1920s Gothic Hollywood Film Photographer Portrait Photos PR (Signed)

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1920s Gothic Hollywood Film Photographer Portrait Photos PR (Signed):
$3500.00

Exquisite silver gelatin portraits.

Photographer James Abbe (1883-1973) heavily influenced the creation of celebrity culture in America, especially the concept of movie stars.

His work was at once intensely personal and otherworldly, for the first time widely published in magazines like Vogue, Vanity Fair & Harpers Bazaar daily made these stars accessible in American homes.

He was a technical master as famous for photographing Joseph Stalin as Charlie Chaplin, but his work in the celebrity arena is best remembered and set the stage for photographers like Irving Penn, Richard Avedon & Anne Leibovitz to follow.

We have early portraits here, used for press in 1931 but likely taken closer to the early 1920s. Haunting, villainous character studies w/ piercing eyes and unsettling details like tattered clothing (appears to make a cape at the sleeves), rope bound wrists & ankles, and in one image holding a cocked pistol.

Identified The Bat / 1931 reverse, most likely refers to The Bat Whispers released in 1931 the remake of the Roland Wests 1926 The Bat.

These appear closer to the late teens or early 20s and bring to mind Abee’s portraits done with Chaplin in 1920 & 1922. I can find no comparison amongst available cast member sheets for either film or the earlier New York stage production.

Profile w/ gun measures 7.5 x 9.5” w/ clipped edges and stylized pencil signature by Abbe bottom right.

Straight on image is a great deal more menacing. Measures 7.5 x 9” w/ corner chips, heavy gelatin at edges & development wipes along top edge. Signed boldly in red crayon by Abbe, another indicator that these predate 1933.

Final note - the sitter bears a strong resemblance to Roland West himself, who could have been acting (before directing) by this time. It must be entertained that the images were introduced into the discussion in 1931 because they refer to West’s characters predating the films.

Important and likely unique images in any case.