This vintage real photo postcard is another member of the Cabinet Card Gallery’s collection of international silent film stars. The beautiful actress featured on this postcard is Italian silent film star Pina Menichelli (1890-1984). She began her career in theater and in a number of small film roles. When she appeared in the lead role of “The Fire” (1916), she became elevated to stardom. For the next nine years, Menichelli appeared in many films and became a global star. She frequently appeared in roles where she played the role of a diva. She also showcased her, what wikipedia calls, her “decadent eroticism”. She retired in 1924 at the ripe old age of 34. Menichelli was born in Sicily to parents who were both touring theater actors. Her three siblings also became actors. She began acting as a child. Her theater travels took her to Argentina in 1908 and she married and relocated there. She returned to Italy in 1912 and acted in 35 films between 1913 and 1915. In 1918, one of her films was banned from theaters by Italian censors because Menichelli was “too fascinating” in the film. The IMDb website credits her with 62 film appearances between 1913 and 1925. A YouTube video biography of Miss Menichelli can be seen below. This postcard was published by Alberto Traldi of Milan, Italy. He was a publisher there beginning 1902, and according to one source, he ended his Milan business in 1918. This postcard was part of a series (no. 408). After World War II he returned to publishing postcards, including pin-up and cinema postcards. (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
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