Mary Pickford: The Queen of the Silent Film Era

Toronto, 2020. Softcover. Fine. Softcover. Trade edition of a limited edition pictorial biography of silent film star Mary Pickford. Signed by George Walker on the title page. (Some copies are signed in reverse or mirror.) Noted wood engraver George A. Walker celebrates the life of Mary Pickford (1892-1979), a silent film star whose groundbreaking contributions to the motion picture industry earned her the title ‘Queen of the Movies’. Toronto-born Gladys Louise Smith, who would later come to be known as Mary Pickford, first burst onto the silent-film scene at the tender age of 17. But Pickford was more than just ‘the girl with the curls’. In addition to her acting career—a brilliant success that spanned 52 features—Pickford also helped establish the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as well as United Artists studio. In this edition Walker tells the story of Pickford’s life in a sequential narrative not unlike the silent films of old, complete with inter-titles. The 87 black-and-white wood engravings recall the monochromatic media of Pickford’s films, and echo the experience of interpreting stories visually. A softcover in beige paper with black titling to cover and spine, with an engraved image of Pickford on cover. In fine condition. 199 pages. FILM/102120.