FRENCH ACTRESS GISELE GRIMAUX USING WORLDS FIRST CELL PHONE IN 1927 (VINTAGE RPPC)

grimaux

This vintage real photo postcard features French actress Gisele Grimaux caught in a candid moment as she texts her boyfriend on her cell phone. Amazingly, this photograph is dated 1927, indicating that the lovely Miss Grimaux’s cell phone was certainly a prototype. Enough with the humor. It is actually a mystery as to what the costumed Gisele Grimaux is holding in her hand that draws her intense attention. Possibilities include a mirror or a photograph. The reverse of the postcard identifies the actress and the date.

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Published in: on April 29, 2016 at 9:26 am  Comments (3)  
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STUNNING WOMAN IN MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN (WEARING AN INTERESTING AND UNUSUAL HAT)

stunner

A very pretty young woman is seen in this cabinet card portrait from the Sutter studio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The woman is wearing a fabulously unusual hat. The photographer of this lovely portrait is Henry S. Sutter. Research reveals that he also is referred to as Harry S. Sutter. He was born in Switzerland in 1853 and immigrated to the United States two years later. He was trained as a photographer by the Green & White studio in 1870. He began his own photography business by taking over Clifford & Gibson’s studio in 1874, ten years after it’s establishment. A number of resources mention that Sutter was a highly successful businessman. “The Industrial History of Milwaukee (1886) reported that Sutter was making $25,000 a year from his studio.

Published in: on April 18, 2016 at 7:51 pm  Comments (1)  
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BEAUTIFUL PORTRAIT OF A BRIDE AND GROOM AT THEIR TOM THUMB WEDDING (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

tom thumb

This vintage real photo postcard features two children posing as a bride and groom. The bride looks beautiful in her wedding dress and the groom is adorable in his tuxedo and top hat. Obviously, this is not a real wedding photo. However, it is likely an example of a Tom Thumb Wedding portrait. “Tom Thumb Weddings” were inspired by the marriage of  little people, Charles Stratton and Lavinia Warren. The couple were both working as attractions for P. T. Barnum, of circus fame. Stratton was known as General Tom Thumb. The pair were married in 1863 and the wedding was a lavish affair. People were fascinated by the couple’s wedding and reception. The event was called “The Greatest Little Wedding” and people became so obsessed that they began to create their own “miniature weddings”.  At these weddings, the bride, groom, and bridal party were composed of young children. These weddings were run like plays and often money raised at these events were used for charitable purposes. This postcard photograph may be from one of these Tom Thumb weddings but I can not be certain.The previous owner of this postcard, a postcard maven, described this postcard as being from Germany and as being published around 1909. I can not substantiate that “Tom Thumb Weddings” took place in Germany. To view other “Tom Thumb Wedding” photographs, click on the category “Tom Thumb Wedding Portraits”.

 

Published in: on April 17, 2016 at 2:14 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A BOY AND HIS TRUMPET

trumpet

This cabinet card portrait features a young man, probably in his teenage years, posing with his trumpet. He must have been up late the night before practicing his instrument because he sure looks tired. More likely, he is a bit bewildered by the challenge of posing for the unidentified photographer. He clearly got dressed up for the occasion of having his portrait taken. He is wearing striped pants and a striped jacket. Clearly he has committed a fashion faux pas. Making matters worse, he is wearing a patterned tie. Judging by his fashion sense, it’s my guess that he played with the English punk rock band “The Clash”. On a serious note, this is a nice portrait of a young musician.

Published in: on April 15, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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TWO ADORABLE YOUNG KIDS DRESSED FOR CARNIVAL: RARE STUDIO PORTRAIT

carnival kids

This vintage real photo postcard features two adorable young children wearing carnival costumes. This postcard is a rare studio portrait by an unidentified photographer. The children are seated at a table and on the table is a set of blocks. This postcard was printed on Kodak postcard paper.

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Published in: on April 14, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF A MOST ATTRACTIVE COUPLE IN MANNHEIM, GERMANY

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This beautiful cabinet card portrait features an attractive couple posing at Emil Buhler’s studio in Mannheim, Germany. The couple are well dressed and give the appearance of being in the “upper class”. The gentleman looks proud and intense. Note his wonderful mustache and eye glasses. The lovely woman is wearing a charm bracelet, ring, and collar pin. She is also displaying a terrific smile and the photographer did an excellent job of capturing the woman’s intimate feelings toward her husband. Look at her body language and see if you agree with my assessment concerning her love for her husband. The photographer, Mr Buhler, is cited in “The Photographic Times (1888)” as a manufacturer of fine quality photographic paper.

Published in: on April 13, 2016 at 8:45 am  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A ROW OF FIVE ADORABLE CIRCUS DOGS (PHOTO BY FAMED ALBERT BERGERET OF FRANCE)

circus dogs

This vintage real photo postcard features five circus dogs posed as if they were begging. The dogs are adorable and the photographer did an excellent job of posing these “talented” canines. The caption is in French and roughly means “Doggies Right Alignment”. The photograph is by the famed Albert Bergeret (1859-1932), a leading French postcard producer. Printing on the front of the postcard lists the studio as being located in Nancy. A postmark on the card indicates that it was mailed in 1902. To view other examples of Bergeret’s work and to learn more about him, click on the category “Photographer: Bergeret”.

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Published in: on April 11, 2016 at 2:18 pm  Leave a Comment  
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AN ADORABLE CHILD IN RICHMOND, MICHIGAN

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This cabinet card featuring an adorable young child peering at a photographer while holding onto a fence rail in a photographer’s studio. The youngster appears a bit apprehensive. The child is wearing a lace collar and a cute hat. The photographer is G. S. Stevens whose studio was located in Richmond, Michigan.

Published in: on April 10, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PRETTY FASHIONABLE YOUNG WOMAN IN CLEVELAND, OHIO

liebich

This cabinet card portrait features a pretty and fashionable young woman. She was posed in a manner which suggests she was having a pensive moment. The photographer of this image is either Moritz or Arthur K. Liebich. Arthur K. Liebich (1834-1905) was an active photographer in Cleveland between 1874 and his death in 1905. He was the son of Moritz S. Libich (1825-1888) who was born in Germany and came to America in 1862. Moritz was a trained artist and he taught art for twelve years at the Jewish Orphan Asylum. Moritz was of the Jewish faith. Moritz and his son Arthur opened their studio on the corner of Ontario and Huron in 1876. In 1885 they added a branch studio on Broadway. In 1890 they moved their primary studio to a street called Euclid. Moritz was married to Alice Gerlach while in Germany and the couple had five children. Moritz’s son Arthur was born in Germany. Arthur came to Cleveland in 1863. He began his photography career working with William Case North and than joined his father’s studio eventually becoming partners with his father (1881-1888).Arthur was a major in the Spanish American War with the Cleveland regiment. In 1881 he married Alice Lacey of Aurora. An interesting fact about the reverse of this cabinet card is that the Liebich’s gallery had a slogan which appears on the card. The quotation is “The light that serves me shines for all.” Research reveals that this slogan appears on the reverse of a number of other Ohio photographer’s cabinet cards. “The Daily Record” (2003), a small Ohio newspaper describes a cabinet card from Harrington’s Gallery (Orville, Ohio) as having the same company motto. In addition, Teeple’s French Light Galleries (Wooster and Ashland, Ohio) also used the same quotation. Research failed to find the origin of this quotation or for it’s relevance in cabinet card photography.

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Published in: on April 9, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG WOMAN IN A BLACK DRESS INSIDE A BOSTON RAILROAD PHOTO CAR

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Not all photographers of the cabinet card era worked out of brick and mortar photography studios that were situated in towns and cities. Some entrepreneurial photographers thought they had a better idea. These innovative photographers decided to take their studios to the public rather than wait for the public to come to them. Some photographers situated themselves on trains or steamboats while others packed up their studios and took them on the road (via wagon) from town to town. This cabinet card portrait was taken on a studio car attached to a Boston Railroad train. The photograph features a young woman in a dark dress posing next to an ersatz rock. Note the interesting image found below. The photograph comes from the website “Luminous Lint”. The image was taken around 1905 and it shows a group of people in front of a railroad photographic gallery. This train car studio was photographed while in Temple, Oklahoma.

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Published in: on April 7, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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