Description:

Thornton Wilder
various, ca. October 11, 1955 & January 29, 1962
Two Thorton Wilder Autograph Postcards Signed to Designer Vera Maxwell, PSA/DNA Encapsulated
Archive

A pair of signed postcards from playwright Thornton Wilder to designer Vera Maxwell. Of differing sizes, dated 1955 and 1962. Both are signed "Thornton Wilder" and discuss Wilder's many travels and "grasshopper-jumping". Both postcards have been PSA graded and encapsulated. With varying degrees of toning and soiling. Wear and loss at the edges and corners. Both boldly signed.

Includes:
1. Signed Postcard, measuring 6" x 4", Lausanne, Switzerland, dated October 11, 1955. Encapsulated to measure 10" x 6.5". Reading in full: "You were an angel to send me that invitation (on the eve of my birthday) - but it reached me after many forwardings. And I've been grasshopper-jumping ever since. Next week I go up to the Engadin to catch the first snowflake and to do a little quiet work. Then early in Nov. I take one of those Italian boats again to come home; - wish you were here again on board. Hope to ask you for a cup of tea when I get back."

2. Signed Postcard, measuring 5.5" x 3.5", Hamden, Connecticut, dated January 29, 1962. Encapsulated to measure 7.25" x 4.25". Reading in full: "Many thanks for your message. Yes - those were happy days on the Cristoforo Colombo. I'm about to change from a grasshopper to a mole - i.e. a mole [scratched out] - to be for a few year a hermit in Arizona. But when I emerge from silence and solitude - all refreshed and ready for 'community' - I hope to telephone you and ask for a cup of tea - maybe Scotch tea."

Thornton N. Wilder (1897-1975) was an American playwright and novelist best known for his plays "Our Town" and "The Skin of Our Teeth." He spent a lot of time traveling in Europe and particularly liked writing aboard ships at sea. Wilder had an eclectic circle of friends, including writers Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Zelda Fitzgerald; actors Ruth Gordon and Laurence Olivier; and socialite Sibyl, Lady Colefax.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 10" x 6.5"
  • Medium: Archive

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