?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 300 - $ 500
JULIAN ELTINGE (1881-1941)
Two Large Press Photos of the Female Impersonator in Drag. The first promoting The Crinoline Girl , a musical comedy written for Eltinge in 1914, posing with the character Dorothy Ainsley, as portrayed by Helen Luttrell, the two clasping hands, shown full-length, in long gowns, with fancy shoes, make-up and up-dos; with a stamp identifying the actor and show on verso, along with a Brown Brothers photo credit stamp and pencil annotations, 168x279mm, 6 5/8x11 in.; the second a large cabinet card produced by White of New York, the image marked up for press publication with crop marks and reinforcement of dark lines added by hand; the photo depicting Eltinge in a wedding dress gazing out a window in full length, likely promoting The Fascinating Widow in 1915; with pencil annotations relating to publication on verso; 7 1/4 x 5 in. image on a 6 3/4 x 11 in. mount. (2)
In The Crinoline Girl, Eltinge first appears onstage in men's garb as the character Tom Hale, trying to woo young Dorothy Ainsley. When Dorothy's father refuses to agree to the match because Tom is not rich, Tom comes up with an elaborate and farcical plan of his own. He will try to collect a reward for a stolen diamond offered by his would-be father-in-law. The titular character is a member of the gang responsible for the theft. Tom's plan? Kidnap the Crinoline girl and impersonate her, fooling the gang, catching the bad guys, winning the reward, and in turn, the hand of his beloved.
