Research Catalog

Gertrude Selby photographs and ephemera

Title
Gertrude Selby photographs and ephemera, 1910s-1978.
Author
Selby, Gertrude, 1895-

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Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Mixed materialSupervised use *T-Vim 2018-014Performing Arts Research Collections - Theatre

Details

Additional Authors
  • Hartsook.
  • Mojonier.
  • Witzel Studios.
  • Evans Studio (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Description
.25 linear feet (1 box)
Summary
  • Gertrude O. Selby was born on November 7, 1895 in Philadelphia, Penn., to parents who had immigrated from Sweden. By 1905 she was living with her family in New York City. She began her performing career in vaudeville before making her debut as a silent-film comedienne in 1914 with Henry Lehrman's L-KO Studios. She was most closely associated with the L-KO company and Fox Sunshine Comedies. Among Selby's best-known films are A Child of Mystery (1916), The Double Room Mystery (1917), and Kidder and Ko (1918). On October 28, 1919, she married wealthy Chicago businessman Townsend Netcher and retired from performing. She divorced Netcher in 1928 and lived in Barcelona, Spain, from 1933 to 1936 and in Paris, France, from 1936 to 1939. Selby returned to the United States in 1939, living for a time with her mother in Los Angeles, but returning to New York City by at least the late 1940s. In 1953 she married Georges Gachet and remained in New York City until at least 1967. The place and date of her death are not known at this time, although the last dated photograph of her in this collection is from 1978 in New York City.
  • The collection is primarily comprised of many black and white portrait photographs of Selby during her film career in the 1910s, with a small group of candid black and white and color photographs showing her during the 1950s and 1960s, with one dated portrait of Selby is from March 1978. Additionally, there are film stills from the November 1914 L-KO film LIZZIE'S ESCAPE, depicting Selby with Billie Ritchie and Henry "Pathe" Lehrman; the March 1915 L-KO film ROUGH BUT ROMANTIC, depicting Selby with Alice Howell; the April 1915 L-KO film UNDER THE TABLE, depicting Selby with Hank Mann, Eva Nelson, Reggie Morris, and Budd Ross; the January 1916 L-KO film PANTS AND PETTICOATS; and the June 1916 L-KO film DIRTY WORK IN A BEANERY, depicting Selby with Gene Rogers, David Morris, and Reggie Morris. There are also two portait photographs of actress Mabel Normand, including one publicity portrait from her 1920 film PINTO. Lastly, there is a small group of personal and business papers, including a 1919 telgram from Townsend Netcher to Selby, a 1937 lease for an apartment in Paris, a 1938 investment account statement, a financial statement circa 1950s that provides some biographical and family information, and two 1960s postcards, one addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Georges Gachet in New York City.
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • Photographs.
  • Postcards.
Access (note)
  • Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.
Terms of Use (note)
  • The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Theatre Division at theatre@nypl.org.
Source (note)
  • Joshua Brown
Call Number
*T-Vim 2018-014
Author
Selby, Gertrude, 1895-
Title
Gertrude Selby photographs and ephemera, 1910s-1978.
Restricted Access
Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.
Terms Of Use
The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Theatre Division at theatre@nypl.org.
Source
Gift: Joshua Brown, 2018.
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Added Author
Hartsook. Photographer
Mojonier. Photographer
Witzel Studios.
Evans Studio (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Research Call Number
*T-Vim 2018-014
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