British-born film director (1889-1957) who helmed such horror classics as Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man. After a series of strokes left Whale physically weak, he committed suicide by throwing himself into his swimming pool. Fantastic original costume sketch of a tall man in a handsome suit, clutching his lapels, accomplished in graphite and watercolor on an off-white 6.5 x 8.5 sheet by Whale, who signs below, "J. Whale—1920," and adds a character notation to the left side, "Cyprian Matthews as 'William Tucker.'" Nicely double-matted and framed to an overall size of 13 x 15. In fine condition, with a few faint stains along the edges.
A decade before his debut in cinema, Whale had garnered acclaim for himself as a set and costume designer on the British theater scene. Having enlisted in the army during World War I and commissioned a second lieutenant, he was captured and made a prisoner of war in 1917. It was during this imprisonment that Whale discovered a flare for staging theatrical productions, leading him to an eventual encounter with Frankenstein's monster. Whale's autograph remains quite rare in any form, making this original sketch a particularly desirable example.
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