BRAM STOKER AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED, 1890 — INVITING GUEST TO THE BEEFSTEAK ROOM AT THE LYCEUM
Bram Stoker (1847–1912), business manager of the Lyceum Theatre and author of Dracula, writes a warm social note extending an invitation to see a play and dine afterward in one of Victorian London's most celebrated private dining rooms. Dated 15 October 1890, the letter reads in full: "My dear Mr Warren / Irving asks me to write to ask if you and Mrs Warren will come to the play on Wed. 29th inst. and take supper with him afterwards in the Beefsteak Room." Signed at the foot "Yours / Bram Stoker." A note in the upper left in another hand reads "Bram Stoker," with a dealer or collector notation "1/23/85 / 1 @ $80" below.
The Beefsteak Room at the Lyceum was the legendary after-theatre supper room presided over by Henry Irving, where the great actor entertained a dazzling roster of guests including royalty, politicians, artists, and writers across two decades. Stoker was Irving's indispensable lieutenant for nearly thirty years, and letters written in his capacity as Irving's social secretary are genuinely evocative documents of that glittering world. The reference to "Irving asks me to write" makes clear this invitation carries the full weight of the great actor-manager's personal hospitality. Written seven years before Dracula was published, the letter predates Stoker's fame as a novelist entirely.
Estimate: $1,500–$2,500
*ALS, one page, black ink on cream card; approximately 7 x 4.5 inches; dated 15.10.90; addressed to Mr. Warren; signed "Bram Stoker"; very good condition with light handling wear (IMG_284.jpg).*
This item will be accompanied by a Letter of Authenticity from One of a Kind Collectibles.