Vintage RKO "Tom Brown’s School Days" Lobby Card

RKO Pictures, , 1940; 11" x 14" lobby card for RKO Pictures’ 1940 feature film adaptation of Thomas Hughes’ enormously popular 1857 novel "Tom Brown’s School Days," chronicling life at Rugby, the English boys’ boarding school. Widely credited with having established the genre, the book had reportedly reached near fifty editions by 1890. Shown here are Tom Brown (Jimmy Lydon) and school bully Flashy (Billy Halop) in the midst of the pivotal fight scene. Stamped "Independent Poster Exchange, 1323 Vine Street, Philadelphia," on the verso. In earlier years, studios granted licenses to exchange services of this kind to handle poster distribution for their motion pictures, and the exchanges in turn made a profit from rental of the posters to exhibitors, a policy which in later years led to numerous anti-trust lawsuits and cessation of the practice. Very Good, image bright and sharp. Tiny pin holes at corners and top center, three small closed tears repaired on verso with japan paper, partial vertical crease at right. An original poster of a landmark film, not a reproduction.