Featured Theater Play Script & Actress Photos 1889 Beatrice Vance

Discussion in 'Ephemera and Photographs' started by Bookahtoo, Jan 9, 2024.

  1. Bookahtoo

    Bookahtoo Moderator Moderator

    I have a typewritten script belonging to Elmer Vance. It seems to be the original working script of his play "The Limited Mail", as it has deletions, additions, and whole new paragraphs. This play, which Vance was putting on in 1889, was later made into a film in 1925 and had great success.

    He was a playwright who also had a theater company. He married one of the actresses, Beatrice, who was much younger than he. She starred in most of the productions.

    So I have the original script, all four acts. I have two 7" by 9" photos of Beatrice, dressed for her role in The Limited Mail. I also have three photos of Beatrice on glass, one of her in women's clothing, where you can see that she is quite pretty.

    My question - do you think there is a market for this? If so, where? I find it very interesting, but not enough to keep after I've wrung all the information I want out of it.

    batch_2024-01-09-0006.jpg

    batch_scriptcrop.jpg

    batch_2024-01-09-0007.jpg

    batch_2024-01-09-0001.jpg


    batch_2024-01-09-0004.jpg

    batch_IMG_4512.JPG

    batch_IMG_4513.JPG

    batch_IMG_4515.JPG
     
    Bookahtoo, Jan 9, 2024
    #1 + Quote Reply
    charlie cheswick, Ex Libris, Bronwen and 3 others like this.
  2. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    His March 8, 1929 obituary from the New York Times. He was rather obscure, wasn't he? "Author of... the best mechanical railroad play...?" Can't imagine he had much competition.

    Debora

    Screenshot 2024-01-09 at 9.58.38 AM.jpeg
     
    Debora, Jan 9, 2024
    #2 + Quote Reply
    Roaring20s, charlie cheswick, Bronwen and 3 others like this.
  3. Figtree3

    Figtree3 What would you do if you weren't afraid?

    There is definitely a market for old theatrical photos. It doesn't even have to be a well-known play or actor/actress. The photo of Beatrice doing a backbend also would be of interest to somebody who likes (very) unusual poses.

    Baker of Columbus, Ohio was a well-known Midwestern studio that took many photos of famous people, but also did very artistic portraits of all -- known or unknown. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Art_Gallery

    I would sell the glass photos separate from the others. Just my preference. If I were buying these I would only want the card-mounted ones. And some might collect only glass ones.

    This is not the same as yours, at all. But might be of interest.
    https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1360-elmer-beatrice-vance-theater-458794926

    I think the play script might be a harder sell... as Debora mentioned, he was not well known and neither was the play.
     
    Figtree3, Jan 9, 2024
    #3 + Quote Reply
    charlie cheswick, Bronwen, sabre123 and 2 others like this.
  4. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    Debora, Jan 9, 2024
    #4 + Quote Reply
    Bronwen, pearlsnblume and Figtree3 like this.
  5. Figtree3

    Figtree3 What would you do if you weren't afraid?

    Interesting... I wonder what a mechanical railroad play was.
     
    Figtree3, Jan 9, 2024
    #5 + Quote Reply
    Bronwen likes this.
  6. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    Interesting too that there was more than one!

    Debora
     
    Debora, Jan 9, 2024
    #6 + Quote Reply
    Figtree3 and Bronwen like this.
  7. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    service-pnp-cph-3a00000-3a04000-3a04600-3a04666r.jpg
     
    Debora, Jan 9, 2024
    #7 + Quote Reply
    Figtree3 and Bronwen like this.
  8. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    Debora, Jan 9, 2024
    #8 + Quote Reply
    Figtree3 and Bronwen like this.
  9. Bookahtoo

    Bookahtoo Moderator Moderator

    Thanks @Figtree3 and @Debora.

    So you don't think there would be any interest in the script?
    The film based on it in 1925 did well.
     
    Bookahtoo, Jan 9, 2024
    #9 + Quote Reply
    Figtree3 likes this.
  10. Bookahtoo

    Bookahtoo Moderator Moderator

    I found their gravestone. He was born in 1859, died in 1929. She was born 1880, died in 1963.
    I read that they were married in 1894, but that would have made her fourteen.
     
    Bookahtoo, Jan 9, 2024
    #10 + Quote Reply
    Figtree3 likes this.
  11. Bookahtoo

    Bookahtoo Moderator Moderator

    I just found a newspaper article from 1897 in which she told someone she had been married for three years already so I guess there you have it. He was 35 and she was 14 when they got married.
     
    Bookahtoo, Jan 9, 2024
    #11 + Quote Reply
  12. bluumz

    bluumz Quite Busy


    If     she was actually born in 1880. Actresses often represented themselves as younger than they actually were.
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2024
    bluumz, Jan 9, 2024
    #12 + Quote Reply
    Figtree3 likes this.
  13. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    That's not a marriage; it's an adoption! Yes, I do think someone somewhere would be interested in the script with author's notations and photos. Just can't imagine who!

    Debora
     
    Debora, Jan 9, 2024
    #13 + Quote Reply
    Figtree3 likes this.
  14. Figtree3

    Figtree3 What would you do if you weren't afraid?

    I think there would be some interest in the script. Not my area of expertise, so I shouldn't have commented on it. If you're selling on eBay, there is an Entertainment Memorabilia category, probably the best one for it.
     
    Figtree3, Jan 9, 2024
    #14 + Quote Reply
  15. Lark

    Lark Well-Known Member

    I try selling them together first. I had a book that was on the same subject as a Pinkerton information flyer that I put up together. The buyer wanted only the flyer so after a little haggling , I sold her just the flyer and sold the book later.
     
    Lark, Jan 10, 2024
    #15 + Quote Reply
    Figtree3 likes this.
  16. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    Good advice. As you don't know where collector interest lies.

    Debora
     
    Debora, Jan 10, 2024
    #16 + Quote Reply
Draft saved Draft deleted
Similar Threads: Theater Play
Forum Title Date
Ephemera and Photographs Ford's theater playbill from the night Lincoln was assasinated. Feb 15, 2024
Ephemera and Photographs Old theater advertising slides c1920 - My Grandparents! Sep 26, 2019
Ephemera and Photographs Stereoviews - Woman and Mother - Theater Actress? Opera? May 27, 2017
Ephemera and Photographs New York? Movie Theater & Famous Person in Crowd Jun 8, 2015
Ephemera and Photographs Stereoview: Interior Religious Display Nov 5, 2025

Share This Page