[Literature] Twain, Mark (Samuel Clemens), Photograph

[Literature] Twain, Mark (Samuel Clemens)
Photograph, signed
New York: 1907. Gelatin silver print, depicting a seated Clemens in his signature white flannel suit; signed by Clemens [“Mark Twain”] below image. Copyright statement in the negative: “Copyrighted By/A. F. Bradley/New York 1907”. Hinge mounted. Moderately foxed and toned, especially to blank margins; signature slightly browned but clear and legible. Frame: 15 x 11 1/2 in. (38 x 29.2 cm); image: 9 3/8 x 6 1/2 in. (23.8 x 16.5 cm) (by sight). In frame.
This photograph is part of a series of portraits of Samuel Clemens (1835-1910) -- known to his readers as Mark Twain -- taken by New York photographer A. F. Bradley, arranged by George Wharton James, to benefit the California poet laureate Ina Coolbrith after she lost her home in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Clemens, a former resident of San Francisco, had been outspoken about the need for aid in the area, and after encouragement from James, agreed to sign copies of his portraits to be sold to raise funds for Coolbrith. Although he was initially reluctant to participate, Clemens later said that some of BradleyÂ’s portraits were among the finest photos ever taken of himself.