Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.). Department of Theatre Arts.

The Dance Archives, founded by Lincoln Kirstein, was established as a branch of the Museum's Library in October 1939 to provide a specialized research collection for the study of contemporary dance. The original collection of books, prints, photographs, slides, films and other dance/theatre related items were donated to the Museum from the extensive collections of Lincoln Kirstein, Gordon Craig, and Fred King.

In 1944-45 the Dance Archives was regarded as a separate curatorial department, the Department of Dance and Theatre Design. The department was responsible for updating and expanding the study collection, and for curating exhibitions held at the Museum and those organized by the Department of Circulating Exhibitions. The Department of Dance and Theatre Design was later referred to as the Department of Theatre Arts.