An especially attractive early photographic postcard of celebrated British stage performer Ada Reeve, shown in an elaborate Edwardian theatrical costume. Reeve wears an enormous lace-trimmed picture hat decorated with dark circular accents, flowers, feathers, and ribbon, while her softly waved hair is arranged around a distinctive forehead curl. A single strand of pearls rests above her ornate lace dress, which is embellished with contrasting dark openwork trim and floral details. Her gentle smile and direct gaze give this portrait considerable charm. Born in London in 1874 into a theatrical family, Ada Reeve made her stage debut at only four years old in a production of Little Red Riding Hood. As a teenager, she entered the music hall to help support her family and went on to become a leading performer in pantomime and Edwardian musical comedy, including prominent appearances in The Shop Girl and in The Gay Parisienne. She toured successfully in Britain, Australia, South Africa, and the United States, and later began a film career at approximately age seventy, appearing in such films as They Came to a City, Night and the City, and I Believe in You. Her extraordinary professional life stretched from childhood performances in the 1870s to film and television appearances in the 1950s. This postcard was published by Rotary Photo, as part of the “Rotary Photographic Series” (no.157Q). The Rotary Photographic Company was an important British photographic-postcard publisher active during the late Victorian and Edwardian periods and is especially known for its portraits of actors, actresses, musicians, and other public personalities. The divided reverse bears a green British Half Penny postage stamp and a clearly readable Newport, Monmouthshire postmark dated 1905. There is no personal message written on the communication side. SOLD
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
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