Highly rare and absolutely magnificent vintage 8x10-inch black and white portrait, striking an iconic pose in her heyday and wearing her trademark peek-a-boo hairdo, boldly signed in red-brown rollerball-type pen in-person near her New York City home in the 1970s, not long before her death. In good condition, accompanied by an auction house letter from the third-party authentication service J.S.A., and perfect for framing and display. Gorgeous leading lady, singer and pin-up started out in bit roles in forgettable films of the late 1930s and early 1940s, billed as Constance Keane. In 1941, she landed a speaking role in I Wanted Wings, for which Paramount changed her name to Veronica Lake and contrived her trademark peekaboo hairdo. Audiences adored everything about her-- her acting, her smoky voice, her unique style-- and a star was born. She went on to star in Hold Back the Dawn (1941), Sullivan's Travels (1941), This Gun for Hire (1942), the horror-themed comedy I Married a Witch (1942), The Glass Key (1942), So Proudly We Hail! (1943), and The Blue Dahlia (1946), after which her career inexplicably fizzled. In 1973, the blonde beauty died tragically of hepatitis, aged only 50. Her autograph is highly sought and rather elusive in authentic format.

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