91

Inscribed two years after being jailed for her "obscene" play "Sex"

Mae West

Photograph Signed and Inscribed,

"To / Louise Aust / A great little Artist / Sincerely / Mae West / 1929," bust portrait showing her in ¾ view holding a box [of cigarettes?]. Inscribed in the image, lower left. 10x8 inches; short closed tears at edges, pin hole and creases in each corner, some scattered dings.

Np, 1929.

  • Notes: In 1926, Mae West performed on Broadway in the play Sex, which she herself wrote under the pseudonym Jane Mast, about love, sex, and mistaken identity. Despite poor reviews, the play was a commercial success, but after more than 300 performances, the New York Police Department judged the play to be offending the morals of New Yorkers and raided the theatre in 1927, arresting the entire cast and holding West in jail for ten days.
  • Condition:
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November 6, 2025 12:00 PM EST
New York, NY, US

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