The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. In 2018 we were thrilled to facilitate the acquisition of a print of the Marx Brothers by New York’s Museum of the City of New York and it was subsequently included in the Museum’s exhibition “Collecting New York’s Stories.”

The donor sent us a copy of the letter that Mr. Karsh included when the photograph was originally purchased by the donor’s father. Karsh wrote, “Your father has mentioned that you have always been an avid fan of the Marx Brothers and of Groucho in particular… I hope I have captured in my photograph the spontaneity that resulted from the three brothers’ inability to be still for even one moment. They had as wonderful a time with me as their willing and hapless victim as I did relishing their antics.”