Destruction (Fox, 1915). Very Good- on Linen. Three Sheet (40.25" X 81.5").. ...

Description

Destruction (Fox, 1915). Very Good- on Linen. Three Sheet (40.25" X 81.5").
From 1915 to 1919, the character of Theda Bara was the image of the lethal vampire, the insatiable seductress of displaced female desire, the conflation of sex and depravity when women were under the thumb of rigid expectations of moral and social behavior: it was madly irresistible. Fox didn't just recreate her identity from the ashes of an exhausted career on the stage, it made her a creature of the underworld, and cloaked her in mysteries. In Destruction (presumed lost), from her breakout year 1915, Bara plays a temptress who marries a Pennsylvania foundry owner who she conspires to kill, nearly poisons her stepson then nearly destroys the town before being engulfed herself. Though her character was beyond redemption, Destruction proved to be a box office bonanza that solidified her as femme fatale supreme. This one-sheet is offered for the first time by Heritage, and is almost surely the only surviving example of this poster and perhaps the only surviving poster of any kind from this movie. Professional restoration addressed paper loss, tears, chips, pinholes, and the lower horizontal fold line was cracked and creased through the linen. Touchup was applied to the lettering, the face of the rear figure and background and parts of the central image were replaced and painted, the upper right corner tip was replaced, and the borders were replaced and airbrushed.


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