In this wordless biography, wood engraver George A. Walker provides a fitting stage to explore the life of Mary Pickford, a silent film star whose groundbreaking contributions to the motion picture industry earned her the title ‘Queen of the Movies’.
At the age of 17, Toronto-born Gladys Louise Smith, known to the world as Mary Pickford, burst onto the silent-film scene. But Pickford was more than just ‘the girl with the curls’. In addition to her acting career—an unequivocal success spanning 52 features—Pickford helped establish the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as well as the studio United Artists. The first woman to create her own film corporation, she pioneered the roles of the independent actress, film star, producer and distributor.
In Mary Pickford, Queen of the Silent Film Era, wood engraver George A. Walker tells the story of Pickford’s life in a visual, sequential narrative not unlike the silent films of old. Walker’s black-and-white wood engravings recall the monochromatic media of Pickford’s films, and echo the experience of interpreting stories visually.
Mary Pickford, Queen of the Silent Film Era originated as a limited edition of 35 copies hand printed in Walker’s studio in Leslieville, Toronto.