The beautiful woman in this vintage real photo postcard is Millie Legarde. She was an actress and a singer. She was active in her career between 1898 and 1911. She was a sitter for eight portraits in Great Britain’s National Portrait Gallery. She performed in numerous theater productions and in one film (1905). Searching for biographical information about Miss Legarde was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Preliminary research revealed that she appeared in many plays. Newspaper articles of the time, mention her name, but provide little information. It’s as if she was in the “witness protection program” and nearly all information about her has been scrubbed. Millie posed for a number of postcards but this card is certainly the nicest one I’ve seen. This postcard was published by Ralph Dunn & Company which operated out of London, England. The card is part of a series (no.A476). The postcard was manufactured in Berlin, Germany. (SOLD)
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The pretty actress seen in this vintage real photo postcard is Antonella Lualdi (1931- ). Although she is an Italian actress and singer, she appeared in both Italian and French films in the 1950’s and 1960’s. One of the more noted films was “The Red and the Black” (1954). Lualdi was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Her father was Italian and her mother was Greek. Growing up, she became fluent in Arabic, French, and Italian. Her career was propelled by winning a “new talent” competition held by the cinema magazine, “Hollywood”. She was introduced by the name of “Signorina X” and readers were asked to choose her stage name. Lualdi’s filmography published by IMDb reports that she has 107 TV and film credits ranging from 1949 through 2010. In 1955, she married Italian actor Franco Interlenghi. They had starred together in several films. The couple had two daughters, both of whom became actresses. This postcard was published in 1950 by the Globe (Paris). The card is part of a series (no. 326). 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. A number of Levin’s photo postcards can be found in the Cabinet Card Gallery. This vintage postcard is in excellent condition (see scans). 
This press photo features award-winning actress (film and television), film director, and film producer, Rosanna Arquette (1959- ). Her movie credits include roles in “Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985), “Pulp Fiction” (1994), and David Cronenberg’s Crash (1996). Arquette was born in New York City. Her mother was an actress, poet, therapist, and more. Her father is a film actor, screenwriter, and producer. Her grandfather (Charley Weaver) was a comedian. She has four siblings that became actors. Must be in the genes. Arquette was one of the victims of Harvey Weinstein’s predatory sexual behavior and she spoke out about her experience early on when Weinstein was being deservedly skewered by the press. She has been married four times and divorced three times. While making a film with Bette Davis in 1978, Arquette was advised by the apparently prescient screen star that mixing a career and a relationship would never work. In 1990 Arquette was on the cover and featured in a nude pictorial for Playboy magazine. The IMDb credits her with 152 acting credits and 3 for directing. This silver print photograph was taken by celebrity photographer, Gabor Scott, in 1989. It is my presumption that the number 89 printed on the reverse of the photo stands for 1989. The Press Gazette reported Gabor’s death in 2014. He was 65 years-old. The article’s headline asserts that he “made his name covering 1980’s glitterati”. The London based photographer once photographed Prince Harry giving him “the finger”. He was the “house photographer” at Camden Palace, one of the most fashionable London clubs in the 80’s. He photographed many celebrities there and elsewhere. Scott was born in Hungary in 1948 and moved with his family to London in 1956. Scott syndicated his images through a number of agencies. This press photo was distributed by Camera Press. The photo measures about 5″ x 7″ and is in excellent condition (see scans).
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Maria Corda (1898-1976) was a Hungarian actress and a star during the silent film era in German and Austria. She began her career in acting in the theaters of Budapest during the beginning period of World War I. One of her gigs was working as a dancer with the Royal Opera in Budapest. When the Austria-Hungary Empire fell apart, she began working in the film industry. She appeared in her first film in 1919 ;under the direction of Hungarian, Korda Sandor, who later changed his name to Alexander Korda. Korda was the leading movie director in Hungary and he featured her in three of his films in 1919. Maria became the most famous actress in Hungary. Hungary’s leader had Alexander seized by the secret police. Maria and her brother-in-law exerted pressure on the British Military consulate and was able to get her husband freed. The couple fled Hungary and settled in Vienna, Austria. It was in Vienna that the pair changed their names. He became Alexander Korda and she, for some unknown reason, became Maria Corda. In 1920, Alexander began directing films in Austria and Maria became an Austrian silent screen star. Alexander directed Maria in a number of films including “Samson and Delila” (1923). In 1926, the couple moved to Germany the couple teamed up again and were able to continue their film career success. The caught the attention of First National, a Hollywood movie studio. Alexander and Maria were offered a package deal to come to American and make movies. They settled in Beverly Hills. Maria did not encounter the success that she had in Europe. Her Hollywood career aspirations were crushed in 1928 by the advent of sound pictures. She knew little English and had a thick accent. In addition to her movie career, her turbulent marriage also came to an end. They divorced in 1930. Her husband returned to Europe where he had a long successful career in British filmmaking. Maria moved to New York and wrote a number of novels. She spent her later years in Switzerland. In 1942, her husband was knighted and she insisted upon being called “Lady Korda”, even though Alexander was remarried. When Alexander died in 1956, he was onto his third marriage, but that did not stop Maria from trying to claim an inheritance. Maria had an interesting personality. Writers have asserted that she was temperamental and ambitious. She had a tendency to embellish her background. She often described herself as the “Hungarian Garbo”, an opinion reflecting aggrandizement. The IMDb reports that Maria had 28 film credits between 1919 and 1929. —–Postcard 1 was published by Ross Verlag (Berlin), The card was part of a series (no.1633/1). Note the “Fox” logo on the bottom right hand corner of the image. Maria starred in a Korda film for a Berlin based subsidiary of Fox in 1926. Therefore, this postcard is likely from 1926. The film was entitled “Madame Wants No Children”. The postcard was sold exclusively by Ballerini & Fratini of Florence, Italy. SOLD —–Postcard 2 was published by “Europe” which I believe was based in France. It is part of a series (no.315). This photograph of Corda is risque. She is barely covering herself with what appears to be a blanket. Only her strategically placed arm shields her from crossing the risque border. At the time that this photograph was taken, Maria Corda was under contract with Mercure Film. The logo of the company can be seen in the lower right corner of the card. This photo postcard features Corda in costume for her starring role in “The Private Life of Helen of Troy (1927). The film was directed by her husband, Alexander Korda. (SOLD)
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This vintage theater postcard features two actresses appearing in the play, “Resurrection”, by Henry Bataille. The play was adapted from a novel written by Leo Tolstoy. The novel was originally published in 1899. The play was performed at the “Theatre National de L’odeon. The actresses are Mll Sylvie (1883-1970) and Mme Bertha Bady (1872-1921). Here are brief biographical skethches of the actresses. Sylvie was born in Paris, France. Her original name was Louise Pauline Mainguene. Her father was a sailor and her mother was a teacher. She started her professional career in 1903. She appeared in a number of French silent films. She was both a stage and a screen actress. She graduated from the Paris Conservatoire. Her filmography, listed by IMDb, credits her as acting in 54 films between 1912 and 1968. Berthe Bady was born in Belgium but her nationality was French. Berthe Bady attended the Brussels Conservatory and was active on the stage between 1893 and 1913. She was a beautiful actress. Berthe was a companion to both Lugne-Poe and Felix-Henri Bataille. Lugne-Poe was a French actor, theatrical director, and scenic designer. He and Bady were involved in symbolist movement of the arts. Bataille was a French dramatist and poet. A brief explanation of symbolism seems to be merited. In theatre, symbolism is a way to bring a greater meaning to something than is apparent at face value. The use of color, characters, movement, props and costumes are all methods of presenting symbolism. In 1897 Bady was the subject of a portrait by Toulouse Lautrec and her death was the subject of a poem by a leading French poet, Louis Aragon. In addition, playwright Fernand Crommelynck dedicated a play to her. Wikipedia credits her with sixteen “notable” play appearances between 1893 and 1913. She appeared in Ibsen’s “The Master Builder” on an international tour. The tour took her to London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Milan, and additional cities. In 1918 she appeared in her one and only film, “Ecce Homo”. The photo of Berthe and Sylvie was taken by Emile Allevy, a Paris photographer. The postcard was published by A.J.C. (Arthur John Carter) of Eastbourne, England. This postcard was likely published around 1902 since that is when Bady played in the play at the Theatre National de L’odeon. This vintage postcard is in good condition (see scans).
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