An album from the golden age of Hollywood, signed by many of the era’s greatest stars is expected to make up to £1,500 when it goes under the hammer in Norfolk later this month<Jan 23>.
Made up of more than 100 stars from the 1920s and ‘30s, it includes a rare, signed photograph of Charlie Chaplin dated 1923, from the height of the actor’s fame.
It belonged to Jacqui Kitney, a life coach and author from Swaffham, whose great aunt compiled the remarkable archive while working as a film journalist in American in the ‘20s.
Now it has an estimate of £1,000-£1,500 when it appears for sale at Hansons Auctioneers’ sale on January 23.
Jacqui said: “By all accounts she was an incredible woman because forging a career like that in the 1920s would have been extremely tough. She moved to Paris in later life and I remember my brother taking his new wife to visit her and being greeted at the door by her wielding a shotgun!”
Among the collection of silent and early sound eras are signatures and portraits of Douglas Fairbanks, Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford, Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard.
Hansons Auctioneers’ Mary Swallow, said: “The remarkable archive presents a vivid picture of early 20th-century cinema as encountered through the eyes of a working British journalist.
“One of the highlights is a rare, signed photograph of Charlie Chaplin dated 1923, an exceptionally desirable example from the height of his fame.
“We tend to imagine Chaplin in his famous role in The Tramp playing a moustachioed vagrant, but this photo, dedicated to Lilian, presents a more dashing profile. How amazing to imagine this amazing woman moving in these celebrated circles.”
Lilian Day was the working name of Jacqui’s great aunt Josèe Geohamy who was born in Athens in 1904.
After marrying her husband, William Greenwood, who was born in Smyrna (now Izmir) the couple left the country after a fire destroyed much of the port in 1922.
The pair settled in London and then America with William becoming an ad man and she a journalist.
Jacqui continued: “Josèe was a very outgoing petite lady and was known by many famous people including Kirk Douglas.
“When the WWII broke out she continued to work in London and we even believe at that time, through the family, that she also worked quietly with the government helping the French resistance, although we have no proof of this.”
The album is also rich in French cinema containing numerous signed photographs of leading European actors from the silent era and later, including Jean Touloux, Suzanne Bianchetti, Gina Manès, Huguette Duflos, Gaston Jacquet, Vanni Marcoux, Jaque Catelain and Maurice Laguerre, as well as several cast members from the Gaumont French production of The Three Musketeers.
Accompanying the album is a large group of large-format studio-stamped glossy photographs from Radio Pictures, Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, 20th Century-Fox, and other studios.
Josèe died in Paris in 1985 aged 86.
The archive goes under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers’ saleroom at The Old Bakery, Thorpe Market Rd, Roughton, on January 23.
Auction Details
Auction: Hansons Norfolk Antiques & Interiors Auction: including Silver, Jewellery & Watches
Auction date: 23rd January 2026 | 10am
Location: Hansons Norfolk Saleroom
Auction contact: [email protected]
Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
