Cat. #0004381: THEDA BARA

Scarce vintage black fountain pen signature on a 4x6-inch tan autograph album page, acquired in-person in the 1930s and decorated with a small magazine image. In good condition for its age, with a square-shaped patch of toning in the upper left-hand corner. Alluring, enigmatic Theda Bara was the quintessential silent screen vamp, preying upon weak-minded men in films like A Fool There Was (1915) and Cleopatra (1917). She held the dubious distinction of being Hollywood's first fabricated star, played up in the press as the daughter of an artist and an Arabian princess, with a name that was an anagram for "Arab Death." In publicity photos, she was typically garbed in exotic outfits, surrounded by skulls and serpents, with wide, entrancing eyes that peered deeply into those of the viewer. Not bad for a mild-mannered Jewish girl from Cincinnati!