A decade before gaining fame as the director of the horror classics Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, and The Bride of Frankenstein, James Whale (1889–1957) made a name for himself in the British theatre as a set and costume designer. After suffering a series of strokes and with his career long in eclipse, Whale committed suicide by throwing himself into his swimming pool at the age of sixty-seven. Original signed pencil and ink wash sketch of actor Frank Irish in character as “Giddy’un Welles” in the play Abraham Lincoln: Behind the Footlights, on an off-white 7 x 9 sheet, signed with Whale’s “JW” monogram and dated “’20.” In fine condition. R&R COA.
