Title from caption on object: “Alvin 'Shipwreck Kelly’ Begins Eight Days Vigil Atop Flagpole", June 9, 1927

Not on View

Medium

gelatin silver print with applied color

Dimensions

image: 20.8 × 14 cm (8 3/16 × 5 1/2 in.)

sheet: 21.8 × 16.5 cm (8 9/16 × 6 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mary and Dan Solomon

Accession Number

2018.177.287

Artists / Makers

American 20th Century (artist)

ACME Newspictures (publisher)

Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) (publisher) est. 1902

Image Use

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Inscription

retouching across recto in gray and white paint; by unknown hand, top center printing and cropping notes in black ink; on verso, upper center Acme Newspictures copyright stamp in black ink; center left stamped in purple ink inverted: REFERENCE DEPT. / JUN 9 1927 / N.E.A.; by unknown hand, center right in graphite inverted: #8162; bottom center printed in black ink on applied blue paper inverted: 41982 / BEGINS EIGHT DAYS (?) VIGIL ATOP FLAGPOLE / NEWARK, N.J.- Alvin Kelly, [underlined in graphite] otherwise known as / "Shipwreck Kelly", began a vigil atop the 39 / foot-flagpole atop the eight-story Hotel St. / Francis in Newark, on [sic] order to see if he can xxx / sit atop the Pole for eight days. He has a foot- / square platform for a porch and his food is to consist of / coffee, water and cirarets [sic]. He usually weighs 142 / pounds but has trained up to 151 to help withstand / the strain. Arudio [sic] set will help pass the time as the / earphones are connected with an extension cord to the / room below. He is on the Loew vaudeville circuit. / PHOTO SHOWS- "Shipwreck Kelly" stop [sic] the pole. / YOUR CREDIT LINE MUST READ (ACME)

Provenance

Mary and Dan Solomon, Monarch Beach, CA; gift to NGA, 2018.

Associated Names

Solomon, Dan and Mary