Description
Guest book from the London residence of American industrialist Justin Dart and his wife, former actress Jane Bryan Dart. With signatures of politicians, Hollywood notables, and philanthropists from 1961-1986, including Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Stewart, etc.
Bound in full green calf, title stamped in gilt on the cover. Marbled endpapers with gilt dentelles.
This copy is signed by Ronald Reagan (2) and Nancy Reagan (3), who visited the Dart Residence while in London. Nancy Reagan adds the inscription: “A blissful night of R+R after coming in from Iran!”
Additional signatures include: Jimmy Stewart, General Alfred Gruenther (2), Barbara and Leonard Firestone (2), J.P. Getty, Helen Hayes, Bill and Moya Lear, Walter Annenberg, and United States Attorney General William French.
This guest book is from the residence at 10 Culross Street, Mayfair, London. It was the London residence of American industrialist Justin Whitlock Dart Sr. (1907-1984) and his wife, the former actress Jane Bryan Dart (1918-2009). The Reagan Library confirms visits by Ronald and Nancy Reagan to the Dart Residence on the following dates: April 6-9, 1975 (three nights), April 29-30, 1978 (one night), November 26-28, 1978 (two nights), and December 2-3, 1978 (one night).
Ronald Reagan and Justin Dart were close personal friends and political allies. Jane Bryan introduced Dart to Reagan after acting with Reagan in three Warner Brothers films. Dart later became a leading member of Reagan’s California “Kitchen Cabinet.” He helped encourage Reagan’s entry into politics, raised money for his campaigns, and advised him on economic and business policy. On a visit to 10 Cullross Street in 1975, Dart arranged Reagan’s first meeting with Margaret Thatcher. Reagan posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1987.
