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Extensive ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ photograph archive from the personal collection of Nell May Barrow, the older sister of Clyde Barrow, an American outlaw from Texas who, with his girlfriend and accomplice, Bonnie Parker, committed several bank robberies and murders during the ‘public enemy era’ of the Great Depression. The archive comprises five photo and scrapbook albums containing approximately 600 photographs of the Barrow family, their friends, and neighbors, with between 50 and 60 examples depicting Bonnie and Clyde, several of which undoubtedly once belonged to Clyde Barrow. Some of the offered photos were used as illustrations in the 1934 biography Fugitives: The Story of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, which was co-authored by Nellie Barrow and Emma Parker, Bonnie’s mother.
The photograph albums are as follows:
Publisher's ‘dummy’ of the book Fugitives: The Story of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, 5.25 x 7.75, which has been repurposed as a photo album and contains over 125 period photographs, approximately 40 of which picture Bonnie and/or Clyde, with several others showing brother Marvin ‘Buck’ Barrow (and wife Blanche) and numerous gang members, such as Raymond Hamilton, W. D. Jones, and Henry Methvyn, the likely betrayer of Bonnie & Clyde. The photos, most approximately 3 x 4 or 4 x 3, are either glued or taped into the album.
Red cord-bound photograph album, 13.25 x 10.25, containing over 260 photographs dating from the 1930s and 1940s. The album features four photos of Clyde Barrow, one of his brother Buck, and numerous gang members. Also of note is a portrait of Nell, which she has signed and inscribed to her brother, “To Clyde, with love, your sis, Nell.” The inclusion of the latter photo is a strong indication that some of the photos were the personal property of Clyde Barrow himself. The photos, several of which picture Nell, are taped onto the album pages.
Suede-covered photo album with bull and matador illustration, 7.75 x 5.25, holding over 80 snapshots dating from the 1925-1931 period. The album features two photos of Clyde Barrow (one of him in front of a bullet-riddled traffic sign, and another posing in front of a Buick ‘Tulsa’ automobile), as well as photos of Nell and Clyde’s parents. The album was a souvenir from a trip to Villa Acuna, Mexico.
Brown string-bound photo album that was formerly the property of Millie Hale, 8 x 6, featuring over 110 photos, many colorized, which also includes several tintypes. The photographs, which appear to date from World War I to the early 1940s, include one 2 x 3 photo of a young Clyde Barrow dressed as a clown with two friends, as well as four photos of Clyde's father, Henry Basil Barrow. Some of the images may depict Hollis Hale, a member of the Bonnie and Clyde gang.
Also included is a vintage string-bound scrapbook, 10.25 x 12.75, containing over 40 pages of period newspaper clippings related to 1930s criminals like Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger, apparently assembled in 1934; 30+ pages feature articles on Bonnie and Clyde, and eight pages harbor clippings on Dillinger. Other items in the scrapbook include a photo of the exterior of the Capitol Theater in Dallas showing a film on the 'Barrow-Parker Killing,' Clyde Barrow's fingerprint card, a photo of Bonnie and Clyde kissing, an image of the six "Officers Who Brought Down Bonnie and Clyde,” two photos of the bullet-riddled getaway car, and more. In overall very good to fine condition.
