Wilson Barrett, major PEPLUM connection

Stage actor, writer and manager Wilson Barrett might be forgotten today but it's quite apparent how much of an influence Barrett had on the PEPLUM genre. A stage actor and writer his most successful play was THE SIGN OF THE CROSS (1895), regarded as an unofficial adaptation of QUO VADIS written by Henryk Sienkiewicz, released the same period CROSS hit the stage. The play was so successful it was adapted for the silver screen in 1932 by Cecil B DeMille which became his first sound epic.

These postcards have photos from the SIGN OF THE CROSS stage play.