This uncommon vintage real photo postcard features Miss Barbara Babington, an Edwardian-era actress, singer, and comedienne, shown in a glamorous theatrical portrait by Rotary Photo (no. 4033A). Babington is posed with a bright, engaging smile, dark curly hair, an elaborate feathered stage hat, and a richly decorated off-the-shoulder costume with beadwork and lace. The message on this card identifies her as “the lady who took the part of Principal Boy in ‘Cinderella,’” which is a wonderful period detail. In British pantomime, the “principal boy” was the young male hero of the story and was traditionally played by a young woman, especially in the Victorian and Edwardian stage tradition. Barbara Babington was a working British music-hall and musical-comedy performer and not a major star. Professionally, however, she is traceable across several decades: she was active by 1907, when she was noted as singing on the variety circuit at the Tivoli, London, and Hippodrome, Wakefield; in 1916 she was touring with Horace Goldin’s illusion show and was billed as a comedienne; and later she appeared in London productions including “Worm’s Eye View” and the original West End production of “Annie Get Your Gun”. This postcard was published by Rotary Photo, part of the Rotary Photographic Series. The company was a prolific London publisher of photographic postcards, especially theatrical and beauty subjects. The firm began publishing postcards as early as 1901; one postcard-reference directory notes that Rotary was producing platino-bromide postcards as early as 1901. This particular postcard is especially appealing because the reverse is completely filled with a lively handwritten message mentioning snow, tobogganing, shop/business life, records, and even a request for more gin to sell. SOLD
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