Louise Brooks Motion Picture Star - a copyright curiousity

I was poking around the records of the United States copyright office, as one does, and I came across a handful of interesting contemporary items as well as this vintage copyright curiosity. Dating from November, 1928, it is application for copyright for a print or pictorial illustration published in the United States. The company which applied for the copyright was The Knapp Company, which was based in the state of New York. The copyrighted work, apparently a lithograph, was titled "Motion Picture Star - Louise Brooks Paramount Pictures."

 

I had never seen such a thing! I was also uncertain as to what this application refereed to, as there was no artist named and no illustrative specimen or example attached to the form. Off hand, does anyone know?

I did a Google search on "Knapp company new york 1928" and the results turned up including a few promising leads. Here's a breakdown of different "Knapp" entities in that era:

• The Knapp Company (American Lithographic Co.): A large printing conglomerate founded by Joseph Palmer Knapp, it was a dominant force in lithography (like cigar labels) and was bought by United States Printing & Lithographic Co. around 1928, making it a significant player in the industry.
• Knapp & Co.: A long-standing lithographic printer, established earlier by Joseph Fairchild Knapp (father of Joseph Palmer Knapp), with roots going back to the 1850s, known for its established presence in NYC.
• John Augustus Knapp: An artist who, in 1928, was creating illustrations for books, including a poetry collection, connecting the name to the thriving arts scene in New York, notes Wikipedia. 

The latter did illustrations for movie studios... my search will go on... using a lantern, I will look through magazine and newspaper archives dating to November, 1928 -- the given date of publication. Besides a depiction of the actress, all there is to go on is a rather generic title, "Motion Picture Star - Louise Brooks Paramount Pictures."

If I were to guess, I might speculate that this copyright application ties in with Beggars of Life, which was released in October of 1928. Also, I would guess that the printed image in question might not have been printed in a magazine or newspaper, but might have been a promotional give away. But who knows? I will conclude with a rare promotional image from the film.

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