Bidding For Stardom

The new year is fast approaching and we are excited to be selling a collection of photographs in our upcoming Design sale on 26 January. The collection comprises approximately 180 images of starlets from the early 1950's, including 23 images of the recently deceased Barbara Windsor, then known as Barbara Deeks and 22 photos of the James Bond Goldfinger actress, Shirley Eaton. The photographs were acquired by the seller in the 1970's during the closure of the Aida Foster Theatre School in Golders Green. 

_{Lot 257}

_{A collection of photographs of young starlets from the Aida Foster Theatre School
Estimate - £400 - 600}

The school was founded by Aida Foster in 1929 as a hobby to teach dancing but expanded over the years to become one of Britain's foremost stage schools. Many stage and film personalities of the 20th century received their professional education and arranged their first employment through the school including Elaine Paige, Jean Simmons and Marti Webb. 

Run by Aida, and later by her daughter Anita Foster, the school catered for three different groups of students:

Those that undertook dance training only, younger pupils that had full education plus both dancing and drama training, and older students taking drama training only.

_{Further images from the collection}

The school supplied many of the pantomime ‘babes’ (children's choruses and parts) for the West End Christmas shows of the 1950's and they also obtained modelling contracts for many of the juveniles. Foster started a theatrical agency associated with the school in 1944 that continued after the school closed in 1970.

Other stars in the lot include Shirley Burniston and Lynda Hayden. Scenes of ballet stage and film productions can also be found in the collection and most of the images are stamped Aida Foster and inscribed with the name of the sitter.

For more information about this lot, please contact John Black 

T | 01279 817778

E | johnblack@sworder.co.uk