This vintage postcard was published by Raphael Tuck & Sons and is titled “Japanese Acrobats” (no. 6465). The performer in the middle has tattoos on his back, as well as on the back of his left leg. Note the acrobats are holding paper fans and that the center acrobat is wearing his fan on his head. The card is part of a sub-series named “Japanese at Home”. The postcard is also a member of the “Oilette ” series, which was introduced in 1903. The 1930 Tuck catalog states that the oilettes are “veritable miniature oil paintings;” with six designs in a packet. These postcards were printed with the “finest modern colour methods direct from original paintings”. Raphael Tuck and his wife started their photography business in 1866 in London. Their store sold pictures, greeting cards, and in time, postcards. Their success came from the sale of postcards during the late 1890’s and early 1900’s. In the early 1900’s the firm conducted postcard competitions for collectors of Tuck postcards. These competitions offered cash prizes and they were very popular. The winner of one of these competitions had a collection consisting of over twenty-five thousand cards. Three of Tuck’s four sons participated in the business. The company was devastated by German bombing during World War II. In 1959 the company merged with two other printing companies. (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
Amazing card