curious
It's no secret that ties between Carole Lombard and her mother, Elizabeth Peters, were exceptionally strong. Mom was anything but a meddling "Hollywood mother," and giving daughter her own leeway in life was among the reasons they bonded so well.
What more can we learn about them? Perhaps this can supply a clue:
It's their signatures on a check both endorsed, an item sold on eBay some years ago. Carole Sampeck of The Lombard Archive bid for the signatures -- we're not sure when it was signed, or what the check was for -- but she was able to get the seller to copy them before it was sold to someone else.
What makes this so significant? Apparently, no other signature of "Elizabeth K. (for Knight, her maiden name) Peters" has surfaced before. Notes Sampeck:
"Look how different the mom's hand is from the daughter's! Those of us into handwriting analysis would say that the daughter was much more guarded, but more impulsive. (Yes, I studied that for quite a while.)"
"Guarded" isn't really an adjective one often sees ascribed to the usually gregarious Carole, but it may explain her occasional desire to have her own space -- something that occasionally led fan magazines to run stories with titles such as "Why Lombard Won't Talk" or "Why Is Carole Lombard Hiding Out From Hollywood?"
Anyway, it's another piece of the puzzle in Carole's relationship with her mother.
