Description: A rare 1902 Edwardian album page with bold autographs of the great Canadian-American comedienne May Irwin and John Drew, uncle to the Barrymore family. With the inimitable Wilton Lackeye to the reverse. Dimensions seven and a quarter by four and three quarters inches. Light wear otherwise good. See May Irwin and John Drew's extraordinary biographies below. Combined shipping discounts for multiple purchases. Inquiries always welcome. Please visit my other eBay items for more early theatre, opera, film and historical autographs, photographs and programs and great actor and actress cabinet photos and CDV's. From Wikipedia:May Irwin (June 27, 1862 – October 22, 1938) was an actress, singer and star of vaudeville. Originally from Canada, she and her sister Flo Irwin found theater work after their father died. She was known for her performances as a coon shouter and recordings.Born at Whitby, Ontario in 1862 as Georgina May Campbell,[1][2][3] her father, Robert E. Campbell, died when she was 13 years old; her stage-minded mother, Sophoria Jane Draper, in need of money, encouraged May and her older sister Adeline Flora ("Flo" or "Addie") to perform. They created a singing act, billed as the "Irwin Sisters," that debuted at the Adelphi Theatre in nearby Buffalo, New York in December 1874. By late 1877, their careers had progressed and they were booked to appear at New York's Metropolitan Theater, then at the Tony Pastor Theatre, a popular New York City music hall.Miss May IrwinThe sisters proved popular enough to earn regular spots for the ensuing six years, after which 21-year-old May set out on her own. She joined Augustin Daly's stock company from 1883 to 1887, where she made her first appearance on the theatrical stage. This comedian was known for her improvisation skills. An immediate success, she went on to make her London stage debut at Toole's Theatre in August 1884. By the age of 25, she was earning $2,500 a week.[4] In 1886, her husband of eight years, Frederick W. Keller, died unexpectedly. Her sister Flora married New York State Senator Thomas F. Grady.By the early 1890s, Irwin had married a second time and developed her career into that of a leading vaudeville performer with an act known at the time as "Coon Shouting", in which she performed African American-influenced songs. In the 1895 Broadway show The Widow Jones, she introduced "The Bully Song", which became her signature number. The performance also featured a lingering kiss, which was seen by Thomas Edison, who hired Irwin and her co-star John C. Rice to repeat the scene on film. In 1896, Edison's Kinetoscope production, The Kiss, became the first screen kiss in cinematic history.[5]Her own pieces included " The Widow Jones", " The Swell Miss Fitzswell", "Courted into Court", "Kate Kip-Buyer", and "Sister Mary".[6]The cover of sheet music featuring one of Irwin's songs originally performed in the Broadway musical Courted into Court.In addition to her performing and singing, Irwin also wrote the lyrics to several songs, including "Hot Tamale Alley", with music written by George M. Cohan. In 1907 she married her manager, Kurt Eisfeldt, and began making records for Berliner/Victor. Several of these recordings survive and give a notion of the actress's appeal.Irwin's buxom figure was much in vogue at the time and, combined with her charming personality, made her one of America's most beloved performers for more than thirty years. In 1914, she made her second silent film appearance, this time in the feature-length adaptation of George V. Hobart's play, Mrs. Black is Back, produced by Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company and filmed for the most part at her own sprawling home in New York. Still pictures showing May survive from this movie.A highly paid performer, Irwin was a shrewd investor and became a very wealthy woman. She spent a great deal of time at a summer home on secluded Club Island, a small island off of Grindstone Island of the Thousand Islands, and at her winter home on Merritt Island, Florida, before retiring to a farm near Clayton, New York, where a street would eventually be named in her honor.Personal lifeMay Irwin was married twice. Her first marriage was to Frederick W. Keller, of St. Louis, from 1878 until his death in 1886. From 1907 to the end of her life, she was married to Kurt Eisfeldt. The couple lived at West 44th Street, New York.May Irwin had two sons by her first marriage, Walter Keller (born ca. 1879 - when she was 17) and Harry Keller (b. 1882 - when she was 20).[7]DeathMay Irwin died in New York City on October 22, 1938, aged 76. She is interred at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, NY. John Drew Jr. (November 13, 1853 – July 9, 1927), commonly known as John Drew during his life, was an American stage actor noted for his roles in Shakespearean comedy, society drama, and light comedies. He was the eldest son of John Drew Sr., who had given up a blossoming career in whaling for acting,[1] and Louisa Lane Drew, and the brother of Louisa Drew, Georgiana Drew, and Sidney Drew. As such, he was also the uncle of John, Ethel, and Lionel Barrymore, and also great-great-uncle to Drew Barrymore. He was considered to be the leading matinee idol of his day, but unlike most matinee idols Drew's acting ability was largely undisputed.John Drew Jr. was educated at a fine academy in Philadelphia, but the life of the theater would become his primary focus at a young age.[1] His first role as a boy was "Plumper" in Cool as a Cucumber at the family's Arch Street Theater.[2]Drew as PetruchioDrew had a long association with Charles Frohman and leading lady Maude Adams. In these years under Frohman, John Drew's stardom was established.[3] His first play with Frohman was The Masked Ball, a comedy adapted from a French play. This show was primarily a vehicle to establish Drew's stardom under Frohman, and it succeeded in that.[3]Drew was associated originally with the company of Augustin Daly in the 1880s, a man known for managing and training with grim efficiency.[3] Under Daly's management, John Drew developed his reputation for versatility, appearing in many varieties of play, but especially in contemporary works that are rarely performed or remembered today.[2] His frequent leading lady with Daly was Ada Rehan. His memoirs, titled My Years on the Stage, were published in 1922. His final Broadway play was The Circle co-starring fellow veteran star Mrs. Leslie Carter and proved to be a popular comeback for the two Victorian actors. The Circle was made into a silent film in 1925 by MGM directed by Frank Borzage.Highly esteemed by his fellow actors, John Drew was elected lifetime president of New York City's Players' Club. The appellation "Jr.", distinguishing him from his long-deceased actor father, is usually dropped. He died in San Francisco on July 9, 1927 shortly after being visited by his nephews John and Lionel Barrymore, both of whom had taken time off from movie-making on the West Coast. After cremation, his remains were taken to Philadelphia and interred at Mount Vernon Cemetery alongside his wife.[4]Drew and his wife Josephine (nee Baker)[5] had one daughter, Louise Drew (1882–1954). Louise married Broadway actor Jack Devereaux[6] and they had a son, John Drew Devereaux.
Price: 49.99 USD
Location: New York, New York
End Time: 2023-12-19T15:05:17.000Z
Shipping Cost: 6.5 USD
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Restocking Fee: No
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Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Original/Reproduction: Original
Object Type: autograph
Industry: Theater