Cat. #001645222: WILLARD LOUIS

Highly scarce and charming vintage 7x9-inch sepia-tone portrait by Fred Hartsook, boldly signed and inscribed in black fountain pen in 1918.  In good condition, with very gentle trimming to the bottom edge.  Willard Louis starred in 89 silent features and directed 91 before his tragic death of a blend of typhoid fever and pneumonia at the age of 44.  He is chiefly associated with the silent comedy genre, having appeared in or created countless shorts alongside Oliver Hardy, Harry Myers, Kate Price, Bert Roach, Arthur Housman, Billy Bletcher, Raymond McKee, and other luminaries.