Eleven Large Vintage Publicity Photographs of Edna Wallace Hopper (eight by Alfred Cheney Johnston). 1923-1927

Unbound. Near Fine. Eleven large publicity photographs of Edna Wallace Hopper (one is a duplicate). Sepia-toned gelatin silver images. Each is approximately 11" x 14". Each is signed by the photographer in the negative (eight by Johnston - including the duplicated image; two by Strano, and one by Strauss Peyton). Most are dated between 1926 and 1927. Each bears Hopper's signature in facsimile in the negative. Small tear in one margin, near fine or better. Edna Wallace Hopper was a fascinating figure; an actress on the stage and in silent films, she married DeWolf Hopper, an actor whose renditions almost single-handedly popularized the baseball poem *Casey at the Bat*. After they divorced, Edna had a facelift, which she allowed to be filmed, and spent the better part of a decade touring with the film, revealing her health and fitness secrets. These photographs, from that period (one with a printed sleeve in the upper left corner promoting her show) reveal the lovely 50-something Hopper in fine form. In a couple of images she appears to be doing exercises. Johnston was known primarily for his portraits of female New York theatrical figures, particularly of the Ziegfeld Follies Girls (and most particularly for his fine artistic nudes). He used a camera that produced an 11" x 14" negative, meaning that he could print large images directly from the negatives with exceedingly fine detail. A nice collection of images of Hopper, a women who was a pioneer in embracing physical fitness and the fine art of aging gracefully.