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Vintage original 4.75 x 4.75 in. personal Christmas card signed by the famous African-American vaudevillian and motion picture actor, Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry, better known by his screen name of "Stepin Fetchit." The card features a nativity scene on the front cover that opens to reveal a scene of the Three Wise Men on the left and a printed message on the right. This Christmas card was signed in ballpoint pen by Stepin Fetchit beneath the printed interior caption. The back cover is blank. It is in very fine- condition without any tears, creases, stains, or other flaws.
Silent Cinema Inc. (the seller here) guarantees the authenticity of Stepin Fetchit's signature.
Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry (May 30, 1902 – November 19, 1985), better known by the stage name "Stepin Fetchit," was an American vaudevillian, comedian, and film actor of Jamaican and Bahamian descent, considered to be the first Black actor to have a successful film career. His highest profile was during the 1930's in films and on stage, when his persona of Stepin Fetchit was billed as the "Laziest Man in the World." Perry parlayed the Fetchit persona into a successful film career, becoming the first Black actor to earn $1 million and the first Black actor to receive featured screen credit in a film. His film career slowed after 1939 and nearly stopped altogether after 1953. Around that time, Black Americans began to see his Stepin Fetchit persona as an embarrassing and harmful anachronism, echoing negative stereotypes. However, the Stepin Fetchit character has undergone a re-evaluation by some scholars in recent times, who view him as an embodiment of the trickster archetype. |