^Lot 493 Samuel L. Clemens

Crystal clear vintage lightweight matte-finish 5 x 7 photo of Clemens, clad in a light-colored suit, sitting in a rocking chair on a porch, with a cigar clenched between two of his fingers, signed and inscribed vertically in fountain pen “Dear Miss Bessie: Even if an agent should take your scoldings on a commission I doubt if he would get much of a living out of it. Sincerely yours, Mark Twain, Oct.17/07.” Scattered silvering to darker areas of background and lower portion of image, light creasing to lower left corner tips, and a small tear to top edge and a detached top left corner tip, otherwise fine condition. Inscribed just three years before his death, this striking image captures the quintessential Mark Twain—white suit, cigar in hand, casually rocking on a breezy porch. Compounded by the one-line witticism of an inscription in classic Twain fashion, this is an exceptional depiction of the master both physically and in spirit.