Francisco 'Pancho' Villa Signed Photograph

Extremely rare matte-finish 6.75 x 10.75 photo of Villa in full uniform, prominently signed in ink, "Francisco Villa." Reverse bears a collector's notation in pencil, "Given to Maj. Aultman by Villa-1915. They had met while then Maj. Aultman was at Fort Bliss, Texas." In very good condition, with trimmed edges, clipped corner tips, a small repaired tear to top edge, and a fleck of surface loss to the left of the signature. This portrait shows Villa during the Mexican Revolution around the time he was making the autobiographical film The Life of General Villa with D. W. Griffith. The unusual film incorporated authentic footage from actual battles and staged scenes and starred Pancho Villa himself. Extremely rare in this format, this is the first signed photograph of the revolutionary we have offered.