GERTRUDE LAWRENCE Ink Signed Glamour 1920's Photo

Pricing & History

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

Offering a vintage Glamorous AUTOGRAPHED Studio Portrait by the Paul Stone Raymor Studio of Chicago of the luminous British Star of stage and film : GERTRUDE LAWRENCE This early 1920's image captures the star in a typical glamorous stance when she captured audiences on both sides of the Atlantic most prominently co-starring with another British icon- Sir NOEL COWARD. CONDITION: Good ..This original black & white matte finish photo on double weight photographic paper measures a large 9 1/2 " x 12 1/2"...The borders and corners are in very good condition. There is an unfortuate crease in the top border that travels into the face of the star..but is conspicuous only when held at an angle in the light. (see scan)The reverse is blank. The photo is too large for my scanner and I have shown it in sections Wikipedia Notes : Gertrude Lawrence (4 July 1898 – 6 September 1952) was an English actress and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End and on Broadway . Lawrence was born Gertrud Alexandra Dagmar Klasen, of English and Danish extraction, in the Newington area of London Borough of Southwark . Her father was a basso profundo who performed under the name Arthur Lawrence. His heavy drinking led her mother Alice to leave him soon after Gertrud's birth. In 1904, her stepfather took the family to Bognor for the August bank holiday . While there, they attended a concert where audience members were invited to entertain. At her mother's urging, Gertrud sang a song and was rewarded with a gold sovereign for her effort. It was her first public performance. In 1908, in order to augment the family's meager income, Alice accepted a job in the chorus of the Christmas pantomime at the Brixton Theatre. A child who could sing and dance was needed to round out the troupe, and Alice volunteered her daughter. While working in the production Alice heard of Italia Conti , who taught dance, elocution, and the rudiments of acting. Gertrud auditioned for Conti, who thought the child was talented enough to warrant free lessons. Her training led to appearances in Max Reinhardt 's The Miracle in London and Fifinella , directed by Basil Dean , for the Liverpool Repertory Theatre . At some point during this period, the child decided to add an "e" to her first name and adopt her father's professional surname as her own. Dean then cast her in his next production, Gerhart Hauptmann 's Hannele , where she first met Noël Coward . Their meeting was the start of a close and sometimes tempestuous friendship and the most important professional relationship in both their lives. Following Hannele , Lawrence reconnected with her father, who was living with a chorus girl. They agreed to let her tour with them in two successive revues , after which Arthur announced he had signed a year-long contract with a variety show in South Africa , leaving the two young women to fend for themselves. Lawrence, now aged sixteen, opted to live at the Theatrical Girls' Club in Soho rather than return to her mother and stepfather. She worked steadily with various touring companies until 1916, when she was hired by famed impresario André Charlot to understudy Beatrice Lillie and appear in the chorus of his latest West End production. When it closed, she assumed Lillie's role on tour, then returned to London once again to understudy the star in another Charlot production, where she met dance director Francis Gordon-Howley. Although he was twenty years her senior, the two wed and soon after had a daughter Pamela, Lawrence's only child. The marriage was not a success, and Lawrence took Pamela with her to her mother's home in Clapham . The couple remained separated but did not divorce until ten years later. In 1918, Lawrence feigned illness and was given a fortnight to recuperate by Charlot, who saw her at an opening night party during her alleged recovery period and immediately fired her. When the reason for her dismissal became common knowledg... 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.