ISSUED 4 MARCH 1952 AND CANCELLED 27 FEBRUARY 1956

Details

A CANCELLED AMERICAN PASSPORT BELONGING TO KATHARINE HEPBURN
ISSUED 4 MARCH 1952 AND CANCELLED 27 FEBRUARY 1956
With a black and white photograph of bearer, [Katharine Hepburn] her signature in black ink Katharine Houghton Hepburn, the passport giving details of Hepburn's place of birth: Hartford, Conn. her date of birth: May 12 1907, height: 5ft 7in., color of eyes: Green and color of hair: Auburn, and her occupation: Actress, the forty-eight pages with numerous consulate and immigration ink stamps recording Hepburn's frequent trips within this pivotal period of her career and life, various ink stamps
Includes LOA from PSA/DNA
6 x 3 ¾ in. (15.2 x 9.5 cm.)

Provenance

Anonymous Sale; Bonhams, 22 May 2005.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Nathalie Ferneau Junior Specialist

nferneau@christies.com +1 (212) 636 2236

Lot Essay

This passport encompasses a pivotal moment in Hepburn's career, the end of her long running MGM contract in 1952 and the start of a period where she was at last free to choose her own projects. The first of these was 1955's Summertime, a romantic comedy directed by David Lean and filmed in Venice. The passport records multiple trips through both Rome and Naples corresponding with this project. Hepburn would earn an Academy Award nomination for her work on the film and Lean would go on to say that Summertime was his favorite of his films and Hepburn his favorite actress to work with. following Summertime, Hepburn toured Australia with the Old Vic theatre company, playing Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Kate in The Taming of the Shrew, and Isabella in Measure for Measure. A six month Australian business visa valid from 21 April 1955- 3 March 1956 can be seen on page 17.

More from American Greats: Vintage Sports and Hollywood from the Dr. G.B. Espy Collection

View All