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Kenneth MacMillan's interest in costume jewellery began in the mid-1980s when he was in New York, working at American Ballet Theatre. His first purchase was a brooch by Miriam Haskell and he went on to concentrate on American makers including Haskell, Eisenberg, Pennino, Hobe and Kenneth Jay Lane. He became a serious and knowledgeable collector amassing over 1000 pieces and in 1992 was asked to loan items to the Victoria and Albert Museum for their exhibition on Jewels of Fantasy. Following MacMillan's death in 1992, Deborah MacMillan was asked to loan items for the exhibition when it toured to the Fashion Institute in New York under the auspices of Swarovski.

Jeffrey Solomons first met Kenneth MacMillan in 1949/50. They had shared interests in music and film as well as visual arts. Solomons later became an art dealer. The material in this file comprises four cartoons by Solomons

1. Kenneth MacMillan at the Diaghilev exhibition mounted by Richard Buckle in Edinburgh in 1954
2. a concert by John Cage and David Tudor on prepared pianos
3. a ballet dancer and good luck message
4. a ventriloquist's dummy sitting on ventriloquist's knee, a good luck card

Photocopy of a letter from Peter Brownlee, General Manager of The Royal Ballet to Mr Tadatsugu Sasaki, Japan Art Staff Co. Ltd, on behalf of Kenneth MacMillan explaining why he is unable to create a ballet of Madame Butterfly in 1981

The material in these files was created or collected by Jann Parry during research for her biography of Kenneth MacMillan, Different Drummer, commissioned by Deborah MacMillan, It includes her notes of conversations and taken from printed sources as well as several typed draft versions of the biography. There are transcripts of radio broadcasts and interviews by others

Letter from Hillel Markman, Director of The Israel Ballet, requesting permission for Per Artur Segerstrom to perform the balcony pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet, 7 Aug 1977. Carbon copy of Iris Law's typed reply on behalf of Kenneth MacMillan, granting permission, acknowledging that Annette Paul will dance Juliet, and confirming royalty fee, 20 Sep 1977

Kenneth MacMillan created this three-act ballet for The Royal Ballet as part of the celebrations to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Company. Isadora premiered at the Royal Opera House on 30 Apr 1981. Gillian Freeman prepared the scenario and draft script, Mary Miller selected passages of Isadora Duncan's words from her own writings, with further excerpts taken from publications on Isadora Duncan.

Fax from Julia Matheson to Kenneth and Deborah MacMillan giving details of Irek Mukhamedov and Company tour in April 1992 with list of venues, dancers and the programme which includes the Summer pas de deux from The Four Seasons, 31 Mar 1992

Letter from Ali Pourfarrokh, Director of the Iranian National Ballet, asking about the possibility of the Iranian National Ballet performing Concerto, and reply from Iris Law giving Kenneth MacMillan's positive response, 21 Sep and 26 Oct 1977

This file contains invitations to performances, private views and receptions. It includes invitations to the world premiere of Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre in the Haymarket, London, England, to exhibitions of theatre designs by Nicholas Georgiadis and Yolanda Sonnabend, and art exhibitions of work by Deborah MacMillan and Maggi Hambling. There are invitations to receptions including the Annual Dinner of the Royal Academy of Arts, at the Edinburgh Festival, at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, at Mansion House in the City of London, the opening of the National Theatre, an evening at the National Gallery Sainsbury Wing, and for the wedding of HRH the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981