Highly rare vintage matte-finish 7x9-inch sepia-tone portrait, shown in western attire with a cigarette adangle between his fingers and his horse, Silver, in the background, boldly signed and inscribed in black fountain pen during his silent movie heyday. A small gouge along the left edge and three borders trimmed down for framing purposes; otherwise, in fine condition for a piece that is nearly a century old. Buck Jones was one of the great "B" movie cowboys of the silent and early talkie eras, probably best known for the Rough Riders series. In 1942, the seemingly indestructible star was being honored by Monogram Pictures with a dinner at Boston's fabled Coconut Grove when the now infamous fire broke out which burned it to the ground. The conflagration consumed 492 patrons, leaving the actor, who had been trapped inside, severely injured. He died in the hospital two days later at the age of 50 and his autograph is highly elusive in any format.

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