This uncommon vintage real photo postcard features American theater actress, Grace Elliston (c1881-1950). Her original name was “Grace Rutter” and that is the name used in the caption seen on this postcard. Elliston was a noted Broadway actress. The IBDb reveals that she appeared in 22 Broadway shows between 1899 and 1922. Her plays included “The Ambassador” (1900), “Her Husband’s Wife” (1910), “The Country Cousin” (1917) ” and a number of productions of Shakespeare. Elliston appeared with many noted performers including Julia Marlowe, Ethel Barrymore, William Farnum, and Viola Allen. She appeared in one silent film, “Black Fear” (1915). Elliston was a native of Memphis, Tennessee and came to New York as a young woman and went to work as a chorus girl. A successful Broadway career followed. This postcard was published by Rapid Photo as part of a series (no.1084). The card was printed in London. This vintage photo portrait postcard is in good condition (see scans).
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This vintage real photo postcard features German film actress, Christa Tordy (1904-1945). She was the cousin of silent film star Mady Christians. In fact, she was “discovered” while visiting her cousin who was working on a film at the time. Tordy was a leading star in German film but she abruptly ended her screen career after marrying celebrated actor, Harry Liedtke. He was twenty years her senior. Tordy and her husband were murdered at their home by the Russian Red Army during its invasion of Germany in World War II. Tordy must have been a very bright woman based on her educational resume. She graduated high school at seventeen and then moved on to college in Berlin and Munich where she studied art history, archaeology, philosophy and literature. When she completed her academic studies, she was awarded a doctorate. While in school she also took part in student theater. Tordy’s film debut was in 1926. The IMDb reports that she had eight film appearances between 1926 and 1928. Her final film was “Love on Skis” and she costarred in the film with her husband. Tordy and Liedtke met a tragic end at the hands of the Red Army. Liedtke was clubbed to death trying to defend his wife from violence and rape. Before their murder, the pair had attempted suicide. This card was published by Ross Verlag as part of a series (No.1947/1). Tordy’s photograph was taken by Rembrandt. (SOLD)
This postcard is a vintage real photo card featuring stunning French actress, Martine Carol (1920-1967). She was France’s major sex symbol of the early 1950’s. “Sex Symbol” is an awful term, but it certainly was spoken without much controversy when this postcard was published. Her popularity was short term. She was succeeded by another beautiful French actress, Brigitte Bardot. Little is known about Carol’s childhood. A random encounter with French film and stage actor, Andre Luguet, led her to seek a career in the theatre. She made her stage debut in 1940. Her first film role was in Wolf Farm (1943) and although she was a photogenic beauty and was at ease in front of the camera; her acting ability was limited. Throughout the 1940’s Martine acted in supporting roles and became a popular pin-up. She also appeared in stage roles. Martine was often considered the French version of American actress, Marilyn Monroe. After an affair with married actor Georges Marechal ended poorly, Martine attempted suicide by overdosing on alcohol and drugs, and jumping into the Seine River. The taxi cab driver that took her to the river, rescued her. The unhappy business of her suicide attempt resulted in renewed fan interest in the actress. In 1950, she had her first major film success in “Caroline Cherie”. At least part of her success was attributed to her semi-nude scenes and displays of “seductive sexuality”. She continued to appear in several films that IMDb refers to as “costumed teasers”. Her last popular role was starring in “Lola Montes” (1955). Later roles failed to peak moviegoers interests and Martine became depressed. A severe accident, and substance abuse in the 1960’s, sabotaged her career. At age 46, Martine died of cardiac arrest in the bathroom of a Monaco hotel. News accounts suggested that she died of a drug overdose but the story was never confirmed. Martine was married and divorced three times and left her fourth husband a widower. Her longest marriage was just short of five years duration. An interesting side note is that she was once kidnapped by French gangster, Pierre Loutrel (AKA Crazy Pete). The kidnapping was brief, and the kidnapper sent her roses the next day as a gesture of apology. Martine Carol’s filmography, according to IMDb, includes 50 film credits between 1941 and 1967. The photographer of this portrait photo is Sam Levin (1904-1992). He was born in the Ukraine but emigrated to France when he was two years of age. He is famous for his stage photographs and his portraits of movie stars. His studio was in Paris. Levin was a film photographer for 75 films. He was arrested by the Nazis during World War II and was sent to a camp. His crime was, being Jewish. The fact that he was sent to a detention camp rather than a death camp, indicates there was a high ranking Nazi official acting as his guardian angel. He photographed nearly all the major French and European movie stars of the 1950’s and 1960’s. He is particularly celebrated for his photos of Brigitte Bardot. Levin did over 180 magazine covers in the United States. This postcard was published by the Globe Edition (Paris) and is part of a series (no. 132). The card is in good condition (see scans). SOLD
This uncommon vintage real photo postcard features actress, Laura Russell. Very little biographical information about Miss Russell could be found during my preliminary research. I was able to find her image on three different tobacco cards. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has at least two of them in their collection. This is an undivided back postcard. It was likely published between 1901 and 1908. The card was published by Neue Photographische Gesellschaft AG,(Berlin) as part of a series (No.A 14). This portrait postcard is in very good condition (see scans).
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$26.00
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“The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News (1903) has a short article about Miss Fyfe Alexander. The magazines theater critic writes about her after seeing her perform in J M Barrie’s comedy “Little Mary”. The writer describes Alexander as “a pretty and charming young actress” and “she has the good qualities that go towards the making of a good actress, and is likely to take a prominent place in her profession”. She was not yet twenty years old at the time of this review. The article also reveals that Alexander was from a theatrical family and that she made her stage debut in 1901. The message on this postcard is interesting. The writer states that “Oh! How the tears did come” when she read a book entitled “The Blunders of a Bashful Man” (1881). This postcard was published by Rapid Photo and Miss Alexander’s photo was taken by female photographer, Lizzie Caswall Smith. The card was postmarked in 1906. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard features British actress, Miss Octavia Kenmore. Kenmore was an actress who performed in many productions of Shakespeare’s and Ibsen’s plays. She also was a Broadway actress. She was in eight Broadway shows from 1921 through 1947. Her appearances included a role in Hedda Gabler. Kenmore received many fine reviews in her long theatrical career. In a review of her London debut performance, one critic was not totally impressed. He states that she had a pleasing voice, intelligent and pretty features, and a good presence. He continues with the comment that she should have had more experience before taking on the difficult role in W. S. Gilbert’s fairy comedy, “The Palace of Truth” (1888). The critic’s final assessment of Miss Kenmore was biting. He declared that “Her performance was emphatically one of promise, not of fulfillment.” This vintage portrait postcard is unique in that the reverse of the postcard has a message from Kenmore. She has also signed the postcard. Her signature has not been authenticated. The photograph of Miss Kenmore seen on this card, was taken by Claude Harris (1883-1961). He has 61 photographs in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. His studio was located in London. He fought in the Boer War and World War I. He produced and directed a film “The Sanctuary” (1916). He photographed many celebrated theater celebrities. Harris was considered a master of lighting.
This vintage real photo postcard features American silent and sound film actress, Lois Wilson (1894-1988). She also directed two films and performed on the stage. She appeared on Broadway three times between 1937 and 1968. Her 1968 appearance was in “I Never Sang For My Father”. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but she and her family moved to Alabama when she was quite young. She graduated from Alabama Normal College and became a school teacher before venturing out to pursue a film career. In 1915, after winning the equivalant of the Miss Alabama beauty contest, she headed for Hollywood. She was quickly hired by Victor Film Company for a number of small roles. In 1916, she worked in a minor film role for female director Lois Weber. Weber took an interest in Wilson and began preparing her for future stardom. Wilson appeared in a number of films for various studios until she was signed by Paramount in 1919. She remained with the company until 1927. She was a WAMPAS Baby Star of 1922. WAMPAS Baby Stars were projected to become future major Hollywood stars. The IMDb credits Wilson with 159 screen appearances between 1915 and 1963. Her most noted roles were in “The Covered Wagon” (1923) and “The Great Gatsby (1926). She played opposite major leading men including Rudolph Valentino, John Gilbert and Ronald Reagon. She made a successful transition to sound movies. However, she became disappointed with many of the roles she played in the 1930’s, and retired in 1941. Wilson also performed on television and played roles in soap operas such as “The Guiding Light”, “The Secret Storm”, and the “Edge of Night”. Lois Wilson never married. This vintage postcard was published by Cinemagazine (Paris) as part of a series (No.237). SOLD
Lillian Russell (1860-1922) is pictured in this vintage lithographic postcard by famed New York celebrity photographer, B. J. Falk. Lillian Russell is captured in costume. Russell was a very famous American actress and singer who was known for her beauty, style, voice and stage presence. Her theater career began with roles in comic operas including the work of Gilbert and Sullivan. She married composer Edward Solomon in 1884 and two years later, he was arrested for bigamy. She performed in New York and elsewhere in starring roles in comic opera and musical theatre. In 1904 she switched to dramatic roles due to voice problems. She later also appeared in vaudeville. She retired from the stage in 1919. She later wrote newspaper columns, advocated for women suffrage, and was a popular lecturer. She married four times and her longest marriage was to Diamond Jim Brady who supported her extravagant lifestyle for four decades. It is interesting to note that the New York Times (4/2/1886) reported that during the performance of “Pepita”, an opera by her husband, Edward Solomon; there were obvious signs of marital discord observed on stage. The newspaper blamed issues revolving around Russell’s interfering mother, as well as, issues pertaining to Russell’s sudden prosperity. The newspaper article correctly predicted that there would soon be a divorce. This postcard portrait was published by Bamforth & Company, headquartered in both England and New York. SOLD
This postcard features a portrait of American film actress, Colleen Moore (1899-1988). She began her career in the silent film era. She was a fashionista and one of the highest paid stars of her time. She is also noted for popularizing the “dutchboy bobbed haircut”. Like many silent film stars, she was unable to adapt to “talkies” and decided to retire after just making a few sound films. Upon retirement, Moore focused on investing, and was quite talented in that realm. She became a partner at Merrill Lynch and wrote a book about how to invest in the stock market. One of her hobbies involved dollhouses. In the early 1950’s, she helped design and curate “The Colleen Moore Dollhouse” which is still exhibited at the Museum of Science and Industry, in Chicago, Illinois. The dollhouse is 9 square feet and worth millions of dollars and has been seen by millions of museum goers. Moore was born in Michigan and her family relocated to Atlanta around 1908.They then moved on to Pennsylvania and finally, Tampa, Florida. At fifteen years of age, Moore had a screen test with director D. W. Griffith. Griffith owed a debt to Moore’s uncle, a successful newspaper man in Chicago. Moore must have done well on the screen test since she soon found herself playing heroines in Westerns. She signed a contract with Triangle-Fine Arts and for the first few years she appeared in minor supporting roles. When the Triangle Company folded she signed with Selig Polyscope. She appeared in “A Hoosier Romance” and “Little Orphant Annie”. They were popular films and Moore achieved some celebrity. When Selig closed their doors, Moore went to work on films from various companies. Her star kept rising. In 1922, Moore was named a WAMPAS Baby Star (honor for actresses on the threshold of fame). The IMDb credits Moore with 65 film appearances between 1918 and 1934. At the height of her career, she was earning over twelve thousand dollars a week. This vintage portrait postcard features Colleen Moore with her trademark dutch boy bobbed haircut. The card was published by Ross Verlag. Note the logo for First National Pictures in the lower right hand corner of the image. The card has a 1926 postmark. Moore was about 27 years old when the photograph was taken. SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard features American actress and talent agent, Sue Carol (1906-1982). She began her career in silent films during the 1920’s. She made the transition to talkies and appeared in a number of movies throughout the 1930’s. She appeared in more than 60 films during her career. Her notable movies included “No No Nanette”, “The Phantom in the House”, and “The Donovan Affair”. She also appeared in several westerns and musicals in the 1930’s. She later became a talent agent representing several successful Hollywood stars including Robert Wagner and Roger Moore. She was married to actor Alan Ladd for more than two decades. This portrait postcard is in fair condition (see scans).
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