(New York Nightlife)

John Perona's El Morocco Family Album, with photographs by Jerome Zerbe and introduction by Lucius Beebe.  New York: Privately printed, 1937



4to (14 1/2 x 10 7/8 in.; 368 x 277 mm).  Profusely illustrated with photographs by Jerome Zerbe.  Original blue cloth, front cover lettered in white, zebra-striped endpapers; worn, shaken, backsteip partially detached but present.



 

Jerome Zerbe (signature)

4to (14 1/2 x 10 7/8 in.; 368 x 277 mm). Profusely illustrated with photographs by Jerome Zerbe. Original blue cloth, front cover lettered in white, zebra-striped endpapers; worn, shaken, backsteip partially detached but present.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Photographer Jerome Zerbe's own copy of the El Morocco Family Album, autographed by over 300 of the habitués of the celebrated New York nightclub, usually in the margins next to their own photographs.  Zerbe was the official photographer of El Morocco during it heyday.  The club began life as an East 54th Street speakeasy in 1931 under Tuscan immigrant John Perona.  It survived the transition when prohibition was repealed, and became the place to be seen in New York from the 1930s through the 50s. 

Zerbe's copy is signed by over 300 of the swells pictured seated on the club's trademark zebra-striped banquettes.  These include Mr. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt, Mary Sanford, Mr. and Mrs. Gary Cooper, Eddie Duchin, Elsa Maxwell, Gloria Swanson, Robert Benchley, Lawrence Tibbett, Princess Ketto Mikeladze, Countess di Frasso, Mrs. Harrison Williams, Kitty Carlisle, David Niven, Libby Holman, Jimmy Donahue, Jack Dempsey, Serge Obolensky, Bea Lillie, Ethel Merman, Marlene Dietrich, Miguel Covarrubias, Diana Vreeland, Tallulah Bankhead, Edie Beale, Ikla Chase, Cecil Beaton, Joan Whitney Payson, Gertrude Nissen, the Marquis de Polignac, Rudy Vallee, Gertrude Lawrence, Harold Ross, the Princess de Bragança (Duchess of Porto), Vicomte Sosthenes de la Rochefoucauld, the Ranee of Sarawak, Huntington Hartford, Condé Nast, and many others.   

The lot also includes another copy of the book in very good condition.