1923 Knute Olaf Rahmn Photograph Of Mary Pickford As Rosita, Signed

Hollywood, California, 1923; Antique 6 1/2" x 8 1/2" b&w silver gelatin photograph of Mary Pickford as "Rosita" in the 1923 silent film of the same name directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Long tired of being type-cast as a child, even in maturity, "Rosita" was Pickford’s personal project, designed as a breakout vehicle for her first appearance in an adult role. Multitalented Knute Olaf Rahmn (1876-1957) served in early Hollywood as actor, cinematographer, and photographer, with over forty films to his credit. It was while working at Kalem Studios in Glendale, California that he first collaborated with Mary Pickford, and subsequently became her preferred still photographer, shooting her publicity stills and documenting much of her career and personal life. A beautiful photograph of perhaps the most important film actress of all time, whose prodigious talent and business acumen were pivotal in the formation of the new order in Hollywood which created the star system and the concept of the first-run feature film. Stamp signed "Cordially, Mary Pickford" in purple ink. Fine condition, with a full rich tonal range. Clean, crisp, bright, no chips, tears, or fading. Some slight silvering at the outer margins. Signed in the negative by the photographer at lower right. An original period print, not a reproduction.