LOT #34149 |
Sold on Apr 3, 2014 for: Sign-in
or Join (free & quick)
[Bram Stoker]. Oscar Wilde Autograph Letter Signed....
Click the image to load the highest resolution version.
Sold on Apr 3, 2014 for:
$6,875.00
Bid Source: HA.com/Live bidder
Get one of these:
Explore Available Items
Description
Oscar Wilde Writes to Bram Stoker Requesting Theatre Seats
[Bram Stoker]. Oscar Wilde Autograph Letter Signed. One page, 5.75" x 7.5", [London], n. d. [circa 1880], to fellow Irishman and Dracula author, Bram Stoker. In full: "I am anxious to accompany you friend to the Lyceum tonight. If you could place a seat anywhere at my disposal I would be very much obliged." Smoothed folds show slight separation at the edges. One small .75" tear at the left edge does not affect the text.Oscar Wilde first met Bram Stoker, seven years his senior, at his parent's house in Dublin. Stoker, then a student at Trinity College, attended the literary parties hosted by Wilde's mother, herself a poet, and the two men became friends. The friendship, however, was nearly torn apart when Stoker married aspiring actress Florence Balcombe in 1878.
For two years (beginning in 1876), Balcombe had been involved in a serious relationship with (and possibly engaged to) the young Oscar Wilde. At the time, Wilde was living abroad in England, attending Magdalen College (Oxford University), and rarely returned to Ireland. In the meantime, Stoker, a civil servant, had been appointed business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London -- an appointment which may have been the determining factor in Balcombe's acceptance of the marriage proposal. No records appear to exist which contain any hint of how Stoker and Balcombe met and courted. Nevertheless, the two were married in 1878 and moved to London to take up his position at the Lyceum, leaving Wilde dejected. However, as this letter illustrates, within the course of a few years Wilde overcame his heartbreak and forgave Stoker.
Auction Info
2014 April 3 Historical Manuscripts Signature Auction - New York #6113 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
April, 2014
3rd
Thursday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 5
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 4,589
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% on the first $100,000 (minimum $14), plus 20% of any amount between $100,000 and $1,000,000, plus 12% of any amount over $1,000,000 per lot.
Shipping, Taxes, Terms and Bidding
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms
Important information concerning Sales Tax and Resale Certificates. Learn More
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms