Extremely rare 7.5 x 10-inch sepia-tone portrait by Obndo of Los Angeles, boldly signed in white fountain pen, circa 1916. In good condition, with diagonal trimming to all four corners and a few flecks of soiling.  Note that the image of the star shown here alongside the scan of the autographed piece is not actually included.  After appearing in films like The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), Salome (1922), Camille (1926), and West of Zanzibar (1928) with Lon Chaney, lovely French-born silent movie actress Rose Dione was increasingly relegated to character roles during the talkie era, perhaps due to her heavy accent and advancing age.  Among these were important parts in a number of horror, sci-fi and fantasy classics, most notably Trilby's mother in Archie Mayo's Svengali (1931) and Madame Tetrallini, loving caretaker of the side show flock, in Tod Browning's Freaks (1932).  For collectors of autographs related to the latter film, Dione's signature is one of the most essential and elusive.  We have seen two in three decades.

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