Marian Anderson Souvenir Program (circa 1939) -Lincoln Memorial Concert by Anderson, Marian - 1939

NYC: Wm C. Popper & Co, 1939. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Soft cover. Very Good/No Jacket. A ONE of a KIND Treasure! The 1939 Souvenir Program was printed following Marian Anderson's historic concert at The Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1939. It is **SIGNED** directly on the Title page by BOTH Miss Anderson and her accompanist, the famed pianist Franz Rupp! It in VG condition with minor wear along the edges. The concert cover is the gold and black version. There are multiple B/W pictures, including the artist with her mother at the foot of the Lincoln Statue and her receiving the NAACP Springarn Medal from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Her biography, the story of the historic concert and the lyrics of her songs are also included. All in all, a thrilling and very rare historic document of a courageous, deeply spiritual and exceptionally gifted and talented American woman. Note: A page is cut from the program, a reproduction of which is provided with the program. The mystery of the missing page was solved thanks to the online Penn Libraries "Discovering Marian Anderson" Collection, donated by the contralto's nephew conductor James DePreist. The collection includes the identical program though without the signatures. We were then able to deduce which page was cut out of our copy. On the front side of the deleted page was a photo and biography of the Finnish pianist-composer Kosti Vehanan. He was reported to be her accompanist at the Lincoln Memorial Concert, as well as for other professional appearances. On the other side are two photos: one with her chatting with Mayor Fiorello Laguardia, and a second featuring Ms. Anderson and her impresario Sol Hurok. Our best guesses are 1) the concert promoters snipped out the photo for an upcoming concert out of deference to Franz Rupp, her accompanist for the evening (Which would explain why his autograph is present along with the singer's) or 2) the former owner of this brochure, having obtained the Rupp autograph, the scissored out the confusing photo page of Vehanan. Final note: during African-American Month, your local PBS will be showcasing the just released 2022 American Masters documentary "Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands."