A decade before gaining fame as the director of the horror classics, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, and The Bride of Frankenstein, James Whale made a name for himself in the British theatre as a set and costume designer. After a series of strokes left Whale physically weak, he committed suicide by throwing himself into his swimming pool on May 29, 1957. Because his suicide note was withheld until after his lover James Lewis’ death, Whale's death was shrouded in mystery for many years. Original vintage pen and ink drawing of a man in a grey suit smoking a cigar, labeled “Vernon Crabtree as ‘Seward’” on an off-white 7 x 9.25 sheet, signed “J. Whale 1920” in pencil. In fine condition, with show through in margins from adhesive residue on reverse, easily matted out. R&R COA.
