Vintage 1940s Jack Cole Male Dancer Modernist Photograph Fine Art Deco Sensual

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 changing assortment of antique and vintage items from the Victorian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco; 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: An exceptional, fine art, Art Deco, photograph of a young Jack Cole in a dramatic and emotional soft focus view. Expertly executed by photographer Marcus Blechman, this romantic portrait comes from the personal collection of Jack Cole and presents and early and stylized view of the man who revolutionized jazz dance for the world of theatre and movies. Marcus Blechman was also an important modern dance figure and was critical in developing the image of Ruth St. Denis and modern dance more largely within media. This is an absolutely wonderful image that embodies everything we love about Art Deco photography. Just superb in every way! Measures 8" x 10" with margins on a glossy, double weight paper stock. Photographer's ink stamp on verso. CONDITION: This original gelatin silver photograph is in fine++ condition with only an insignificant amount of surface wear visible only when the image is held under raking light. A remarkable photograph! Please use the included images as a conditional guide. ******************** Jack Cole (April 27, 1911 – February 17, 1974) was an American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director known as the "father of theatrical jazz dance”. Cole was born John Ewing Richter in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Early on he was sent away to boarding school by his parents who divorced and discontinued contact with him. He decided to pursue dance with the Denishawn Dance Company led by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn who was particularly fond of Cole. He made his first professional appearance in August 1930, and although he had previously studied ballet, Cole was entranced by the Asian influences Denishawn utilized in its choreography and costuming. Cole also performed with another pair of pioneering modernists, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman, but eventually left the modern dance world for commercial dance career in nightclubs, performing with Alice Dudley, Anna Austin and Florence Lessing. No other American dance artist had a similar career trajectory, starting at the roots of modern dance, becoming a commercial dancer in nightclubs across the nation starting at The Embassy Club and headlining at the Rainbow Room by May 1938. He ended his career as a desired coach to Hollywood stars and a highly innovative choreographer for the camera. Cole was a performer in Broadway musicals, starting with The Dream of Sganarelle in 1933. His first Broadway credit as a choreographer was Something for the Boys in 1943. Cole is credited with choreographing and/or directing the stage musicals Alive and Kicking, Magdalena, Carnival in Flanders, Zenda, Foxy, Kismet, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Kean, Donnybrook!, Jamaica, and Man of La Mancha. He studied the Indian dance form Bharata Natyam and used other ethnic material in his dances. The Jack Cole Dancers performed in nightclubs in the late 1930s, including the Rainbow Room. His film work includes Moon Over Miami, Cover Girl, Tonight and Every Night, Gilda, Down To Earth, The Merry Widow, Meet Me After The Show, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, On the Riviera (1951 film with featured dancer Gwen Verdon), There's No Business Like Show Business, The I Don't Care Girl, The Thrill of Brazil, Kismet, Les Girls, Let's Make Love, Some Like it Hot, Three for the Show, Lydia Bailey, Eadie was a Lady, and many others. He was famous in Hollywood for his work with Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable, Jane Russell, Mitzi Gaynor, and Marilyn Monroe. Cole worked closely wit... 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.