Unseen family archive from 1897 on auction

[Michael Wong]

Not just any family photo, but believed to be the first known image of the future Stan Laurel acting. The photos are part of an unseen family archive of more than 50 photographs spanning the comic genius’s life, many never seen in public before.

The most remarkable is the set of seven taken in the backyard of the Jefferson family home in Dockwray Square, North Shields, North Tyneside, where Stan lived for four years. They show a performance of The Rivals of Dockwray Square, which was written by Stan himself.

The collection is to be sold in Newcastle by auctioneers Anderson and Garland, on September 7, and is expected to fetch between £10,000 and £15,000.

The full report can be found here, and the auction catalogue here.

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