September 29th Rare Autograph & Document Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/29/2022
Vintage matte-finish 8" x 10" photo, signed in blue fountain pen "Sincerely Marion Davies." In fine condition.
Marion Davies (January 3, 1897 – September 22, 1961) was an American actress, producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist. While performing in the 1916 Follies, the nineteen-year-old Marion met the fifty-three-year-old newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hearst, and became his mistress. Hearst took over the management of Davies' career and promoted her as a film actress.
By the time of her death, her popular association with the character of Susan Alexander Kane in the film Citizen Kane (1941) already overshadowed Davies' legacy as a talented actress. The title character's second wife—an untalented singer whom he tries to promote—was widely assumed to be based upon Davies. However, many commentators, including writer-director Orson Welles, defended Davies' record as a gifted actress and comedienne to whom Hearst's patronage did more harm than good.
With One of a Kind Collectibles LOA
Marion Davies Signed Photo
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