Creator
Frederic Dorr Steele
Title
Gillette in Profile
Date
1929
Subject
Original artwork, Signed by Gillette, inscribed by Steele to cast member Burford Hampden
Description
This profile of Gillette’s detective appears on the back cover of the souvenir programs for the play’s long-running Farewell Tour, 1929–1932. A prolific and versatile actor, Burford Hampden (1898–1986) played the page boy Billy in a 1915 revival of Sherlock Holmes, in the 1916 silent movie, and in the Farewell Tour. He received the drawing from the artist, then sent it to Gillette for his signature.
Format
ink and charcoal on paper, 15 × 11 in