Nine James Cagney Letters to Artist Will Crawford, Totaling 19 Pages, with Original Photo and Drawing

CAGNEY, James (Jimmy Cagney)

Publication Date: 1943

About this Item

A collection of Two Autographed Letters Signed and seven Typed Letters Signed from screen legend James Cagney (1899-1986) to his close friend, artist Will Crawford (1869-1944), dating from 1926 to 1943. Also with two Signed letters (one typed and the other in holograph) from the actor's wife, Frances "Billie" Cagney; an original photo of the three of the together; and an envelope addressed and illustrated by Crawford to Cagney. The letters have some toning due to age and a couple of oxidation spots but are in remarkably nice shape; on average they are near fine or better. As newlyweds in the 1920 the Cagneys lived in the Free Acres artist colony in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. There they formed a bond with Crawford, an original Free Acres resident and career artist who illustrated a host of children's books and popular magazines, including *Puck*, *The Century*, *McClure's*, *Scribner's*, and *Redbook*. It was a relationship that lasted until Crawford's death in 1944. The letters to Crawford stretch from Cagney's early years as a vaudevillian player to his emergence as one of the biggest stars of the silver screen. They demonstrate Cagney's close friendship with the older artist as evidenced by his financial assistance to Crawford, visits to Crawford from California, and even a special effort to arrange a meeting between Crawford and the noted journalist Lincoln Steffens. The letters reveal Cagney as a man who never forgot his friends or stopped giving to those for whom he cared and who needed it most. A wonderful collection of letters that present a peek into the private life of a true Hollywood legend. Seller Inventory # 338682

Bibliographic Details

Title: Nine James Cagney Letters to Artist Will ...

Publication Date: 1943

Binding: Unbound

Condition: Near Fine