921-1935. They consist of five scrapbooks, loose photographs, newspaper clippings, school yearbooks, and dance programs from Chandler's early life. The scrapbooks consist primarily of newspaper clippings with photographs and articles about Chandler's modeling career, dance performances, and the beginnings of her movie career. The dates of the scrapbooks overlap, with multiple covering the same years; they are arranged in chronological order by the earliest dated item in them. Pages and clippings in all of the scrapbooks are heavily chipping, and one scrapbook has been dissassembled for ease of access. The dance programs date from Chandler's childhood dance performances, many of which are from when she took childrens' classes at the Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts. Items from the 1970s-1988 are incidental personal correspondence received by Chandler, as well as brochures about California real estate.

 Chandler, Janet Black-and-white photographs Child dancers--California--Los Angeles--20th century Dance--Study and teaching--California--Los Angeles--20th century Hand-colored photographs Motion picture acting--California--Los Angeles--20th century Motion picture actors and actresses--California--Los Angeles--20th century Newspaper clippings Programs (documents) Scrapbooks Teenage models--California--Los Angeles--20th century Childhood photographs 1 1 1915-1925 Denishawn photographs 1 2 1917-1925 Dance performance programs 1 3 1921-1926 Scrapbook 3 1 1921-1934 Scrapbook 4 1 1922-1926 Scrapbook 5 1 1923-1924 Modeling clippings 1 4 1924-1928 The Orton Schools brochure 1 5 circa 1925 Modeling photographs 1 6 1925-1930 "The Ortonian" school yearbook 1 7 1927 "The Ortonian" school yearbook 1 8 1928 Portrait negatives 1 9 1928-1935 Scrapbook 6 1 1928-1935 The Orton School College Preperatory diploma 1 10 1928 May 31 Portrait photographs 1 11 1930s Movie career clippings 1 12 1932-1935 Correspondence received 1 13 1934, 1970s California real estate brochures 1 14 1940s, 1988