Vernon & Irene Castle Photo Collection – WWI Aviator &Famed Dancing Couple-Rare

Description: Vernon and Irene Castle Photo Collection – WWI Aviator and Famed Dancing Couple This is a unique collection of photos and other items focusing on the life of famed World War I aviator, Vernon Castle, and his wife Irene. Before the war, the two were an internationally renowned dancing duo, so famous that in 1939, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers portrayed them in the RKO movie "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle." The collection consists of 22 B&W reprints of photos, dating back to World War I and earlier. Shown are shots of Vernon and Irene dancing, Vernon as a World War I aviator, while flying for the British Royal Flying Corps, the airplane crash in which he was killed, and his funeral procession. Also included are 11 recent color photographs of the impressive historical marker honoring Vernon, which still stands today at the site where he died, training new pilots, in Fort Worth, Texas. An additional 4 color photos show their grave in New York City's Woodlawn Cemetery. Besides the photos described above is an original and authentic letter written by Castle's brother, Colin Blyth, in1976, describing Vernon and Irene's early years. There are also several old newspaper clippings and copies of clippings, most of which memorialize Vernon's death. And finally, this collection includes a copy of an informative article about Castle from the historical journal "Cross & Cockade Great Britain," that was published in 1977. With the article is a copy of the original manuscript as it was submitted. For anyone interested in this once-famous dancing couple whose marriage ended with Vernon's tragic death in 1918, this is a collection well worth having. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have. More about Vernon and Irene Castle Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-and-wife team of ballroom dancers and dance teachers who appeared on Broadway and in silent films in the early 20th century. They are credited with reviving the popularity of modern dancing. Castle was a stage name: Vernon (2 May 1887 – 15 February 1918) was born William Vernon Blyth in England. Irene (7 April 1893 – 25 January 1969) was born Irene Foote in the United States. The couple reached the peak of their popularity in Irving Berlin's first Broadway show, Watch Your Step (1914), in which they refined and popularized the Foxtrot. They also helped to promote ragtime, jazz rhythms and African American music for dance. Irene became a fashion icon through her appearances on stage and in early movies, and both Castles were in demand as teachers and writers on dance. After serving with distinction as a pilot in the British Royal Flying Corps during World War I, Vernon died in a plane crash on a flight training base near Fort Worth, Texas, in 1918. Irene continued to perform solo in Broadway, vaudeville and motion picture productions over the next decade. She remarried three times, had children and became an animal-rights activist. In 1939, her life with Vernon was dramatized in "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle," starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Price: 27 USD

Location: San Marcos, Texas

End Time: 2024-09-16T13:22:58.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD