GERSHWIN PORGY AND BESS ORIGINAL 1935 PRODUCTION STAGE THEATRE B&W PHOTO

Description

Original 5x8 photograph of live performance of PORGY AND BESS by theatrical photographer Richard Tucker, probably 1935. This would have been taken either in New York or Boston, where the production had its tryout on September 30, 1935 at the Colonial Theatre. The New York production on Broadway premiered at the Alvin Theatre on October 10,1935. Please see the biography of the photographer below for more information. He tended not to travel far from home as he was disabled, so this photo could likely be from the Boston tryout.
The actors shown are Warren Coleman as Crown at center, with Todd Duncan (Porgy) and Anne Brown (Bess) on the left side of the photo, and Ruby Elzy (Serena) and Georgette Harvey (Maria) on the right, among others. Text on reverse of photo appears as follows:
"Crown upbraiding the people for their fears of the hurricane" (handwritten)
"Porgy and Bess at the left" (handwritten)
Actual performance photograph by Richard Tucker (stamp)
Richard H. Tucker
Theatrical Photographs
24 Phillips St., Boston  (stamp)
Culver Service
Photos Research
205 E. 42nd St. New York City
Tel. MUrray Hill 4-5054 (tag)
Also includes sticker from previous re-seller.
Condition is excellent. No discoloration, fading, tears or folds.
About the photographer and his photographs:
Richard H. Tucker, Jr.
Time Period:
1931-1951
Location:
Boston
Biography:
(1895-1958)
Dick Tucker in Boston, along with John F. O'Reilly in New York, pioneered the documentary photography of theatrical performances. Using a Leica camera with high shutter speed he captured shows as they took place using received light. His willingness to eschew the set ups standard to scene stills as taken by Tommy Vandamm, Alfredo Valente, and Ira D. Schwarz perhaps reflects his entry into theatrical photography from another field—architecture. It might also be because Tucker was partially crippled, and not as mobile as his contemporaries.
Tucker worked at design for seven years on both sides of the Atlantic, but the collapse of the economy in 1930 saw the evaporation of projects. He scarcely managed to support himself. He began taking in his spare moments photographs of theaters he attended. By 1933 he had mastered his peculiar kind of image, rich in shadow, from the audience member's POV. When he attempted to place the picture with editors in order to supplement his income, he was surprised to see that
Town & Country
,
Stage,
and
Vogue
were eager clients. Based in Boston, Tucker found that New York editors craved images from the tryout runs of productions scheduled to launch on Broadway.
While the primary body of material Tucker produced was composed of in-theater production shots, he also engaged in portraiture. These images were often shot on the theater premises in the spirit of James Abbe's portraits of 1919-22. Tucker maintained a home studio in his apartment at 26 Lime Street in the West End of Boston. But the studio was more a processing center than a sit and shoot gallery. The liabilities of using one's home as a processing center became apparent in June of 1949 when Tucker's apartment ignited, causing a two-alarm fire. A substantial portion of his negative collection was destroyed at this time.
Tucker's lens caught many of the important shows of the 1930s and 1940s. Richard Rodgers preferred to preview his shows in Boston, so Tucker's archive, housed in the Billy Rose Collection of the New Y
ork Public Library, contain a rich trove of images from several Rodgers productions. In addition, a number of Gershwin productions, Tennessee Williams' "A Street Named Desire," Thornton Wilder's "Our Town," and several Kurt Weill shows also appear in his archive. (text from
broadway.cas.sc.edu)