Joan Crawford?

Both look good to me. No returns on the first - but I have asked. Perhaps sec? C. 1950's. First seller not an autograph dealer. Second certainly so - mentions Mildred Pierce while reading and/or preparing to film Baby Jane the next month. Thank you for your opinions.

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Permalink Reply by eddy on August 6, 2025 at 6:38am

IMHO, there are more Crawford secretarials floating around out there than most realiize. I think it has to do with the still-held belief that she "signed everything".

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 6, 2025 at 7:37am

There seems to be one other hand that appears regularly that is not Betty Barker but in the same time frame, but not so late and perhaps a bit earlier.

I looked over about 150 or so letters or more last night from about 1954 to 1970. So much Barker, some authentic, often "Joan" single name, and several full name sigs. This "other hand" seems to appear more on photographs. Do you agree Eddy?

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Permalink Reply by eddy on August 6, 2025 at 7:41am

Photographs and correspondence, actually.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 6, 2025 at 8:00am

In that order? Can you show additional examples? I have a few that seem too neat, legible and less hectic.Rather smooth but the spacing is odd, I noted in the green ink one I returned as a secretarial, from Sudden Fear in this thread, the "o" in Crawford" is created with a downward then upward loop, unlike what I have been looking at. At first glance it seems to be the right side of the "r" but it is really a simple loop - not the way she makes her "o's" - down on the left side and up on the right. often not meeting at the top in the first "o."

Thank you for your observations and posts Eddy :-)

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 6, 2025 at 12:04pm

It appears to be the hand, perhaps, of Electra Dennis - Crawford's previous PA. That would explain the timing of the appearances of the style described. I think there was overlap with Betty Barker C. 1955 or so.