(Spurr, Melbourne). Fairbanks, Douglas. AN ORIGINAL PORTRAIT OF DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS BY MELBOURNE SPURR, INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY FAIRBANKS IN 1926. (1926). A 10 inch high by 8 inch wide sepia toned soft focus photograph of the Hollywood movie star Douglas Fairbanks by the great Hollywood photographer of the 1920's Melbourne Spurr. The image depicts the debonair star of Hollywood swashbuckling epics in three-quarter profile from the chest up. Attired in a sepia jacket over a white shirt with striped tie, Fairbanks focuses his soft gaze and winning smile toward the camera. The photographer's name "Melbourne Spurr / Hollywood" is stamped in blind at bottom left. The portrait is boldly inscribed and signed in ink by Fairbanks diagonally at bottom right: "To Mrs. Fred Carson [sp?] / Best Wishes / Douglas Fairbanks / 1926". There is some minor creasing to the bottom left corner of the photograph. This beautiful portrait is handsomely matted.
The American actor and leading man Douglas Fairbanks (1883-1939) is best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as "Robin Hood", "The Thief of Bagdad" and "The Mark of Zorro". In addition to his acting career, Fairbanks was a screenwriter, director and producer who was one of the founders of United Artists and of The Motion Picture Academy, hosting the first Oscar ceremonies in 1929. Married to Mary Pickford, the couple were regarded as Hollywood royalty.
Melbourne Spurr (1888-1964) first worked for the noted Hollywood photographer Fred Hartsook. Mary Pickford was so impressed with his work that she helped launch his career as a Hollywood portrait photographer. Spurr who, by the mid 1920's, was considered one of the great celebrity portraitists resisted signing on exclusively with one of the major movie studios, preferring instead to keep his own photography studio. Though he shined throughout the 20's, his Hollywood career gradually declined due to pressure from the large movie companies and Spurr moved on to photographing other major figures including Presidents, artists, authors, and dancers.
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