WELLES ORSON: (1915-1985) American Actor & Film Director, Academy Award winner. A.L.S., Orson, to the verso of a ...

WELLES ORSON: (1915-1985) American Actor & Film Director, Academy Award winner. A.L.S., Orson, to the verso of a picture postcard of Ravello, Hotel Caruso Belvedere, Ravello, n.d. (11th December 1947) to Marina Chaliapin Freddi. Welles writes, in full, 'We just saw a rainbow over Ravello and thought at once of you'. Welles has also added the name Tony alongside his signature. Hand addressed by Welles in an amusing fashion to Chaliapin Freddi in 'Roma, Italia, Europe, The World'. Together with an A.N.S., Orson, on his personal printed visiting card, n.p., n.d. (c.1947), presented to Marina Chaliapin Freddi, stating, in full, 'Can you forgive your devoted Orson?'. Slight traces of former mounting to both pieces, generally about VG, 2 Provenance: The present items originate from the personal autograph album of Marina Chaliapin (1912-2009), the daughter of Russian opera singer Feodor Chaliapin (1873-1938), widely regarded as one of the finest bass singers of the 20th century, and his mistress Marina Petsold (1882-1964) who became the singer's second wife in 1927. Chaliapin's daughter was married to Luigi Freddi (1895-1977) the Italian journalist and politician who edited the journal Il Popolo d'Italia and who was also hugely influential in Italian political cinema in the second half of the 1930s and beginning of the 1940s.