PORTRAIT OF SWEET LITTLE OTTO AND HIS HOOP TOY (1913)

This sweet little boy is adorably dressed. He poses for his studio portrait in front of a very nice backdrop painting of the sea. The child is holding on to a hoop toy. He takes extra precaution that the toy won’t roll away by standing on the bottom of the hoop. A note below the image identifies the boy as Otto and the year the photograph was taken (1913). I am not a linguist so I can only guess what language the embossed studio information is written in. My hypothesis is that this photograph was taken in Russia, or possibly Greece. If I am correct, one wonders what a boy with a German name (Otto) is doing in Russia or Greece. Hopefully, a visitor to the Cabinet Card Gallery will be able to identify the language and leave a comment which will solve the mystery.

Published in: on April 3, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  

PORTRAIT OF STUNNING FRENCH MUSIC HALL STAR MADEMOISELLE DAVRIGNY

This vintage real photo postcard features French cabaret actress Mademoiselle Davrigny. She is truly a stage beauty. Her smile is delightful. Preliminary research yielded no biographical information. This postcard was published by Societe Industrielle de Photograpie (SIP) of Rueil, France and was part of a series (no. 1676). The photographer was Edouard Stebbing who was active in Paris between 1890 and 1910. Stebbing taught at a University in Paris and invented the stebbing camera, and was known for his work with emulsions. It is reported that he was friends with the artist Monet. He died in 1914 and his wife (Celestine) died five years earlier. Stebbing was a prolific photographer during the Belle Epoque Paris. He appears to have been an expatriate from England. He published many articles in British Photographic journals. Stebbing photographed many theatrical stars. A frequent publisher of these postcards was Monsieur G.Piprot, of “Etoille” or “Star” publishing in Paris. The “Photographic Times and American Photographer” (1883) cited Stebbing as “one of the bright lights of the French Photographic Society.   (SOLD)

Published in: on April 2, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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BRITISH CHAP RIDING HIS DOUGLAS MOTORCYCLE (1920’S)

An Arlo Guthrie song has the following lyrics. “I don’t want a pickle. Just want to ride on my motorcycle. And I don’t want a tickle. Cause I’d rather ride on my motorcycle.” Motorcyclists often have a passionate relationship with their bikes and riding, Perhaps the chap in this vintage snapshot shares that same enthusiasm. This photo features a middle aged or older motor cyclist. His bike has a British (Bristol) license plate and was manufactured by the Douglas company. Douglas was a British motorcycle manufacturer that operated from 1907 through 1957. The company was based in the city of Bristol.  Interestingly, the company also built cars in its early days (1913-1922). This photograph measures about 3 3/8″ x 2 3/8″.  I believe that this photograph is from the 1920’s.  (SOLD)

Published in: on April 1, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (7)  
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