1931 Large Rare Noel Francis Vintage Elmer Fryer Photograph Flapper Terrier Dogs

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

Thanks to all our eBay bidders! We are honored to be your one-stop, 5-star source for vintage pin up, pulp magazines, original illustration art, decorative collectibles and ephemera with a wide and always changed assortment of antique and vintage items from the Victorian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Mid-Century Modern eras. All items are 100% guaranteed to be original, vintage, and as described. Please feel free to contact us with any and all questions about the items and our policies and please take a moment to peruse our other great eBay listings. All sell no reserve!ITEM: A beguiling, vintage & original 1931 large format portrait by Warner Bros. and First National photographer Elmer Fryer of tough talking pre-code starlet Noel Francis. A glamorous art deco image, Francis exudes a jaunty sophisticated charm in cloche hat and riding gear, with two fox terrier dogs on a leash, and classic golden age of Hollywood beauty.Paper caption press snipe reads: "The wistful beauty of Noel Francis, ex-Follies girl, counted for her when singing pictures went out. She is one of the most promising of talking picture actresses. She has played featured roles in "Smart Money" and "Larceny Lane" Warner Bros. productions." Larceny Lane was retitled Blonde Crazy before release, and this is an interesting premature obituary for musicals!Measures 11" x 14" with margins on a glossy, single weight paper stock.Photographer's ink stamp on verso.CONDITION: Fine condition general handling/storage wear. Please use the included images as a conditional guide.********************One of the better exponents of that pre-code specialty, the tough (and tough-talking) blonde, Texas-born Noel Francis had been in the 1926 edition of the Ziegfeld Follies and appeared opposite the comedy team of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey in Rio Rita (1927) when signed by Fox in Hollywood. The year was 1929 and Francis was ushered into one of the year's biggest productions, Movietone Follies of 1930. Due to increasing public apathy to all things musical it tanked, however, and the studio dropped her option. Luckily, Francis rebounded over at Warner Bros., a company much more in tune with her special style of earthy glamour, and though she was never the lead female, she excelled in such delightful pre-code bon mots as Smart Money (1931), in which she is a faithless blonde helping Edward G. Robinson lose his bankroll, and Blonde Crazy (1931), where her target is the irrepressible James Cagney. In I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932), she runs into the studio's third tough-guy star, Paul Muni, who, like his predecessors, comes out of the encounter somewhat worse for wear. That, however, was it for Francis, who spent the remainder of her screen career in low-budget -- and sometimes even "no-budget" -- potboilers and bit roles. She returned to Broadway for something called Satellite in 1935, but it collapsed after only one performance. Old friend Buck Jones came to her rescue and Francis made her final three films with him, including Stone of Silver Creek (1935), in which she used her Broadway musical expertise to play a glamorous saloon chanteuse.-- AllMovie Biography By: Hans J. Wollstein********************Elmer Fryer is another Hollywood great who cannot be missed when mentioning the glamour photography of yesteryear.Fryer was born January 21, 1898 in Springfield, Missouri. He began working as a photographer in 1924. When Warner Brothers and First National Studios joined operations in 1929, Fryer replaced Fred Archer as head of the new Warner-First National Stills Department. During the 1930s he took portraits of Dolores Del Rio, Kay Francis, Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis, James Cagney, Errol Flynn, George Brent among other Warner Brothers stars. Fryer left Warner Brothers in 1941, shortly before his death at age 46 on March 3, 1944.Fryer is known for his detailed and complex eye for posing his subjects. He had a wonderful sense of modernist style and fashion. He made use of the art deco period's elegant shading and ... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.