YOUNG GIRL IN A BEAUTIFUL DRESS AT A HER COMMUNION IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH)

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A pretty young girl is dressed in a beautiful white dress and veil for her portrait at the Borgia studio in Los Angeles, California. She looks like a young bride but she is but she is almost certainly dressed in her finest on the occasion of her communion. She looks quite proud as she poses for the camera. Note the necklace with a cross that she is holding in her left hand. Preliminary research revealed little about photographer F. Borgia although there are a number of collections that include his photographs. One citation was found. The book “Los Angeles’s Little Italy”, by Mariann Gatto, states that Nick Borgia (located on San Fernando Street) was one of three of Little Italy’s favorite photographers (the other two were Mr. Ricci and Mr. Del Beato). There is a disparity between first names (F. vs. Nick) but it is very likely that Nick could have been the photographers middle name or nickname. Did I really just say that Nick may be his “nickname”? This portrait measures 5″ x 7″ and has excellent clarity.

 

 

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Published in: on February 29, 2016 at 6:52 pm  Comments (3)  
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A FRENCH BEAUTY QUEEN IN PARIS: MLLE HENRIETTE POINTAL (1933 PRESS PHOTO)

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This vintage press photo features a beauty queen and her maids of honor. They participated in a Paris beauty contest in 1933. The three finalists are wearing furs and tiaras. The woman in the center, Mle Henriette Pointal was selected as the “Queen of Paris”. The 20 year old beauty was received, as was custom, by the President, Albert François Lebrun , at the Elysee Palace at the opening of the Mi-Careme festivities. This press photo was the property of the “Agence ROL”. The news agency was founded in 1904 by Marcel Rol (1876-1905).

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Published in: on February 28, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF AN ADORABLE LITTLE GIRL AND HER UMBRELLA IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA (1916)

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An adorable little girl poses for her portrait at the studio of Marie Gleissner in Vienna, Austria. The girl has long curly hair and a sweet smile. She is holding an umbrella. I could not find biographical information about the photographer but it is my assumption that the photographer is a woman (Marie). An inscription on the reverse of the photograph indicates that it was taken in 1916. The Cabinet Card Gallery has other images by the Gleissner studio. Click on the category “Photographer: Gleissner” to view the additional photographs.  (SOLD)

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Published in: on February 27, 2016 at 2:08 pm  Comments (5)  
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THE BEST PORTRAIT OF A BULLDOG YOU’VE EVER SEEN (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

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If this vintage real photo postcard portrait of a handsome bulldog isn’t the best you’ve ever seen; it has to be right up there with the best. This adorable canine is apparently watching doggie tv. The dog is looking out the curtained window and appears quite intense about what he is seeing. The caption below the photo indicates that the dog is hoping to see cats. This unused postcard is part of a series published by Rotograph (no. 5016).bulldog 1

Published in: on February 26, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF THREE ADORABLE SIBLINGS (GERMAN REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

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Two adorable little girls and their sweet little brother pose for their portrait at an unknown German photographic studio. They are beautifully dressed and each child is holding a basket of flowers. This image likely dates back to the 1920’s.

Published in: on February 25, 2016 at 3:14 pm  Leave a Comment  

PORTRAIT OF GRACE BOWMAN, PERFORMER AT THEATRE DU CHATELET IN PARIS, FRANCE (BY PAUL BOYER)

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This vintage real photo postcard features a costumed stage actress named Violet Bowman. Her clownish costume’s pattern includes men in tuxedos and blackface. Preliminary research yielded little information about Miss Bowman but it appears from the postcard that she performed at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris France. The theatre was designed by Gabriel Davioud after it was requested by Baron Haussmann between 1860 and 1862. Although it has been remodeled, the theatre is still in operation and currently seats 2,500 people. Violet Bowman is quite pretty in this portrait by celebrated Paris photographer, Paul Boyer (1861-1908). He photographed many famous people during his career. This postcard is published by Societe Industrielle de Photograpie (SIP) of Rueil, France and was part of a series (no. 1264). The postmark of this French stamped postcard is from Castelnaudary, France and is dated 1905. It is addressed to Mazamet, France.

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Published in: on February 17, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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CABINET CARD PORTRAIT OF A LITTLE GIRL BY “STIFF THE PHOTOGRAPHER” IN BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS

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This cabinet card portrait features a nicely dressed little girl (possibly the subject is a boy) by the studio of “Stiff The Photographer”.  The back stamp of this cabinet card indicates that the studio’s address was 414 Main Street, Brockton, Massachusetts. The back stamp also confirms that the photographer did indeed call himself  “Stiff The Photographer”. What do we know about Mr Stiff? We know that Thomas P. Stiff once operated a studio known as Munroe and Stiff which was located at 64 Warren Street in Boston. We also know that in the 1880’s he had studios in Taunton and Fall River, Massachusetts. His studio in Brockton was there at least between 1882 and 1892. He was born in 1836 and died in 1908. He is buried in Melrose Cemetery in Brockton. He also must have had a sense of humor. I imagine his friends and customers must have a good time over his advertising motto “Stiff The Photographer”. The immediate humorous thought is that customers were being encouraged to not pay for the photographs they receive. I’ll leave additional interpretations to the reader.

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Published in: on February 16, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A SOLDIER AND HIS RIFLE AND HIS PREY: A LARGE RABBIT

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This vintage real photo postcard features a young soldier in uniform posing with his rifle and his lunch. The prize of the young man’s hunt is a large rabbit. Hopefully the soldier was able to avoid being “the hunted one” during his military service. This photograph appears to be from the early 1900’s and of European or Russian origin.

Published in: on February 15, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  

THE MULTI TALENTED ACTRESS ULLIE AKERSTOM PHOTOGRAPHED BY MULTI TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHER CHARLES EISENMANN

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Ullie Akerstrom had a professional career as a dancer, pantomimist, actress, playwright, and poet. Among her accomplishments was writing the play “Miss Roarer”. The production was written for Miss Annie Oakley and the famous wild west star appeared in the play on a London stage in 1894. The Swedish-American Miss Akerstrom was at one point known as “The Winsome Little Actress” and this photograph confirms her attractiveness. The cabinet card comes from the studio of Charles Eisenmann (1855-1927). He was German born and a well known celebrity photographer during the 1880’s and 1890’s in New York City’s Bowery District. Not only did he photograph celebrities (ie Mark Twain and Annie Oakley) but he also was known for his portraits of “human oddities” (ie. side show acts and people with birth defects). His son in-law, Frank Wendt, took over his studio in 1898. He later became the director of photography for Dupont. His work is very collectible. To view more of his images, click on the category “Photographer: Eisenmann”.

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Published in: on February 14, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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ADORABLE LITTLE GIRL WEARING PIERROT COSTUME: SHE IS CUTE AS A BUTTON

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This vintage real photo postcard features an adorable little girl dressed in a Pierrot costume. Perhaps she is dressed for a party associated with the Carnival. Pierrot is a character introduced to Paris in the late seventeenth century. The character is still popular today in contemporary culture. Pierrot is often presented as a sad and naive clown. This postcard is from around the 1920’s.

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Published in: on February 13, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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