JOHN RAITT - ORIGINAL ART SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: CARMEN MIRANDA - HFSID 284336

JOHN RAITT and CARMEN MIRANDA

Original portrait drawing of Miranda, drawn by John Raitt, signed by both!

Original Art signed: "Carmen Miranda", 5½x8½. Pencil drawing of Miranda, signed by her in ink. Also signed in pencil by the artist: "Raitt".  Portuguese-born samba singer and actress CARMEN MIRANDA (1909-1955), known as "the Brazilian Bombshell", was a superstar in that country by 1928. Invited to New York to appear in a Broadway show, she arrived in the U.S. with her band, the Bando da Lua, in 1939. Miranda, was the highest-paid entertainer in the U.S. for several years during the 1940s, sold over 10 million copies of her records worldwide, and made 14 films between 1940-1953. In many of her films, which include The Voice of the Carnival (1933, her debut), Hello, Hello, Brazil (1935), Bananas of the Land (1939), Down Argentine Way (1940), Weekend in Havana (1941) and Springtime in the Rockies (1942), she appeared in platform sandals and towering headdresses made of fruit, earning another nickname, "the lady in the tutti-frutti hat". During an appearance on The Jimmy Durante Show in 1955, Miranda unknowingly suffered a mild heart attack after completing a dance number. When she nearly collapsed, Durante helped keep her on her feet. Miranda, who smiled, waved to the crowd and walked off the stage, died the next day at age 46. While in college in the 1930s, JOHN RAITT began drawing portraits of famous people. He sent his artwork to each subject with a request that it be autographed and returned to him. Adhesive residue (previous mounting) on all corners. Two horizontal fold creases. Pencil smudges at lower section. Otherwise, fine condition.