Vélez, Lupe (María Guadalupe "Lupe" Villalobos Vélez)

Lupe Vélez photograph [signed with illustration] (1925), Mexico City

Mexico City: Compañía Industrial Fotográfica, 1925. 3.375"x5.375" single black and white photograph of actress, singer, and dancer María Guadalupe "Lupe" Villalobos Vélez (b. 18 Jul. 1908 in San Luis Potosí City, Mexico, d. 14 Dec. 1944 in Glendale, California); a teenager in the photograph, she was well known during the Golden Age of Mexico Cinema - later making it to Hollywood. Here she is posed smiling in heels with a feather covering her torso and left hand extended. The photograph has been outlined in white paint, presumably by Vélez herself. The reverse side has postcard markings and has multiple notes and identifiers, including a typed invitation that reads, "Lupe Velez tiene el gusto de invitar a Ud. y a su Apreviable Familia a su Funcion de Beneficio, y le ruega le dispence que no le perdio, pero le manda Ud, este vale que equivale a la platea no 4. Esperando verse honrada con su presencia" [signed in pen] "Lupe Vélez" [="Lupe Velez has the pleasure of inviting you and your beloved family to her benefit function, and asks you to forgive her so that she does not miss him, but she sends you this voucher, which is equivalent to seat 4. Hoping to be honored by your presence.]" Item #239

"Vélez began her career as a performer in Mexican vaudeville in the early 1920s. After moving to the United States, she made her first film appearance in a short in 1927. By the end of the decade, she was acting in full-length silent films and had progressed to leading roles in The Gaucho (1927), Lady of the Pavements (1928) and Wolf Song (1929), among others. Vélez made the transition to sound films without difficulty. She was one of the first successful Mexican actresses in Hollywood. During the 1930s, her explosive screen persona was exploited in successful comedic films like Hot Pepper (1933), Strictly Dynamite (1934) and Hollywood Party (1934). In the 1940s, Vélez's popularity peaked while appearing as Carmelita Fuentes in eight Mexican Spitfire films, a series created to capitalize on her fiery personality. Nicknamed The Mexican Spitfire by the media, Vélez had a personal life that was as colorful as her screen persona. She had several highly-publicized romances with Hollywood actors [including Tom Mix, Charlie Chaplin, and Clark Gable] and a stormy marriage with Johnny Weissmuller. Vélez died at age 36 in December 1944 of an intentional overdose of the barbiturate drug Seconal. Her death and the circumstances surrounding it were the subject of speculation and controversy [specifically regarding her pregnancy, debates over the father (Gary Cooper) and personal accounts from Clara Bow]." (wikipedia [dot] com).

Price: $720.00