Elanora Zint nee Peake was born December 20th 1907 in Alexandria, VA, where she attended St. Mary's Academy. In the 1920's, she was a ballerina with the Pemberton Dancers, led by Stafford Pemberton, dancing in venues around Washington D.C, such as the Earle (now Warner) theater. In 1928 she joined the Pantages Vaudeville Circuit, where she met her future husband, Raymond Zint, and they were married in 1930. With the onset of the depression, Elanora and her husband moved to Wapakoneta, OH, Raymond's hometown, where she owned and taught in a dance studio. In 1942, they moved to Alexandria, where they both served in the OSS and the CIA. Elanora Zint died April 20th, 1957 due to complications from an operation.
The collection consists of primarily of photographs, with some artwork, correspondence, and contracts included. The photos are primarily centered around the 1920's Washington D.C. vaudeville scene. Included are letters from Allen Dulles, former head of the CIA, one concerning Elanora's death and service, and another commending Raymond upon his retirement. Another letter concerns a friend of Elanora's, which describes her experience with the Mange Bros. Circus in Venezuela. There are also a small number of photos and negatives of the couple's travels in the 1940's and 50's to Niagara Falls, and Great Falls, VA.
The collections has been divided into two series: Series I: Photographs and Negatives, 1920-1957 Series II: Correspondence and Ephemera
[Item identification], Elanora Peake Zint Collection, MS345, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia.
Gift of Fred Zint, 2006
This folder contains several photographs of actors, dancers, and entertainers from the 1920s. Included are Josie Carole, Paul Douglas, Walter Hebb, and Jack Spangler.
Originall folder said "3 Graces."
This folder contains 2 photocopied letters written by Allen W. Dulles as director of the CIA. One letter is to Raymond Zint, and is a condollence on the death of Elanora, noting her service to the CIA. The other is to congratulate Raymond Zint on his retirement from the CIA. Also in this folder are photocopies of Elanora's obituary.
Folder contains a letter to Elanora Peake Zint from someone named Victoria about travelling with the Mange Bros Circus to Venezuela. The letter was sent from Caracas.
This folder contains 3 items: a poem written on a negative sleeve, a receipt from a photo studio, and a business card for Perry Oakes, an artist representative from New York.
This folder contains a Christmas Card from Edsel and Ardath Rohm and features a photograph of their children Keith and Karen.
This folder contains several newspaper clippings about various people and dancers. Some of the names found in this folder:
Florence Ambler, Dolores Carey, Lucille Luitich, MOrse Allen, Virginia Catlett, Gertrude Smith, Cleitte Bradley, Sarah Loftin, Evelyn Wellman, Margaret Suggs, Mrs. John Foreman, Jean Stewart, and Elizabeth Yeoder.