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Magnificent and early vintage pearl-finish 7.25 x 9.25 head-and-shoulders photo of the 27-year-old Hemingway, taken by Helen Breaker, signed and inscribed in white ink 'To Whitney Darrow, with very best wishes, Ernest Hemingway.' Under his signature, Hemingway adds, 'This picture slightly cock-eyed.' In fine condition, with some scattered light surface marks and scratches, small chip of surface loss to top right corner, Hemingway’s notation light, but legible, and some mild silvering, primarily to edges.
This well-known image was captured by Breaker in Paris in 1928, with the pose accompanying the story in a May 1929 edition of Scribner Magazine. Darrow, the original recipient, was Scribner’s head of publicity—and a man who had a famously adversarial relationship with the author, failing to see the literary merit of Hemingway’s works. Hemingway did not view himself as an entrepreneurial author and viewed book royalties as a small bonus for writing—a point with which Darrow, as a marketer who created Hemingway’s image as an adventurer, also disagree. As fantastic as this early image is, perhaps more fascinating is Hemingway’s cryptic note, 'This picture slightly cock-eyed'...a literal reference to his slightly askew stance, or perhaps (one could imagine) slang for drunkenness—perhaps his physical state during the photo session! Regardless, Hemingway is among the most famous novelists in the English language—a man still idolized by readers, envied by fellow writers, and adored by many for the romantic lifestyle that he created for himself. This photo and its interesting message certainly captures the mystique of Papa in his prime. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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