Skip to main content

This auction has ended. View lot details

You may also be interested in

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

The Golden Age of Hollywood
Lot 194

A William Wellman archive of ephemera, including letters from Clara Bow and John Ford

14 May 2019, 13:00 PDT
Los Angeles

Sold for US$637.50 inc. premium

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our Popular Culture specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

A William Wellman archive of ephemera, including letters from Clara Bow and John Ford

Comprising an Autograph Letter Signed ("Clara–('It Girl')"), 1.5 pp, 8vo, Culver City, December 1963, to William Wellman, on a Christmas card with her name also stamped on the inside, with original transmittal envelope. Bow appeared in Wellman's aviation film, Wings (1927), the first film to receive the Best Picture Academy Award®. In her letter, she reminisces about the making of that picture: "You were always my favorite director, but you were a hard taskmaster. I think I did my best acting under your direction"; a Typed Letter Signed ("Jack"), 1 p, 8vo, July 18, 1950, from director John Ford to Wellman, on monogrammed stationery, with an aged piece of tape at the top where he had superstitiously attached a dime (the imprint of which is still visible); an Autograph Letter Signed ("Billy"), 4 pp recto and verso, 8vo, Los Angeles, July 8, 1922, from Wellman to his parents, on "William Fox Vaudeville Company" stationery, with original transmittal envelope. A 26-year-old Wellman regales his "Little Mother and Dad" with news of breaking his nose while diving in a pool and assures them that he will not have a "misshaped beak–it is still the same long affair." He also expresses excitement over the good reviews surrounding the recent films he has worked on for Fox, Oath-Bound (1922) and [The] Fast Mail (1922); a 6 x 6 in. "Happy Birthday" tile dated February 29, 1952, with signatures in pencil by stars such as Fred MacMurray, John Payne, and Ricardo Montalban; a 1 p Autograph Letter Signed from actor James Franciscus (husband of Wellman's daughter) containing a humorous citation for Wellman titled, "For Gallantry in Marital Warfare"; a marriage certificate uniting Wellman with wife Dorothy in 1934 (unsigned), accompanied by a glamour portrait of Dorothy inscribed to Wellman's parents; a vintage portrait of Helene Chadwick, one of Wellman's earlier wives; and a signed portrait of Anne Baxter inscribed, "For Pat / who stole / the best of a / tired wardrobe! / Fondly / Anne Baxter." Baxter appeared under Wellman's direction in Yellow Sky (1948).
Provenance: William Wellman, Jr.
8.5 x 11 in.

Additional information

Bid now on these items

An Omega Pocket Watch Engraved to Spencer Tracy from Joan Crawford Date: c. 1937

Gary Moore: A Gibson Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar, known as 'Stripe', 1959,

Marianne Faithfull: Two Passports and a Selection of Personal Ephemera, Qty

Bernie Krause (b. 1938) Day & Night in Gombe, 2025

Marianne Faithfull: A diary, a large collection of archival notes and lyrics, and other personal items, Qty

Marianne Faithfull: A Selection of Personal Books, with inscriptions, Various publishers and dates, Qty

Marianne Faithfull: A large collection of personal correspondence, Various dates, Qty

Marianne Faithfull: A Large Collection of Photographs, some professional and some personal,

Marianne Faithfull: A Large Annie Leibovitz campaign poster of Marianne Faithfull for GAP, 1990,

Anita Pallenberg (Italian, 1942-2017): Work on paper, titled "Babylon", 1994, 2

Marianne Faithfull: a Dyptich by Giuseppe Romeo, titled "Falsehood I" and "Falsehood II", Paris, 1995-96, 2

Carrie Fisher (1956-2016): Her personal trunk, Gifted to Marianne Faithfull,

Marianne Faithfull: Two paintings, one by Thierry Bisch, titled 'Butterflies', 2003, and undated, 3