Him [him] (Original photograph of Claude Rains from an undocumented production of the play for the Theatre Guild, circa 1927-1935)

N.p.: N.p., 1927. Vintage sepia photograph of Claude Rains by noted theatre photographer Vandamm, from an undocumented production—to our knowledge—of e.e. cummings' absurdist play, "Him" presumably by the Theatre Guild, likely sometime between 1927 (when the play premiered) and 1934 (based on the nature of the Vandamm print).

The presumption of the photo being from a Theatre Guild performance is a manuscript ink notation by Vandamm on the verso of the mount, reading: "The Theatre Guild's production of 'Him' / Claude Rains."

According to Christopher Sawyer-Laucanno's biography of cummings: "Lawrence Langer, a director at the Theatre (truncated) Guild, who had been given a copy of the play [Him] by Muriel Draper, was quite enthusiastic, but, because of the obscenities in the play could not get the Guild to take it on." (p. 310) He goes on to note that the Provincetown Players mounted a production in 1928, which is documented as having closed after 27 performances due to budget constraints.

There is no record of a production of "Him" by the Theatre Guild in the IBDB, and no record of Rains working with the Provincetown Players—so the date of the production, if indeed it ever went past rehearsals, remains a mystery.

Photo 13 x 10.5 inches. Mount 19.5 x 15 inches. Both photo and mount Near Fine. (Inventory #: 163833)