Irving Berlin and Moss Hart Signed Dinner Invitation.

Rare dinner invitation signed and inscribed by both Irving Berlin and Moss Hart, from a dinner party held aboard the MV Saturnia on August 5, 1934. Printed on Arches paper with an illustration after Charles Martin on the cover. Inscribed by Berlin on the cover, “To Mrs. Annie Wales all good wishes from Irving Berlin,” and by Hart on the reverse, “To Annie Wales Moss Hart ‘Saturnia.’” At the date of the invitation Berlin and Hart were Broadway’s reigning collaborators, having written the revues Face the Music (1932) and As Thousands Cheer (1933) together. The Saturnia, a premier Italian ocean liner of the 1930s and among the first ships to offer private balconies to passengers, sailed the Trieste–New York route until her requisition for service in the Second World War. From the collection of Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award–winning composer Charles Strouse and his wife, choreographer Barbara Siman. Over his 50-year career, Charles Strouse wrote the music for such iconic musical theater hits as Bye Bye Birdie, Applause, and Annie, as well as the theme song for the classic sitcom All in the Family (“Those Were the Days”). His partnership with Martin Charnin on Annie produced one of Broadway’s most successful scores ever, with “Tomorrow” and other songs from the production becoming enduring American musical standards admired by generations. His reach knew no genre or generation, from a number-one Billboard hit in 1958 to Jay-Z’s Grammy-winning sampling of “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” four decades later and his honors include three Tony Awards and induction into both the Songwriters and Theater Halls of Fame. In good condition with small pen marks at the head of the cover, faint browning to the margins, and water-staining to the recipient’s name on both sides, not affecting the Berlin inscription. A document of Broadway’s golden generation from the collection of one of its heirs.