Original portrait of actor Otto Kruger by photography team Florence and Tommy Vandamm, circa 1930

Otto Kruger (subject)
Florence and Tommy Vandamm [Vandamm Studio] (photographers)

New York: Vandamm Studio, circa 1930. Vintage portrait photograph of actor Otto Kruger by the photography team of Florence and Tommy Vandamm [Vandamm Studio], circa 1930. Photograph with a blind "Vandamm / New York" stamp on the bottom left of the recto, and a "Vandamm Studio" stamp on the verso, and a label on the verso announcing Kruger in the leading role of the Broadway play "The Boundary Line," by playwright Dana Burnet, which premiered at the 48th Street Theatre on February 5, 1930 and ran for 37 performances, closing in March, 1930. The photograph was likely commissioned by the Theatre Guild which contracted Vandamm Studios to photograph all of their productions beginning in 1928.

Kruger began his career as a Broadway matinee idol in the 1920s and 1930s before establishing a niche in feature films as the charming villain, such as in Alfred Hitchcock's 1942 film "Saboteur," Joseph M. Newman's "711 Ocean Drive," and Douglas Sirk's 1954 film "Magnificent Obsession." Kruger starred in over 80 films between 1915 and 1964, as well as multiple television appearances in the 1950s and 1960s.

The husband and wife photography team of Florence and Tommy Vandamm, married in 1918, emigrated from London to New York in the 1920s due to declining business in their portrait studio following World War I. By 1928 Vandamm Studio began to dominate the field in New York after being contracted by the Theatre Guild to photograph all of their productions. Florence took responsibility for most of the portrait work, while Tommy documented the stage work. The studio was closed by Florence in 1961. Vandamm Studio's work was known for their carefully planned lighting and composition, and their attention to detail.

8 x 10 inches. Very Good, with two vertical folds and three horizontal folds cropping the face.


[Book #158866]