Vintage original 11 x 14 in. US title lobby card from the 1920's silent film adventure/romance, THE LOVE FLOWER, released in 1920 by United Artists and directed by D.W. Griffith.
The artwork depicts a beautiful original illustration of two naked lovers (Richard Barthelmess and Carol Dempster) caught in a whirlpool as sharks approach and was designed by artist C. A. and produced by the Gablik Studios. It is unrestored in near-fine condition. A previous owner had traced portions of the image with a pencil, which created a light indentation on the figure of the woman (see photo of verso).
*"The Love Flower is a 1920 American silent drama film produced by D. W. Griffith and released through the then nascent United Artist company of which Griffith was a founding partner.
Griffith filmed The Love Flower simultaneously with The Idol Dancer (1920) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Nassau, Bahamas, in December 1919 to fulfill a contract with First National Pictures, but after previewing the film on April 2, 1920, before the American Newspaper Publishers Association in New York, he purchased the rights to The Love Flower for $400,000. Additional underwater footage of Dempster was shot in Florida along with scenes of her and MacQuarrie against a black background. The reedited film was then released by United Artists."
*(source: Wikipedia)
*"D.W. Griffith and crew experienced a perilous voyage from Miami to the Bahamas during the making of this film, with two washed overboard and no food for the crew for three days. This was to be Griffith's third picture for First National Exhibitors Circuit. After they changed the title from Black Beach which was the working title to The Gamest Girl, Griffith bought the film back, reportedly for $400,000, changed the title to The Girl Who Dared, and shot some additional water scenes of Carol Dempster "in a bathing suit performing picturesque and novel feats," according to a news item. Before the film's opening, the title again was changed, this time to The Love Flower. Wid's credited the scenario to the Griffith scenario department.
A man murders his wife's lovers, escapes with his daughter to the South Pacific. A detective pursues him, joined by a young man who eventually falls in love with the daughter."
*(source: IMDb)
SCIB2