Milewski & Short MARY PICKFORD COLLECTION: The Little American

Showing posts with label The Little American. Show all posts

Mary Pickford - Photograph - ca. 1917

This powerful composite photograph depicts a half-resolved Mary Pickford rising above several fallen soldiers. Unfortunately, it's bit of a mystery. While it may have some connection to her film The Little American (1917,) it could just as well be a generic, albeit very well-done, patriotic piece related to the overall zeitgeist of the time (ie. World War 1.) More details to come as they are uncovered. ca. 1917/1918.

The Little American (1917) Parasol

As part of the 1981 Mary Pickford Estate auction, this exquisitely made, extremely delicate aqua, peach, and cream parasol -- presumably from Lady Duff Gordon's Lucile, Ltd. -- was erroneously noted as having been used in her film Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917.) A simple comparison of this piece with that seen in Rebecca... shows they are very different. After a bit of research however, I have determined this parasol can be seen in the opening shots of Cecil B. DeMille's The Little American (1917,) as well as publicity stills associated with the film, and even at least one portrait by Melbourne Spurr. While it has certainly seen better days—being somewhat tattered as well as having lost the ribbon and most of the decorative tip that once adorned the handle—it is nice to know that this parasol still exists and here it is today.

Mary posing with the parasol in a The Little American publicity still.

Mary with the parasol in The Little American (1917) (Courtesy of the Mary Pickford Foundation)

Mary Pickford Tobacco / Cigarette / Chocolate / Theatre / Trading Cards

Many moons ago, one could acquire these small cards (tobacco cards, cigarette cards, chocolate cards, theatre cards, trading cards, etc.,) not more than a few inches in size, in a pack of cigarettes, from a machine at the arcade, as a hand out at the local theatre, or via some other means. Some were printed while a good many are actual photographs.

Issued in 1913, this Major Drapkin & Co. Cinematograph Actors series card shows Mary during her IMP days and is reportedly the first tobacco card she appears on (or at least, one of, as this particular series had two unnumbered Pickford cards, the other being a photo by Marceau and marked Biograph.)

Chocolate E. Juncosa card from Spain. Photo by Melbourne Spurr.

Photo by Ira L. Hill.

1917 Kromo Gravure card. Photo by Ira L. Hill.

Kinema / Franklin Theatre Card. Trimmed. Advertising Captain Kidd Jr. screening. Photo by Hartsook. 1919.

Photo by Hartsook. Trimmed.

Sequoia Theatre card. According to the inscription on a music box given to Mary by her then husband Douglas Fairbanks in 1930, this portrait by Hartsook was his favorite photo of her. Trimmed.

Photo by Hartsook.

Kinema Theatre card. Trimmed. Advertising a M'Liss screening. Photo by Hartsook. 1918.

Photo by Hartsook (showing Mary at her one-time leased home (1917-1918) at 1519 N. Western in Hollywood.) Trimmed.

Photo by Campbell Studio.

1921 Neilson's Chocolate card. Photo by Moody. Trimmed.

1931 Penny Magazine (England) card. Photo by Campbell Studio.

The New T & D Theatre card. Trimmed. Advertising A Romance of the Redwoods. 1917.

Cinema Stars cigarette card. Photo by Campbell Studios.

Ringers Cigarettes Cinema Stars card. Photo of Mary in a Lanvin dress by Rahmn. c. 1921.

The New T & D Theatre card. Trimmed. Advertising Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. 1917.

Kinema card. Trimmed. Advertising, erroneously, Good Little Rich Girl, A.K.A. The Poor Little Rich Girl. 1917.

The New T & D Theatre card. Advertising A Little Princess. 1917.

Mary Pickford as Rags card. Photo by De Gaston.

T & D Theatre card. Advertising Hulda from Holland. 1916.

Kinema / Franklin Theatre card. Trimmed. Adevertising a Johanna Enlists screening. 1918.

"Little Colonel Mary" Kinema / Franklin Theatre Card. Trimmed. Advertising Johanna Enlists. screening. 1918.

The Spinet House - Spinet Cigarettes card. Photo by Lindstedt.

Kinema card. Mary Pickford, dressed as Rebecca From Sunnybrook Farm, and William S. Hart. Trimmed. Advertising a The Little American screening. 1917.

De Reszke (England) cigarette card.

Lambert & Butler (England) cigarette card. Late '20s.

Salem Cigarettenfabrik (Germany.) 1931. Photo by Hesser.

Omega Cigarette Factory card. Photo by G.L. Manuel Freres.

Mary Pickford photo by Melbourne Spurr. "Presented free with 'The Ruby' / February 10th, 1928. / Famouse Film Stars No. 4." 1928.

JOB Cigarette card. Photo by Melbourne Spurr.

Max Cigarette. Cinema Cavalcade card showing Mary Pickford in Rags (1915.) 1940.

Small card from Russia featuring Mary Pickford in Pollyanna (1920.)

Mary Pickford - The Little American - Herald - 1917

Artcraft herald for The Little American. Stamped "Orpheum Theatre" (city unknown at this time.) 1917.

The Little American - Photographs - 1917

The Little American (1917) Artcraft A7-84 publicity still from NZ.

Mary Pickford and Jack Holt in The Little American (1917) Artcraft publicity still from NZ.

Mary Pickford with a box of chocolates in The Little American (1917.) This Graflex photo is hand-signed in ink, but was it Mary that did it? I do not believe so.