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Salome; A Tragedy in One Act by Oscar Wilde. Inventions by John Vassos

About the Item

New York: E. P. Dutton, 1930. John Vassos. 2nd Edition. Small 4to, 9 1/8 x 7 1/8 (232 x 180 mm); 57 pp. Frontispiece plus 15 monochrome illustrations by John Vassos, each preceded by an unnumbered page with facing caption. Black boards with the title gilt stamped on the front board and backstrip, decorative black and gold endpapers with Vassos design. The backstrip is faded, and the front board is also lightly discolored at the edges. No dust-jacket. Armorial bookplate of Soldati Hubbard De Veaux pasted into verso of the free front endpaper. Oscar Wilde began writing this one-act tragedy in Paris in 1891. It depicts the story of Princess Salome, stepdaughter of Herod Anitpas, her dance of the seven veils; the execution of John at Salome's instigation. The play was originally published in French (1893) and in English only one year later. Wilde submitted the play to the leading French actress Sarah Bernhardt, who accepted it for production in her 1892 season at the Royal English Opera House, in London, but because the play depicted biblical characters it was banned in Britain and was not performed publicly there until 1931. This edition is accompanied by the haunting and elegant art-deco illustrations of John Vassos (1898 – 1985) whose career as an American artist and industrial designer helped define the shape of radio, television, broadcasting equipment, and computers for the Radio Corporation of America for almost four decades. He is best known for both his art deco illustrated books and iconic turnstile for the Perey company, as well as modern radios, broadcast equipment, and televisions for RCA. He was a founder of the Industrial Designers Society of America, in 1965, serving as its first chairman.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 9.13 in (23.2 cm)Width: 7.13 in (18.12 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1930
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Middletown, NY
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: BH14481stDibs: LU8340240494562

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