Mar 20 at 10:30 AM - Sale 2697 -

Sale 2697 - Lot 191

Estimate: $ 800 - $ 1,200
(ENTERTAINMENT--DANCE.) Note signed by the influential modern dancer Hemsley Winfield. Autograph Note Signed to unknown recipient, 3¾ x 4½ inches; horizontal fold, minimal wear. No place, 25 August 1929
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Additional Details

Osbourne Hemsley Winfield (1907-1934) of Yonkers, NY had an outsized influence on theatre and modern dance in his short life, as a performer and as founder of the New Negro Art Theater Dance Group. In February 1928, he directed a production of Oscar Wilde's "Salome," earning acclaim as "probably the youngest theatre director in the country." By June 1929, he had taken over the titular role of Salome, performing in drag. This note was written to an admirer or autograph seeker during this period. It reads in full: "I am sure through kind thoughts of many friends like you that success must be beyond all bounds for me. I am sincerely, O. Hemsley Winfield." He was felled by pneumonia before his 27th birthday. We trace no other Winfield autographs at auction.

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