Bram Stoker (DRACULA), Hand Written Letter, Henry Irving Signed Card +++ Display!

Here we are offering a rare, unusual, large, heavy, framed display piece measuring approximately 22 inches by 17 inches and weighing approximately 3 1/2 pounds before shipping. This display piece features a hand written letter by Bram Stoker on behalf of Henry Irving as his "secretary," on Lyceum Theatre letterhead, measuring approximately 4 1/2 inches by 6 3/4 inches. The back of this letter can be seen on the backside of the frame matting, and the letter is dated February 13, 1883. There is a small Dracula Poster (which is slightly missalligned due to age,) measuring approximately 6 inches by 7 inches. On top of the signed letter, there is a photocard of Sir Henry Irving, hand signed by Sir Henry Irving and measuring approximately 3 inches by 5 inches. And lasting on the right is a picture of Bram Stoker, measuring approximately 4 inches by 6 inches with a handwritten date of 1906 on it. Piece is in overall very good condition with some aging over time. This piece comes with a Letter of Authenticity (LOA) from One of A Kind Collectibles. NOTE: shipping is high because of oversized packaging, weight and insurance.

Bram Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and business manager of the West End's Lyceum Theatre, which Sir Henry Irving owned. 

Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility for season after season at the West End's Lyceum Theatre, establishing himself and his company as representative of English classical theatre. In 1895 he became the first actor to be awarded a knighthood, indicating full acceptance into the higher circles of British society. 

Significance of this piece:

Count Dracula, the archetypal vampire of horror literature, was created by Irish author Bram Stoker for his 1897 novel, "Dracula." Bram Stoker was Henry Irving's business manager at the Lyceum Theatre in London for 28 years, even after publishing his classic Dracula novel. He was devoted to Irving, regularly choosing the job over his wife and son.

Scholars agree that the real-life 15th-century Romanian ruler Vlad Tepes, known as Vlad the Impaler, was the model for the Transylvanian bloodsucker, but as for Dracula's character and appearance, Bram Stoker's inspiration may have been closer to his own life. The most likely candidate was Sir Henry Irving, the premiere actor of the British stage, for whom Stoker worked as manager for decades.

In "Bram Stoker: A Biography of the Author of Dracula," Barbara Belford convincingly connects the venerated actor to the fictional vampire, describing Sir Henry Irving as an egotist, a striking, mesmerizing figure, and a demanding employer.

As mentioned, Bram Stoker was Irving's business manager at the Lyceum Theatre in London for 28 years, even after publishing his classic novel. The two met in 1877 when Irving performed in Dublin, where Stoker was a civil service worker and wrote theater reviews on the side. Irving had been pleased by Stoker's insightful review of his performance as Hamlet and invited him to a dinner party. That night, Bram Stoker was mesmerized by the actor's recitation of a poem. "I sat spellbound…" Stoker wrote in "Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving." "The whole thing was new, re-created by a force of passion which was like a new power." Afterwards, Stoker "burst out into something like a violent fit of hysterics."

Stoker began writing "Dracula" in 1890 while working for Sir Henry Irving. With a force as dynamic as Irving in his life, it's only natural that he would draw upon his own experiences.

Contemporaries noted the physical similarities to Irving in the novel's description of Dracula:

"His face was a strong – a very strong – aquiline, with high bridge of the thin nose and peculiarly arched nostrils; with lofty domed forehead, and hair growing scantily round the temples but profusely elsewhere. His eyebrows were very massive, almost meeting over the nose, and with bushy hair that seemed to curl in its own profusion."

Belford notes, "Somewhere in the creative process, Dracula became a sinister caricature of Irving as mesmerist and depleter, an artist draining those about him to feed his ego. It was a stunning but avenging tribute."

To protect the novel's theatrical rights, a read-through of "Dracula" was performed at the Lyceum in May 1897, the week before it was published. Stoker also hoped to convince Irving to star in the future stage production in the title role.

After the reading, Stoker met the actor in his dressing room and asked, "How did you like it?"

"Dreadful," Sir Henry Irving replied.

He refused to play Dracula, perhaps finding the character too familiar, and missed the chance to define one of the century's greatest roles.

Though their relationship cooled, after Irving's death in 1905 Bram Stoker wrote an admiring biography of him, with no mention of Dracula.

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