Vintage original 8 x 10 in. US double-weight matte candid photograph taken in 1916 during the production of an unidentified silent flim starring MARY MILES MINTER.
She is depicted in front of a rustic house with a dog standing next to a 35mm motion picture camera with the director (holding a script) and other crew members with various others in the background.Handwritten on the verso in pencil is noted "At Mrs. Sanssee's (?) home - Savannah, GA Dec. 23, 1916." It is in fine- condition.
*"Mary Miles Minter (born Juliet Reilly; April 25, 1902 – August 4, 1984) was an American actress. She appeared in 53 silent films from 1912 to 1923. In 1922, Minter was involved in a scandal surrounding the murder of director William Desmond Taylor, for whom she professed her love. Although gossip implicated her mother, former actress Charlotte Shelby, as the murderer, Minter's reputation was tarnished, and she gave up her film career in 1923.
In her screen debut, in which she was billed as Juliet Shelby, she appeared in the 1-reel short film The Nurse (1912). Her new stage name was applied, and Minter starred in the role as Viola Drayton, the fairy, in the 5-reel drama The Fairy and the Waif (1915). Minter's career steadily grew after that. She specialized in playing demure young women. With her photogenic features, blue eyes, and blonde curls, she emulated and later rivaled Mary Pickford.
Her first movie for director William Desmond Taylor was Anne of Green Gables (1919). It was well-received, and Taylor actively promoted Minter. According to Minter, a romantic relationship developed between them. However, Minter (who had grown up fatherless) said Taylor had reservations from the outset and later curtailed the romance, citing their 30-year age difference. Other people who knew Taylor and Minter said he never reciprocated her feelings."
*(source: Wikipedia)
3RB