[African-Americana]. Larkin, John

The Empire. Holland's Vaudeville Entertainers Commencing Saturday Next, July 7th...Last Week! Last Week! of the Popular Favourites Paul Stanhope's Breezy Revue Coy... [first lines of text]

Brisbane: H. Pole & Co., [1917]. Large broadside, 40 x 15 inches. Small tears and creasing at edges, a few minor losses to the sheet. Lower edge chipped with some loss to imprint, lower corner torn away affecting several lines. Good. Item #1478

Handsome and striking broadside advertising a performance at the Empire Theatre in Brisbane, Australia, featuring African-American comedian Jolly Johnny Larkin. Larkin (1882-1936) was a noted vaudeville performer who went on to become a screen actor in the 1930s. Known in vaudeville as "The Rajah of Mirth" and "The Funniest Colored Comedian in the World," Larkin headed the Dandy Dixie Minstrels in the 1920s. He is noted on the present broadside as "The Clever Colored Comedian." His film credits include "Smart Money," "Sporting Blood," and "Alexander Hamilton," and he is best known for his final role in 1936 in MGM’s "The Great Ziegfield." Larkin became known as the "highest paid Negro actor in Hollywood."

The Empire Theatre in Brisbane opened in 1911, built specifically for vaudeville acts. Its first managers were Ted Holland and Percy St. John -- both vaudeville performers themselves -- and the theatre often advertised featuring Holland's Vaudeville Entertainer's, as it does here. After its initial managers died, the venue transitioned to the management of Benjamin and John Fuller, rebranding as Fuller's Empire Theatre in 1918. This piece notes performers are supplied by special arrangement with "Fuller's Theatres and Vaudeville Ltd.", dating it to the period between 1915 and 1918; July 7 was a Saturday in 1917.

The broadside is printed in red and blue ink, obviously utilizing large woodblock types, including a wonderful reverse-inked block for local favorite "Paul Stanhope's" Breezy Revue Company. A wonderful confluence of African-Americana, world performance, and interesting printing.

Price: $1,500.00