W.I. SWAIN'S WESTERN SPECTACULAR PRODUCTION JESSE JAMES. "HANDS UP SHERIFF" "THE PRISON IS NOT BUILT THAT WILL HOLD JESSE JAMES."
1920WRCAM48854Newport Ky.: The Donaldson Litho. Co. 1920. Chromolithographic poster 27 1/2 x 41 3/4 inches. Several tears at edges two of them significantly affecting the image. Some chipping and loss along top left and lower right edges also a bit in top right corner. Still a striking image. Good plus. An attractive poster advertising one of W.I. Swain's popular touring western shows this one featuring Jesse James who in this portrayal has an African-American as a member of his gang. The illustration shows three men on the right edge with their hands held high while a fourth man next to them weakly drops his gun. On the left side a cocky man in a white shirt presumably James points a six shooter at the men across the room while a blonde woman in a red dress stands with one foot on a chair and the other on a desk also pointing guns at the men. Anomalously in the center of the image through a window a black man in a red shirt also points two guns at the men on the right while inside the room a black woman kneels and pleads with the man in the window. Colonel W.I. Swain was one of the most successful tent showmen in the South. He often toured a minstrel show putting on a different performance every night for a week. The shows were continued by Swain's son Kennedy well into the 1940s. The Donaldson Litho. Co. unknown books
William Reese Company · États-Unis2 000,00 $US≈ 1 692,20 €
