Unique and rare archive of material from the estate of Sean Flynn's mother, actress Lili Damita, comprising five ALSs from Sean, a silk fabric banner sent home from Southeast Asia shortly before his disappearance, several unsigned photos of Flynn and Damita, two of Sean’s yearbooks, an Army-issued silk field map, eight bracelets, two t-shirts, and Lili's passport.
The ALSs are all written to his mother, signed "Sean," totaling nine pages, with four dated or postmarked 1958 and one undated. A letter postmarked April 4, 1958, in part: "I just want to say 'thanks' for home, the car, and just the fact that you are the best mother that I could ever want; and although you never hear me say it, I love you very much! I actually tried to be with you a lot but everything just didn't seem to go together…But I'll be back in 10 weeks from this damned intrusion on nature and I hope to get a job…with some construction company—It pays about $50 a week which is very good for this type of work. This is all I want to be happy and I know it will work. If father and M.G.M. want me to do a picture, they can all go to hell—I just want to be with my family." In a letter from ten days later, Flynn again mentions that he hopes to get a job "loading cement" and that he has been considering what sort of car he wants, "something like an MG or Triumph is best because of their very low depreciation." In another letter he informs her of his poor grades at school and the date of his flight home, remarking that its "not soon enough. Just to get away from this awful depressing place with its horrible people." Three of the letters include their original mailing envelopes. Also includes three telegrams sent by Flynn, one on special 'Greetings on Mother's Day' letterhead.
One of the more remarkable items is a beautiful red silk banner with fine gold embroidery, 27 x 20, sent as a gift to his mother during his time in southeast Asia—the trip from which he would not return—including its original hand-addressed mailing package postmarked 1969. Also includes a note in the hand of Lili Damita noting that the piece was "My son Sean's gift to me from Vientianne, Laos, May & June 1969." The other silk item is a map headed "AAF Cloth Map—Asiatic Series," 25.5 x 20, with one side labeled "No. 34, Southeast China" and the other labeled "No. 35, Northeast China." Additional text in the border notes: "For use by War and Navy Department Agencies only, Not for sale or distribution."
The selection of photos includes nineteen small photos, mostly made up of candids depicting either Sean or Lili, and three large 8 x 10 portraits of Sean. Some highlights of these are images such as Sean posing with his camera, a few of him as a very young child, an early Christmas card, one of him feeding a leaping dolphin, several Kodacolor snapshots of Sean outdoors as a young man, and a few of Lili at parties. Two passport-style portraits of Lili are also present, each boldly signed along the bottom in fountain pen, "Liliane Marie M. Flynn." Of the three larger portraits of Sean, two are of him as a very young man and presented in 10.5 x 12.5 mats, and one shows him a bit later around the beginning of his career as a photojournalist.
Another highlight of the collection are two of Flynn's yearbooks for the years 1959 and 1960 at the Lawrenceville School, one impressed in gold with his name on the cover, "Sean Leslie Thomas Flynn." The 1960 yearbook was signed and inscribed to him by several of his classmates and depicts Flynn on page 82.
Also includes a fine selection of scarce material related to the search for Sean Flynn, including six copper and two stainless steel "P.O.W—M.I.A." bracelets engraved "Sean Flynn, 4-6-1970," distributed by the VIVA (Voices In Vital America) organization, all in their original packaging with donation cards. Included with these is a note to Loomis from a VIVA organizer and the original mailing package addressed to Damita's husband, Allen Loomis, and postmarked 1974, with an affixed 'Whatever Happened to Sean Flynn?' bumper sticker. The note, in part: "Enclosed are the first of Sean's bracelets…I have been in touch with Time Magazine and many of their staff have ordered Sean's bracelet. They say it's very personal with them." Also included are two unworn t-shirts with the 'Where is Sean Flynn?' logo, sizes medium and large.
A final highlight of the archive is Lili Damita's personal passport, number 2078970, issued on April 21, 1960. The passport is signed on both the page detailing her personal information and at the bottom of her passport photo. It was extensively used, bearing visa stamps from countries such as France, Hong Kong, Thailand, India, Philippines, Lebanon, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Also includes a black leather passport wallet gilt-stamped "Lili," as well as the personal passport of Damita's second husband Allen Loomis. Also accompanied by Damita's personally-owned and -used travel trunk.
In overall very good to fine condition. Accompanied by several clipped newspapers and magazine articles pertaining to Flynn and his disappearance. Before Flynn became a freelance photojournalist—and contrary to his strong opinions expressed in a letter to his mother—he did pursue somewhat of an acting career and had already appeared in an episode of his father’s television program, The Errol Flynn Theatre, in 1956. He would later film a scene in his friend George Hamilton’s 1960 film Where The Boys are, and took roles in a few other films throughout the 1960s. Having become bored with acting, he left for Africa in late 1964 to try his hand as a guide for safaris and big-game hunting. He soon turned to photojournalism and arrived in South Vietnam in 1966 and made a name for himself with his coverage of the dangerous war zone published around the world. Flynn traveled to Cambodia in 1970 when news broke of North Vietnamese advances into the country. On April 6, 1970, he was on his way to Phnom Penh with fellow photographer Dana Stone when they were captured by Viet Cong soldiers at a highway checkpoint—the pair were never seen or heard from again. While it is now believed that they were held captive for a year and executed in June 1971, Lili Damita went to tremendous lengths in a years-long search for her son that proved futile and had him declared legally dead in 1984. Material related to Sean Flynn is very rare and with such a close personal association as material from his mother’s estate this is a truly extraordinary collection.
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