Cat. #005771: PEARL WHITE

Rare vintage 3.5 x 5.5 sepia-tone postcard portrait, boldly signed in black fountain pen with her name alone and-- as indicated by a handwritten, autographed note on the back-- mailed in 1914 to an acquaintance who mailed her a drawing. In good condition for its age, with some faint silvering and a few postal cancellation marks in the area of her hair. Charming for display. Circus equestrienne-turned-silent screen leading lady Pearl White starred in over a hundred two-reel comedies, adventures and westerns, almost always performing her own stunts-- or else replaced by slightly-built men.  She is forever remembered for her roles as the titular heroines in the Perils of Pauline and Elaine Dodge serials of 1914 through 1915, which made her more popular with moviegoers than Mary Pickford. Throughout her career, White was a heavy drinker and, by the early 1930s, she had also fallen prey to drug use. In 1938, she died rather suddenly of cirrhosis, aged only 49, and her autograph is elusive in any format.