35 mostly autographed 8" x 10" photos of the American soprano and the voice teacher's pupils, 1920's through 1950's.

Belle Forbes Cutter (1884-1963 was born in Michigan.  She studied with Franz Prochkowsky a protege of Lillian Nordica at Chicago Musical College.  She then embarked on an opera career.  Her publicity material stated she sung before the Kaiser in Berlin and the Queen of the Netherlands in Amsterdam, sung in Rome and other musical capitols of Europe.  How much of that is true, we have not researched.  That said, she was a society girl and her elopement in 1910 to a stock broker named Millard Cutter was a sensation.  She then "renounced" her opera career.  From 1916 to 1942, she taught voice at the main conservatory in Chicago, Chicago Musical College. She also made two records for Columbia.  Her husband at some point was arrested, charged and jailed for forgery on a large scale for 10 years.  We have also found evidence of recital tours throughout the Country.  In 1942 she was lured by MGM to Hollywood to train their film stars.  She had a voice studio at 7526 Fountain Avenue in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles.  She taught a large number of singers, some who had stage careers, some became music teachers, some became film stars, or were film stars.  We offer an array of unsigned photographs of Madame Cutter along with a number of signed photos to her by her pupils and accompanists.  We have done our best to figure out as many as we could, you can have fun discovering the others.

In alphabetical order:

1. Boyd Agin: Broadway Actor: sepia 8" x 10" autographed Packard Exchange double-weight photograph signed by the photographer Raisin.  3 Broadway productions between 1912 and 1928. The Conspiracy, Main Street and Mongolia.

2. Anita ______  8" x 10" autographed John E. Reed glossy photograph

3. Barbara 8" x 10" double-weight photograph

4. Anita Hanon Braude: Soprano: 8" x 10" Maurice double-weight photograph. (This is Maurice of the brother photographer duo Maurice Seymour, rare on his own)

5. Nate Chervey: Singer: 8" x 10" autographed Seymour Rudolph sepia "candid" blind embossed and reverse blind stamped photograph. (No relation to Maurice Seymour)

6. Vicky Campbell: Movie Star: 8" x 10" sepia double-weight photograph

7. Edward Forbes: Broadway Actor: sepia 7" x 9" Hartsook double-weight autographed photograph. (No idea if he is related to Bell Forbes Cutter, but based on the inscription, I would think so.)

8. Mildred Gerber (Smolen): (1913-1995) Coloratura Opera Soprano: sepia 8" x 10" autographed Maurice Seymour photograph, 1938.  In 1934 was the youngest person to that time to sing as a lead in a Radio City Music Hall production. Made her Chiucago Opera debut in 1935 as Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor. (November 28) and sung there for several seasons. Was kidnapped and held for ransom with her physician husband in 1939.

9. Irene James: TV Star: Autographed 8" x 10" glossy.  Starred in Death Valley Days and a number of other television shows from 1956-1960.  Moved to Palm Springs in 1962 and owned IJ's at the Mirador Hotel.

10. Julie_______: Autographed 8" x 10" glossy F.L. Haines of Hollywood photograph.

11. Olga Dorothy Kendrick: (1906-1993)Pianist: 8" x 10" double-weight autographed photograph at the piano, 1924.  Won the 1927 Naumberg Award, third time it was held.  Taught piano in New Yorm for awhile, move back to Texas and lived in Corsicana and Dallas, where she taught and also gave recitals. She's remembered for a performance in the Silvio Scionti biography.

12. Jimmy Kemper: Autographed sepia 8" x 10" photograph in what appears to be a costume.

13. Galen Lurwick: Pianist: Autographed double-weight 7" x 9" photograph at the piano, Hollywood, October 13, 1942.  He was a well known recital accompanist in the Los Angeles area and also traveled with major singers on tour.

14. Dorothea Mitchell: Autographed double-weight Maurice Seymour 8" x 10" photograph, July 14, 1937.

15. Garr Nelson: Singer, Producer and TV actor: (1927-2005) Autographed 8" x 10" glossy photograph. Sung on Death Valley Days. Las Vegas producer, also appeared in shows with Frank Sinatra, Wayne Newton, Lena Horne etc.  Featured Singer at the Sands.  Also sung early on with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera.

16. Faye Simon: Soprano: 8" x 10" John E. Reed glossy photograph. Verso states Light Opera Starlet.

17. Zelma Petersmith: Soprano: 7" x 9" autographed Delhaven of Chicago double-weight photograph, June 10, 1921.  Sung in regional opera companies as Zelma Norma.  Won two major scholarships to Chicago Musical College and Cutter was very proud of her. 

18. Joyce Stansell: Soprano: 8" x 10" Oppman of Chicago autographed photograph.  Was in Phil Silvers 1954 film "Top Banana".

19. Terry________: 7" x 9" deckled, double-weight autographed 7" x 9" Maurice Seymour photograph.  We do not encounter Maurice Seymour photograph of this quality often.

20. Valerie_______: 8: x 10" autographed, double-weight photograph.

21. Vanna________: 8" x 10" De Mirjian of New York & Hollywood photograph.

22. Helen Wescott: Movie Star(1928-1998) : 8" x 10" autographed photograph. Major Hollywood career, starred in The Gunfighter, Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, With A Song in My Heart, God's Little Acre and many, many more including television.

23. Orlin Witcraft: Tenor both Opera and Lounge Singer (1911-2007) Autographed 9.5" x 12" Harcounrt of Paris glossy photograph.  Studied at the Paris Conservatoire.  Fought in WWII, then according to his obituary, sung at the Opera Comique, Teatro Colon and other opera houses.  Also was a club singer.  Married French concert pianist Andrea Brun in 1948.  Also sung throughout the World with the USO including stints with Bing Crosby.

24-30: Belle Forbes Cutter: 8" x 10" glossy Paul Parry of Hollywood photographs (A few repeats and different poses, same session.)

31-32: Belle Forbes Cutter: 5" x 7" matte, sepia double-weight Butler of Chicago photographs in a pill box hat. (two different poses)

33-35: Belle Forbes Cutter: 3 8" x 120" youthful Maurice Seymour photographs, one glossy, the other two matte, double-weight, all three different poses.

Quite a collection for a library or American Opera or Hollywood scholar.

Harmonie Autographs and Music, Inc.