Document Taken from Peru a Century Ago Returned by the Rosenbach Library

Some time a century or more ago, a document made its way from Peru to the United States. It had once been included in a volume with other documents currently held in the Peruvian archives. Exactly when or under what circumstances it was separated from the remainder of the volume is unknown, but it eventually found it way to the Rosenbach Library in Philadelphia.

The document is historically significant as it was a contract that formed the first theatrical company in the Americas. It was formed in Lima, Peru, and is dated June 28, 1599. That explains why the first theatrical company was not founded in what is today's United States. It would be another two decades before the Pilgrims landed.

It is a six-page document that was purchased by the legendary Philadelphia bookseller Dr. A. S. W. Rosenbach in the 1920s. He purchased it from South American scholar Bertram Lee. According to Wikipedia, Dr. Rosenbach handled eight Gutenberg Bibles and 30 Shakespeare First Folios over the course of his career. That's good company. Still, this document must have been extra special to Rosenbach as in 1938 he published an article about it, The First Theatrical Company in America. Rosenbach wrote, “we see an advanced stage of European civilization existed in Peru during the Golden Age of both the Spanish and English drama, before there was a single permanent English colony in North America.”

Dr. Rosenbach died in 1952. At his death, he left his estate to the Rosenbach Foundation, which established the Rosenbach Museum and Library. The contract has been in their possession since 1954.

In 2017, the Republic of Peru asked the U.S. State Department to look into the possibility of returning the document to Peru and the Peruvian National Archives. This began a slow-moving process that ended with the return of the document on March 14 last. The Rosenbach Library was in full agreement to return it to Peru where it is considered a national treasure.

United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero and FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs announced the repatriation, and a ceremony was held at the State Department by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Foreign Affairs Minister Javier González-Olaechea accepted the contract on behalf of Peru. The presence of the Secretary of State is a sign that this was considered an important act diplomatically. “Thanks to very good work between our governments, we were able to return these documents to make sure that the extraordinary cultural heritage of Peru is further reinforced,” said Secretary Blinken.