Irreplaceable, absolutely fantastic vintage glossy 7.5 x 9.25-inch costume portrait for 1931's horror classic The Black Cat, boldly signed in fountain pen in the 1950s for inveterate collector Harry Wilkinson of the Hollywood Museum of Memories in Marblehead, Massachusetts, as noted with rubber stamp markings to the verso. Previously sold at RR Auction. In fine condition, with some scattered light surface marks and creases, and lightly trimmed edges. This photo dates to the year Karloff first became a box office draw, with Frankenstein (1931). Sinister-looking English stage and film star Boris Karloff will forever be associated with his portrayals of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and The Son of Frankenstein (1939), and Imhotep in The Mummy (1932). He was equally terrifying as the mesmerist in The Bells (1926), Abdul in Lionel Barrymore’s The Unholy Night (1929), Fedor’s father in The Mad Genius (1931), Jim Henderson in Behind the Mask (1932), the titular evil genius in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), deranged Morgan in The Old Dark House (1932), Professor Morlant in The Ghoul (1933), Hjalmar Poelzig in The Black Cat (1934), Edmond Bateman in The Raven (1935), Dr. Rukh in The Invisible Ray (1936), John Ellman in The Walking Dead (1936), Dr. Laurience in The Man Who Lived Again (1936), David Mallory in Night Key (1937), Mr. Jevries in The Invisible Menace (1938), Mord in Tower of London (1939), James Lee Wong in The Fatal Hour (1940), Dr. Kravaal in The Man with Nine Lives (1940), Dr. Garth in Before I Hang (1940), Dr. Adrian in The Ape (1940), Judge Mainwaring in You’ll Find Out (1940), Dr. Blair in The Devil Commands (1941), Professor Billings in The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942), Dr. Hohner in The Climax (1944), Dr. Niemann inHouse of Frankenstein (1944), cabman John Gray in The Body Snatcher (1945), General Pherides inIsle of the Dead (1945), Master Sims in Bedlam (1946), Voltan in The Strange Door (1951), Dr. Meissen in The Black Castle (1952), the title mad scientist in Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953), Don Gaetano in Il Mostro del Isola (1954), Phillip Knight in Voodoo Island(1957), James Rankin in The Haunted Strangler (1958), Baron von Frankenstein in Frankenstein— 1970 (1958), Dr. Bolton in Corridors of Blood(1958), Dr. Scarabus in The Raven (1963), Baron Von Leppe in The Terror (1963), Amos Hinchely in The Comedy of Terrors (1963), Nahum Witley in Die, Monster, Die! (1965), The Corpse in The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966), Professor Monserrat in The Sorcerers (1967), Matthias Morteval in House of Evil (1968), Dr. Mandel in The Fear Chamber (1968), Professor Marsh in Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968), Franz Badulescu in Blind Man’s Bluff (1970), Carl Van Molder in Isle of the Snake People (1971), and Professor Mayer in Alien Terror (1971), as well as on stage as Captain Hook in "Peter Pan" and Jonathan Brewster in "Arsenic and Old Lace."

• Tweet