Homage of the Poets to Sarah Bernhardt. In Honor of Her Nomination to the Order of The Legion of Honor. Presided Over by M. René Viviani Minister of Finance

New York: William F. Connor. Printer: Peter J. Carey, New York, 1920. First English Edition. Wraps. Very Good. An unusual theatrical bibelot -- a translation into English of the very long program that formed the 1914 ceremonial induction of Bernhardt into the French Legion of Honor (Légion d'Honneur). This was not a trivial event in the actress' life full of rewards and encomiums. She dearly wanted this particular mark of validation, which was denied her repeatedly over a number of years for a variety of reasons, among them, anti-Semitism, doubts about her French birth, her immoral private life -- her beloved son was born out of wedlock, etc. The creation of this booklet attests to the extraordinary celebrity of Bernhardt who toured the U.S. many times while performing in French to an audience, whether they understood French well or not, were enraptured by her performance. N.d., circa 1920. The dating is based on the OCLC listing. 12mo. 17.5 by 13.5 cm. 83 pp. With 16 full page b/w photographs, most of Bernhardt in her iconic roles, but also photos of Rostand, who wrote some of her greatest successes, and Richepin, who also wrote for Bernhardt as well as acting with her and being one of her many love interests in private life. Curiously, there is no photo of Sardou, who was as important a source of material for Bernhardt as Rostand, with "Tosca", "Theodora", and "Fedora" among the works he wrote for Bernhardt. The publisher, William F. Connor, managed Bernhardt's last three American tours -- all "Farewell Tours", of course -- the last one having been in 1917.