Argentine-born Marxist political activist (1928–1967) who played a central role as Fidel Castro’s most trusted associate during the Cuban Revolution. After serving in various positions in Castro’s government, Guevara organized and led guerrilla efforts to overthrow the corrupt regimes of the Congo and Bolivia. Captured during a 1967 campaign in Bolivia, he was executed on the following day and instantly attained status as a martyr and one of the most revered and influential political revolutionaries of the twentieth century. Very scarce and striking vintage glossy 8 x 10 close-up photo, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “Para Dulce Maria Loinaz, Revolucionariamente, Patria o muerte, Venceremos [To Dulce Maria Loinaz, revolutionarily, the motherland or death, we will win], Che.” The original recipient, Dulce Maria Loinaz (1902–1997), takes a place among the greatest figures in Cuban literature. Best known for her poetry, she virtually ceased writing for three decades, beginning with Castro’s ascent to power in 1959, during the period of the most repressive ideological restrictions upon the arts in Cuba. By the mid-1980s her work enjoyed a widespread renaissance, and in 1992 she was awarded the Cervantes Prize, the highest honor in Spanish-language literature. A touch of mild wear at corners, scattered faint spots to emulsion (visible mainly from an angle), and small flaw to forehead area of negative, otherwise fine condition. Signed photos of Ché are extremely uncommon; those with an association of such interest and significance are virtually unobtainable. LOA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
