Remarkable collection of approximately 295 original artists’ caricatures which hung in the legendary Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, each signed by the subject, circa 1930s–1980s. The Brown Derby, which originally opened in 1926 (with other locations to follow), was one of America’s most famous examples of “novelty” architecture. In keeping with the freewheeling, fantasy-driven spirit of the early film industry, the original restaurant was built in the shape of a large hat and became an instant Tinseltown landmark. Beyond the building itself, though, the Derby became best known as the archetypical Hollywood hot spot—a place where mere mortals might catch a glimpse of suave Cary Grant enjoying a drink with Gary Cooper at the bar, or spy glamorous Hedy Lamarr ducking into the “powder room” with Bette Davis. At the dawn of Hollywood’s Golden Age, there were few signs that one had truly “made it” in showbiz so potent and visible as enshrinement, in caricature, on the Brown Derby’s wall. (Entertainment historians will note that footprints in cement first appeared at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in 1927, a year after the Brown Derby opened, while stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame were first installed in 1960). The present group of caricatures, which vividly recalls this long and esteemed tradition, were originally owned by our Walter and Elisabeth Scharfe, who bought the Hollywood Brown Derby in 1975. Though this last survivor of the original “Derbies” finally closed its doors on April 3, 1985, the restaurant has earned a permanent place in the pantheon of Hollywood legend. The caricatures span the period from circa 1930s to the mid-1980s and represent the work of four different artists (who, along with the respective celebrities, have also signed the caricatures): “Vitch,” “Zel,” “Pancho,” and Jack Lane, whose tenure as the Derby’s resident caricaturist began in the 1940s and lasted some four decades. The caricatures are executed primarily in ink, ink wash, and watercolor, with occasional touches of color. Many are inscribed to the restaurant itself or to one of the Cobbs, the original proprietors. Some signers have singled out two menu items in particular: grapefruit cake, a dessert favorite, and Cobb salad, a spur-of-the-moment invention by Bob Cobb that became one of the restaurant’s signature dishes. A number of caricatures can be seen in situ in the book The Brown Derby: A Hollywood Legend, by Sally Wright Cobb and Mark Willems (Rizzoli, 1996). The condition of the individual items ranges from fair to fine, the majority of the items rating about very good, with staining, soiling, and handling wear to some examples. Most exhibit some degree of toning, ranging from slight to heavy, with chips and tears to some of the older examples. Many exhibit water staining, mainly to the bottom edge, in some cases affecting the signature; the consignor notes that this resulted largely from the lack of air conditioning in the restuarant, which allowed humidity to build up behind the glass. (Where a fault has specifically and materially affected an important signature—i.e., by a significant signer, with significant value—this is so noted.) Many of the faults can be minimized, and in some cases, completely hidden, by proper matting and framing. The entire group comes with an R&R COA
