The pretty actress seen on this vintage real photo postcard is Irish Gaiety Girl Rosie Boote (1878-1958). Her father was a comedian and her mother was a hat maker. She was educated in a Convent school in Thurles. The school was known for turning it’s students into young well educated ladies who fit well into the highest social circles. After leaving school, she was introduced to George Edwardes, a well known English theater manager. He selected her to be one of his “Gaiety Girls”. These young ladies were chorus girls appearing in Edwardian musical comedies. They would appear on stage wearing bathing suits or in the latest London and Paris fashions. Rosie received great acclaim for her stage work. In 1901, she became the Marchioness of Headfort after marrying Geoffrey Thomas Taylour, 4th Marquess of Headfort. Their marriage created a scandal in Edwardian society. His family and friends tried to stop the marriage and the controversy attracted international attention. Even the King of England tried to intervene and stop the marriage. Despite the scandal, the pair married. Their marriage was one of the first of many examples of Gaiety Girls marrying husbands with titles. Rosie never returned to the stage and was eventually very involved in high society life. This vintage postcard was published by Rotary Photo as part of a series (No.1748A). The photograph was taken by the Bassano studio. Interestingly, the caption under Rosie’s photo states “Marchioness of Headfort”. That means that the card was issued after Rosie left the stage (1901). The postmark on the reverse of this postcard reveals that it was mailed in 1906. SOLD
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
Leave a comment