This vintage real photo postcard features the legendary French actress, Sarah Bernhardt. The caption under the image states that the photograph shows her in the role of La Tisbe, in “Angelo, Tyrant of Padua”. The play was written by Victor Hugo. This image relates to Bernhardt’s 1905 performance in the play at the Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt. The postcard credits the esteemed photographer, Henri Manuel as having produced this portrait of Miss Bernhardt. Henri Manuel opened a Paris portrait studio with his brother Gaston in 1900 and became known for portraits of public figures, artists, performers, politicians, and fashionable society. His studio later became one of the major photographic studios in Paris. The postcard was published by Neurdein et Cie (ND), a French postcard publishing company. Sarah Bernhardt was born in Paris in 1844. She became one of the most celebrated actresses in theatrical history. Known as “The Divine Sarah,” she was admired internationally for her voice, emotional intensity, dramatic presence, and extraordinary ability to transform herself on stage. She performed throughout Europe and America, became an early international celebrity, and was famous not only for her acting but also for her carefully cultivated public image. Her best-known roles included La Dame aux Camélias, Phèdre, Fédora, Théodora, La Tosca, Hamlet, and L’Aiglon. She was also an artist and sculptor, and her personal life became part of her legend. She had one son, Maurice Bernhardt, married the Greek-born actor Jacques Damala, and was known for eccentric habits and theatrical self-presentation. When people say someone is “being Sarah Bernhardt,” they usually mean the person is being highly dramatic, theatrical, or over emotional, a reference to Bernhardt’s larger-than-life stage presence and public persona. This beautiful early 20th-century French photographic postcard shows Bernhardt in an elaborate theatrical costume, richly ornamented with embroidery, jewelry, pearls, and floral decoration in her hair. Her pose is unmistakably theatrical: she leans beside a column, gazing outward with the kind of expressive intensity that made her one of the most famous performers in the world. This postcard was published in circa 1905. The postcard presents very well, with a strong and attractive image of Bernhardt and excellent theatrical detail in the costume. There is minor corner wear and a small scrape or light mark near the lower right image area. The reverse is unused. Overall, this is a very displayable early Sarah Bernhardt theatrical postcard in good antique condition (see scans).
This vintage Postcard is available for purchase at my store, The History Peddler, for $22.00 or best offer.
Interested collectors may view the listing here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/336586794861
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
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