VICKI BAUM [ca. 1955] Portrait by Vandamm

New York: Vandamm, [ca. 1935]. Vintage original 11 x 8 1/2″ (28 x 21.5 cm) double weight matte finish black-and-white photo. Irregular trim at bottom, photographer stamp on verso as well as his name in red pencil at bottom margin. Near fine.

Hedwig “Vicki” Baum (1888-1960) was an Austrian novelist who emigrated to the United States in 1932, where she worked initially on the screenplay for the adaptation of her most famous novel, Menschen im Hotel (People at a Hotel) into the film classic Grand Hotel. While living in Berlin in the 1920s she took up boxing and was, along with Marlene Dietrich, one of very few women to attempt this traditionally macho sport.

Her ninth novel, Stud. chem. Helene Willfüer (Helene Willfüer, Student of Chemistry), was her first major commercial success, selling over 100,000 copies. Baum is considered one of the first modern bestselling authors, and her books are seen as exemplifying New Objectivity within contemporary mainstream literature. Her protagonists were often strong, independent women caught up in turbulent times. (Wikipedia)