Lot # 32 - Alvin & Geary Playbills – Barretts of Wimpole St. (Cornell Tour)

Alvin & Geary Playbills – Barretts of Wimpole St. (Cornell Tour)

This exceptional auction set includes two authentic Playbills from the landmark production of The Barretts of Wimpole Street, as brought to life by Katharine Cornell, America’s “First Lady of the Theatre.” The set features one Playbill from the original 1931 Broadway run at New York’s Alvin Theatre, and another from the Geary Theatre in San Francisco, part of Cornell’s celebrated national tour that sustained the play’s romantic legacy well into the mid-1930s.

The Alvin Playbill presents Cornell in a contemplative pose by a curtained window, symbolizing Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poetic solitude. The Geary Playbill, printed under the title The Playgoer, showcases a sepia-toned image of Cornell alongside Brian Aherne, who originated the role of Robert Browning during the Broadway run. These editions reflect two vital moments in theatrical history: the original New York staging and its continued cultural resonance across America.

The original cast featured Katharine Cornell as Elizabeth Barrett, Brian Aherne as Robert Browning, and Charles Waldron as Edward Moulton-Barrett. The touring company, particularly in its West Coast engagements, notably included Wilfrid Lawson—acclaimed for his later portrayal of Edward Moulton-Barrett in London’s 1935 Piccadilly Theatre production—who contributed a commanding presence to Cornell’s extended run. Other distinguished performers across the tour and Broadway included Edith Barrett, Mabel Terry-Lewis, Ruth Weston, John Williams, Earle Larimore, and Robert Flemyng, each lending dramatic depth to the Barrett family’s emotionally charged household.

Direction was helmed by Guthrie McClintic, whose artistic collaboration with Cornell helped define early 20th-century American theater. Sets were crafted by the legendary Jo Mielziner, while period costumes were designed by Valentina, bringing understated elegance to Victorian silhouettes. Lighting, credited to the pioneering Jean Rosenthal, added atmospheric brilliance to the show’s intimate staging. Robert Downing served as stage manager, with production oversight by John Golden. Both Cornell and McClintic acted as producers, coordinating creative and logistical execution with casting director Theresa Helburn, press representatives Richard Maney and John Peter Toohey, and advertising firm B.H.S. Productions.

These Playbills are not reproductions but original printings in monochrome ink, saddle-stitched and impeccably preserved. Representing the verified production—not a generalized revival or touring approximation—this set is a premier offering for collectors of theatrical ephemera, admirers of Katharine Cornell, and historians chronicling romantic drama’s golden age.

The Barretts of Wimpole Street: 11 3/4" x 8 3/4

The Playgoer: 8 3/4" x 5 3/4"

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