MISS ELIZA WEATHERSBY : BURLESQUE PERFORMER : BRITISH BLONDES : CARTE DE VISITE

This carte de visite photograph features actress, Miss Elizabeth Weathersby (1849-1887). She was born in London. Weathersby began as a burlesque performer at a young age. She came to the United States in 1869 as a member of a touring troupe. When the tour ran into financial problems, Weathersby was signed by Lydia Thompson to become a member of the “British Blondes”. The Blondes were extremely popular in New York that season. They were a burlesque troupe and their theatrical repetoire included comedy, pantomime, satire, improvisation, and song and dance. The show was saucy. The acts included cross-dressing, risque costumes and off color jokes. The company’s six month tour was extended to nearly six years. They returned to the US two more times to play to large audiences. The burlesque troup stirred up lots of protest and controversy, spawning an anti burlesque movement. This form of entertainment was considered disgraceful, indecent, and unnatural. Eliza was a popular member of the troupe. Weathersby married socialite, actor, comedian Nathaniel Goodwin and they formed their own burlesque company that was active between the late 1870’s until Eliza became ill in 1884. She died three years later in New York City. Her death was the result of a flawed gynelogical surgery. During her career, Weathersby appeared in 7 Broadway plays between 1870 and 1873. The IBDb lists “Robinhood” and “Pippin” among her appearances. This cdv portrait was photographed by an unidentified studio. SOLD

Published in: on September 9, 2022 at 2:42 pm  Leave a Comment  
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JANE COWL : IN COSTUME FOR “WITHIN THE LAW

This vintage real photo postcard features American film and stage actress, Jane Cowl (1883-1950). Cowl was also a playwright. She was born in Boston, attended high school in Brooklyn, New York, and took courses at Columbia University. She made her Broadway debut in 1903. She landed her first leading role in a 1909 David Belasco production. Her first big success was in “The Gamblers” (1910). She had much success on the stage, including “Within the Law” (1912). This photo postcard captures Miss Cowl in costume for her role in “Within the Law”. She played in a number of Broadway productions of Shakespeare. She played Juliet in more than 1000 consecutive performances. In 1930, she performed with a young Katharine Hepburn in “Art and Mrs. Bottle”. In sum, the IBDB reports that Cowl appeared in 35 Broadway productions between 1903 and 1947. Cowl’s performing history includes working in film. She was the lead in two silent films. She had an over 30 year hiatus from the movies until taking on some supporting film roles during the 1940’s. IN 1906, Jane Cowl was married to Adolph Edward Klauber. He was the drama critic for the New York Times. He was a former actor and the son of a noted Louisville, Kentucky Jewish photographer. In 1918, Klauber left his newspaper job to become a theatrical producer and manager. He and Cowl separated in 1930. This vintage postcard portrait is in excellent condition (see scans).

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Published in: on September 8, 2022 at 6:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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CAN CAN DANCER AT THE BAL TABARIN : RISQUE : PARIS, FRANCE : BY JEAN AGELOU

This vintage risque real photo postcard features a pretty young dancer at the Bal Tabarin cabaret. She may be a can can dancer, which is a dance that was known to be performed there. The venue was located in Paris, France. The club was opened in 1904 by Auguste Bosc, a composer and orchestra leader. The Bal Tabarin became very popular immediately after it’s opening. During the occupation of France in World War II, the club was frequently visited by German officers. Florence Warren, a South African dancer, performed there. The Germans did not realize that Warren was Jewish but she was interned as an enemy alien for several months. Upon her release, she returned to the club and partnered with Frederic Acar to become a favorite dance duo. She appeared on stage with successful performers, including Edith Piaf and Maurice Chevalier. Warren also kept busy aiding the French Resisance. After the war, the owners of the Moulin Rouge took over the cabaret and finally closed it in 1953.  The young dancer seen in this photo postcard was photographed by Jean Agelou (1878-1921). Agelou was a French photographer of the 1910’s and 1920’s who is best known for his erotic and nude photographs. He was born in Egypt and not much is known about his private life. Agelou generally used models between the age of 20 and 24 years-old. Although the 1900’s was the “golden age” of erotic photograph, photographers who took such risque photos had to use discretion. As a result, Agelou signed his work “JA”. In 1908, nudity in photographs was banned in France and photographers had to cover nude women images with strategically placed undergarments or other materials. Nude images had to circulate on the down low. They were sent in the mail inside of envelopes. Jean Agelou died in 1921; the result of a car accident. (SOLD)

Published in: on September 3, 2022 at 12:55 pm  Leave a Comment  
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LILLIAN BURNS : EARLY AMERICAN FILM ACTRESS AND ACTING COACH : RAPHAEL TUCK RPPC

POSTCARD 1
POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)

Postcard 1 features pretty film actress Lillian Burns (1903-1998). Burns was an American stage actress hailing from Illinois. She is most known for performing in “A  Florida Enchantment” (1914), “The Goddess” (1915), and “The Shop Girl” (1916). She was an acting coach for MGM from 1937 until the early 1960’s. Her filmography includes 41 credits from 1912 through 1916. This photograph was taken by celebrity photographer Lallie Charles (1869-1919). She and her sister, Rita Martin, were the most commercially successful female photographers of their time. The pair were from Ireland. They took photographs of many of celebrities of their era. This photograph was published by Raphael Tuck as part of a series (no.T825). The series was entitled “Celebrities of the Stage”. This postcard is in excellent condition (see scans).

Postcard 2 was also taken by Lallie Charles . This photograph was published by Rapid Photo Co. as part of a series (no.4228).The card was postmarked in 1908.

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Published in: on August 21, 2022 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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MABEL RUSSELL BRITISH ACTRESS AND THIRD FEMALE MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)
POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)
POSTCARD 3 (SOLD)

These vintage real photo postcards feature actress Miss Mabel Russell (1886-1951). She was also known as Mrs Hilton Philipson when off the stage. Russell was a British actor and politician. She was a gaiety girl and starred in many London plays. She left acting to marry politician, Hilton Philipson, in 1917. Mabel caught the political bug and became the third woman to take a seat in the House of Commons. She was quiet on the floor of the house but was active behind the scenes. One of her bills led to the 1927 Nursing Home Registration Act. After retiring in 1929, she returned to acting for a brief period by left the theatre to focus on her family. 

Postcard 1 was published by Tucks as part of the “Celebrities of the Stage” series (No.T 718). Miss Russell’s photo portrait was taken by Dover Street Studios. This postcard was postmarked in 1907. (SOLD) 

Postcard 2 captures Miss Russell playing “Forbidden Fruit” in the Chinese Comic Opera “See See” (1906). The production ran in London’s Prince of Wales Theatre for 330 performances. This postcard was published by Tucks as part of the “Celebrities of the Stage” series (No.T 713). Miss Russell’s photo portrait was taken by Dover Street Studios. This postcard was postmarked in 1908. (SOLD)

Postcard 3 captures Miss Russell in her role in “Jack and Jill”. The “Bystander” magazine reported her appearance in that production in 1907, the same year as the card is postmarked. The actress was about 21 years old when this postcard photo was taken. The postcard was published by Rotary Photo as part of a series (No.4839R). (SOLD)

POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)
POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)
Published in: on August 17, 2022 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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GILDA DARTHY : SCANDALOUS FRENCH ACTRESS : RISQUE

This vintage real photo postcard features French actress, Gilda Darthy (1878-1952). She was an actress on the Paris stage. She was known for being fashionable and was the subject of many photo postcards and photographs. Her stage costumes were created by some of the most famous costumers of their time. She had striking red hair. She was a passenger on a 1910 flight from Algiers to Timbukto and her flying on the plane was used to publicize the New French air service making the flight. During World War I, Darthy was one of the French actresses employed to portray “La Patrie”, a symbol of France. She made her American debut in “The Ironmaster”. The New York Times (1916) reported on her performance and the review was very favorable.  The reviewer described Darthy as being among the most gifted and skillful actresses of the french theater. The wrtier added that “she has all the natural grace and technical skill” of the schooled actresses of the french theater. The reviewer also commented about Darthy’s appearance by stating she had “a moderate amount of gallic beauty”  besides her talent. Finally, the theatrical writer reported that Darthy had an extraordiary amout of emotional powers and a lovely voice. Darthy also appeared in the New York productions of Sapho (1917) and “La Rafale” (1917). In addition to being famous for her acting and fashion roles, Darthy was also a headliner in the area of noted scandals. The New York Times (1917) reported that actress, Irene Bordoni filed suit in the New York Supreme Court against her husband, actor Edgard Beekman, on the grounds of alleged misconduct with Darthy. Darthy was also sued for damages for alienating Boroni’s husband’s affections. Beekman was Darthy’s leading man in a theatrical production at the time of the affair. A similar situation occured with actress Cora Laparcerie and her husband Jacques Richepin. That particular conflict escalated to the point of physical violence between the two women. In 1929, Darthy won damages in a court case, after being injured in an automobile accident. The injuries caused her to have to cut her “trademark” long hair and damages were justifiable because she refused to “deceive the public by wearing a wig”. This vintage postcard portrait of Gilda Darthy was taken by Paul Boyer, the esteemed celebrity photographer. Boyer’s studio was located in Paris, France.  (SOLD)

Published in: on July 27, 2022 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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LA SYLPHE : ACTRESS & EXOTIC DANCER : EDITH LANGERFELD : RISQUE RPPC

This vintage real photo postcard features American actress exotic dancer, La Sylphe. Her off stage name was Edith Lambelle Langerfeld (1883-1968). She attracted a great deal of attention in the 1890’s while performing at the Folies Bergere. She was born in New York City. Her father was German and her mother was Irish.Her father invented a machine used in the mining of coal. Edith was a dancer, but US laws prevented her from performing on stage due to her young age. The laws were more liberal abroad so when Edith turned six, she was taken abroad by her mother. She travelled around the world for eight years, spending the majority of her time performing in Europe. She became fluent in five language. During her second world tour, she was the primary dancer at the Alhambra Theatre in London. Next, she performed at the aforementioned Folies Bergere. Her debut in the US occurred when she was fourteen. In 1899, she introduced her rendition of “The Vision of Salome” dance. When “Salome” was banned by the Metropolitan Opera in 1907, La Sylphe’s popularity in the US soared. She named her performances “The Remorse of Salome”. She adopted the Far East body dance, otherwise known as “the houchee kouchee”. She began performing in vaudeville. She did toe dances, spanish castanet dances, muscle dances (belly dances),  and of course, the Salome dance. She also performed what she called the Devil dance. Some of her performances were risque. In one skit, her mid waist was covered by only pearls. In other performances she wore tights, picket fence skirts and a gossamer (light and thin) bodice. Her performances in New York shocked the public but the shows were tame compared to her routines in Europe. Some of her New York shows were attended by plainsclothes police officers to ensure that she did not cross over the morality boundary.. In 1919 and 1920, La Sylphe was in the cast of “George White’s Scandals”. Her performances included an Acrobatic act, as well as a Contortionist act. After 1928, she began performing in ballets. In one interview, La Sylphe expresses an interesting opinion about matrimony. In an article from “The Evening World” (1908), she states that being an old maid is a good idea. She asserts that she is going to be one. “Marriage is fine for men, but it’s rotten luck for a woman, This vintage real photo postcard was published by Philco as part of a series (No.3103A). The photo was taken by noted celebrity female photographer, Lallie Charles. (SOLD).

Published in: on July 13, 2022 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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BLANCHE SWEET : SILENT FILM ACTRESS : 161 FILM CREDITS : BY FRED HARTSOOK : 1917

Blanche Sweet (1896-1986) was an American silent film actress. Her mother was a dancer and her father was a wine merchant. Blanche began show business at an early age. At age four she was performing with a touring company with stars, Marie Burroughs and Maurice Barrymore. At age thirteen, she was working at Biograph Studios under contract with D. W. Griffith. She became known as “The Biograph Blonde”. In 1914, Sweet moved to Paramount (Famous Players – Lasky). Paramount had offered her more money than Biograph could pay. During the 1910’s, Sweet appeared in several prominet film roles and kept her place as a popular leading lady. She played in a number of Cecil B. DeMille films. She and Marshall Neilan (actor, director, producer, screen writer) had an affair which led to Neilan obtaining a divorce and marrying young Blanche. She was about 16 years old. The marriage ended in 1929 because Neilan was an alleged philanderer. When “talkies” began, Sweets career suffered causing her to retire in 1930. The IMDb lists 161 film credits in Blanche’s filmography. Her post film career included radio work and non major Broadway roles. When job offers dissipated, she began working in a Los Angeles department store. She later worked with historians and gave lectures about the early days of Hollywood. This photo portrait of Miss Sweet was taken by American photographer, Fred Hartsook (1876-1930). He owned a chain of California studios described as “the largest photographic business in the world” at that time. The photo was taken circa 1917. Hartsook photographed many silent film stars as well as Woodrow Wilson during his Presidency. This vintage postcard’s AZO stamp box indicates that the postcard was published sometime between 1910 and 1930. This postcard is in very good condition (see scans).

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Published in: on June 12, 2022 at 1:24 pm  Leave a Comment  
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TESSIE HACKNEY : BRITISH STAGE ACTRESS : PHOTO BY RITA MARTIN : (1907)

This vintage real photo postcard features English musical comedy actress, Tessie Hackney (1885-1967). Tessie was the daughter of a butcher. In 1913, she married a Commander in the Royal Navy. She played important roles in “The New Aladdin” (1906), “The Girls of Gottenberg” (1907), “The Hon’ble Phi”l (1908), and “A Persian Princess” (1909). Her sister, Mary Hackney, was also a musical comedy performer. There are two photographs of Tessie Hackney in Britain’s National Portrait Gallery. In one of these images, Hackney appears in the same costume as the one she wears in this postcard. The portrait of Miss Hackney seen on this postcard was taken by famed female celebrity photographer, Rita Martin. SOLD

Published in: on June 4, 2022 at 1:08 pm  Comments (2)  
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FLORENCE TURNER : SILENT FILM STAR : ACTRESS : VITAGRAPH : POSTCARD

This vintage postcard features a portrait of Florence Turner (1885-1946). She was an American silent film actress known as the “Vitagraph Girl”. She was born in New York City. She began performing on the stage at age three, thanks to a zealous stage mom. In 1906 she was signed by Vitagraph studios to a film contract. She made her movie debut in “How to Cure a Cold” (1907). She became the studio’s leading box office draw. As time went by, more actresses became well known throughout the movie industry. Turner’s popularity waned and in 1913 she moved to England and began performing in music halls. Part of her schtick was impersonating celebrities of the day. Apparently, she had much talent as an impersonator. While in England, she set up her own production company (Turner Films). She wrote screenplays and directed films. In 1924 she returned to the US and pursued acting. She was no longer seen as a film star and she played supporting roles during the 1930’s.  Turner has 197 credits to her name, between 1907 and 1943. This postcard was published by the Ess an Ess Photo Company, located in New York City. (SOLD)

Published in: on June 2, 2022 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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