LEON KROLL
Kroll handwrote and signed this letter on his personalized letterhead to Broadway critic Louis Sobol in 1955 about Sobol's mention of his paintings in one of his columns.
Autograph letter signed "Leon Kroll". With pencil notations in unknown hand and red ink stamp. 1 page, 7¼x10½, on Kroll's personalized letterhead. Jan. 27, 1955. In full: "Someone sent me the gracious mention of my paintings in your note on our wonderful friend (Julius Sewpert) and your Ear. As all of your organs of perception, including your rightly placed heart, are of public as well as your your own concern, I am glad Julius [illegible] you up so promptly. Dr. Julius Sewpert is great and good. [illegible] a vous,". New York journalist LOUIS SOBOL (1896-1986, born in Yelizavetgrad, Ukraine, Russian Empire, now Kirovohrad, Ukraine) wrote a gossip-oriented entertainment column for 40 years, initially focused on the Broadway stage but also covering film and TV personalities. His books include The Longest Street, a Broadway memoir. LEON KROLL (1884-1974, born in New York City) was a painter, lithographer and art critic. He worked in New York City, where he taught art, and in Chicago. But he summered in Rockport, Maine and became one of the most famous painters there by the 1920s. His realistic oil paintings are characterized by their clarity, strong color and attention to modeling of forms. He also did murals, including one for the Worcester War Memorial and another for the Justice Department in Washington, D. C. Lightly toned and creased. Rust stain in upper left corner. Folded twice and unfolded. Otherwise in fine condition.