547 - James M. Barrie Autograph Letter Signed on ‘Peter Pan,’ Charles Frohman, and the Death of His Close Friend and Agent

James M. Barrie Autograph Letter Signed on ‘Peter Pan,’ Charles Frohman, and the Death of His Close Friend and Agent ALS signed “J. M. Barrie,” one page both sides, 5 x 8, Egerton House, Berkhamsted letterhead, June 25, 1906. Handwritten letter to Berta Pogson, in full: “I shall contact Mr Frohman about your proposal and let you know in a few days. Mr Bright’s death has been a great blow to me. I didn’t see any German papers about Peter Pan, but should like to. Do as you think best with regard to other productions in Germany of ‘Peter.’ I don’t expect to be staying in London again till autumn. I am very sorry that this prevents my seeing you.” In very good to fine condition, with toning and edgewear, including a short tear and partial separation to the mailing fold. Written just over a year after the London premiere of Peter Pan, Barrie’s letter concerns the play’s potential production in Germany and theatrical producer Charles Frohman, who brought Peter Pan to the stage in London in December 1904 and subsequently to the United States. It also reveals Barrie’s grief over the recent death of his close friend and theatrical agent Arthur Addison Bright, whose business collapsed amid accusations that some £28,000 in royalties belonging to Barrie and other prominent authors had been misappropriated. The letter is written from Egerton House in Berkhamsted, then the home of the Llewelyn Davies family, whose five sons were central to the development of Barrie’s Peter Pan stories. Barrie became deeply involved with the family, providing financial support and later assuming responsibility for the boys after the deaths of their parents.