This vintage real photo postcard features actress and singer, Miss Catherine Ferguson ( 1895-1972). At first glance, this image appears to be a photograph of a pretty woman on a bad hair day. However, this is actually a photograph of Miss Ferguson playing the role of “Mad Margaret” in “Ruddigore”. The comic opera was also known as “The Witches Curse”. The production was presented by the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and the music and libretto was written by Gilbert and Sullivan. It was first performed in 1887 for a run of 288 performances and was revived in 1920. During World War 1, interest in Gilbert and Sullivan was waning. The company’s main soubrette, Nellie Briarcliffe, left the company. In 1918, the company signed Miss Ferguson to replace Briarcliffe. Ferguson’s stage debut occurred in 1915, in “The Girl in the Taxi”. Ferguson took advantage of the opportunity at D’Oyly and she received much recognition and praise for her performances. In fact, it was thought that she had won the role of principal soubrette on a permanent basis rather than on an interim one. However, in 1919, Briarcliffe returned to the company and resumed her position as major soubrette while Ferguson was relegated to minor roles. Briarcliffe only stayed for one season, and upon her departure, Ferguson returned to being principal soubrette. She left the company in 1923 because of hearing loss. This photo postcard was published by Parkslee Pictures as part of a series (No. 36). The Cabinet Card Gallery has another real photo postcard of an actress playing “Mad Margaret”. You can view it by placing the name, “Aileen Davies” in the search box. SOLD
This vintage postcard features Schine’s Kenton Theatre, located in Kenton, Ohio. The Kenton Theatre was built in 1929 and joined the Schine’s theatre chain. The theatre was built in a Spanish Colonial style. It had murals painted on the auditorium and lobby walls. In 1993, the theatre was purchased by M. E. Theatres and the building was remodeled. The renovation included the construction of a new marquee modelled after the original (1930’s style). This postcard depiction of the Kenton Theatre shows the marquis advertising a film starring Greta Garbo. The sign states “Garbo Talks”. This reflects that transition from silent films to “talkies” which occurred between 1926 and 1930. Greta Garbo (1905-1990) was a Swedish American actress who was active in films between 1920 and 1941. She played many tragic characters in her career and is considered by many to be one of the greatest female stars of classic Hollywood movies. This postcard was published by the Wagner Post Card and Novelty Company. The firm was located in Delphos, Ohio. SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard features actress Maureen O’Sullivan (1911-1998). She is holding a ping pong paddle and standing next to a ping pong table. The Irish-American actress is best known for playing Jane in the Tarzan series of films. This postcard was published by Dutch publisher Jos-Pe. Arnhem. The card is part of a series (No. 432), and at the time this photograph was taken, O’Sullivan was under contract with Metro Goldwyn. The postcard is posted and has a Netherlands stamp. SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard features actress Maria Paudler (1903-1990). She was an Austro-Hungarian born German actress. She was the daughter of an architect. She received her acting training in Prague, performing on stage in both classical and modern roles from 1923 to 1938. After World War II she was imprisoned in the Czech Republic and was only set free after intervention from the Red Army. In 1949, she was severely injured in a car accident. The injuries almost ended her acting career. In 1951 she returned to acting and also directed some theatre productions. Paudler received offers from Hollywood but always rejected them. She published her memoirs in 1977. She was married to actor Georg Czimaq and when that marriage ended, she became engaged to actor Harry Liedtke. The IMDb credits Paudler with 63 acting appearances between 1926 and 1985. This photo postcard features Miss Paudler being upstaged by the geese that she is holding; one under each arm. Miss Paudler looks surprisingly comfortable in this pose. This postcard was published by Ross Verlag as part of a series (no. 3122/3). The logo for a film company appears in the lower right hand corner of the image. This vintage postcard is in very good condition (see scans).
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Billie Dove (1903-1997) was an American actress. Her parents were Swiss immigrants. During her teenage years, she worked as a model to support her family. Florenz Ziegfeld hired her as a teenager to appear in the Ziegfeld Follies Revue. She was not a particularly talented dancer or singer, her beauty and acting ability were her major assets. In the early 1920’s she moved to Hollywood and began appearing in silent films. It has been written that Ziegfield’s wife, actress Billie Burke, helped facilitate Dove’s transition to films. Apparently, Burke was trying to separate Dove from her husband because the pair were having an affair. It did not take long for her to become one of the more popular actresses of the 1920’s. Among her better known films was “The Black Pirate” (1926) with Douglas Fairbanks, and “The American Beauty” (1927). Dove was a ravishing beauty and was very photogenic. She married director, Irvin Willat, in 1923. The marriage had a six year duration. She then had a three year romance with Howard Hughes. Dove’s other interests included being a pilot, painter, and poet. After her last film, “Blondie of the Follies” (1932), Dove retired from films. It is thought that she retired because she was distraught about her role in her last film being “trimmed” by her co-star’s (Marion Davis) influential boyfriend (William Randloph Hearst). Hearst was upset because Miss Davis’s acting was overshadowed by Dove’s acting. Mr Hearst owned Cosmopolitan Productions which produced the movie. After retirement, Dove married oil executive Robert Kenaston in 1933 and the couple remained together until Kenaston’s death in 1970. She had a brief third marriage to an architect. It is interesting to note that jazz singer, Billie Holiday, borrowed Billie Dove’s first name when picking out her own stage name. Miss Holiday was an admirer of Miss Dove. The IMDb lists 50 movie credits for Billie Dove between 1921 and 1962.
Postcard 1 was published by “Ross Verlag”, The photographer of Miss Dove’s portrait was Defina of First National Pictures. (SOLD)
Postcard 2 was also published by “Ross Verlag”. Billie Dove looks beautiful in this portrait. Note the old style phone she is using. The postcard was sold exclusively by Ballerini & Fratini of Florence, Italy. The firm was known for producing a large number of postcards, including film stars of the 1920’s. I do not know why there were two publishing firms involved in producing this postcard. Perhaps there was a distribution agreement of some kind between the two companies. This vintage postcard is in very good condition (see scans).
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This item is a vintage trade card advertising corsets for the Chicago Corset Company. The card dates back to the 1880’s. The wasp waisted women seen in a number of the photographs of the cabinet card era, didn’t get that way from going to Jenny Craig and the gym. Their secret weapon was wearing a corset. This trade card utilizes a “celebrity spokesperson”. Adelina Patti, a famous opera singer, sings the praise of Ball’s Corsets which were manufactured by the Chicago Corset Company of Aurora, Illinois. She ordered eight corsets and testified that she wished that she had known about them sooner. The company advertising on the card brags that “they need no breaking in” and that they provide “health and comfort”. This particular trade card is also advertising the T. J. Elcock & Company which was a Dry Goods, Carpet, and Notions store in Mechanicsburgh, Pennsylvania. Here is a little information about the Chicago Corset Company, The business is cited in Robin Shepard’s “The Best Breweries and Brewpubs of Illinois (2003). The author writes that in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s Aurora was considered the corset capitol of the world. There were at least three corset companies operating their factories there and one of the largest was the Chicago Corset Company. In fact, I read elsewhere, that the company was the second largest corset company in the world. At one point, the business employed 600 people and produced 2 million corsets a year. The word “corset” began to be used in the English language in about 1828. “The Ladies Magazine” described it as a “quilted waistcoat”. The primary reason for using corsets was to slim the body and help it conform to a fashionable silhouette. Generally speaking, the corset reduces the waist and exaggerates the bust and hips. Apparently there were “overbust corsets” and “underbust corsets”. Sometimes, corsets were used for medical or for fetish purposes. I’ll refrain from elaborating about the medical and fetish purposes and leave detailed explanation to your imagination. The corset company’s spokesperson on this trade card is Adelina Patti (1843-1919). She was a celebrated 19th century opera singer who earned a great deal of money for her performances at the height of her career. She sang in both Europe and America and is probably one of the most famous sopranos in history. She was born in Madrid. Her father was tenor Salvatore Pattie and her mother was soprano Caterina Barilli. Her parents were Italian and she grew up in the Bronx, New York. She sang professionally from childhood. At sixteen years of age, she made her operatic debut at the Academy of Music in New York City. At age eighteen she began performing in Europe. She later performed “Home Sweet Home” for President Lincoln and his wife shortly after the death of their son, Willie. The bereaved parents requested an encore. She was associated with the song for her entire career. In her prime, Adelina Patti demanded to be paid five thousand dollars a night. She asked to be paid in gold, prior to each performance. She demanded top billing and that her name be in bigger font than others in the company. She also demanded that she not be obligated to attend rehearsals. Did someone say, DIVA? It was reported that she trained her parrot to say “Cash, Cash”. Be sure to look below to see some interesting images pertaining to corsets as well as an image of Miss Patti. (SOLD)
Adelina Patti
Corset Shop Window
Polaire was famous for her tiny, corseted waist, which was sometimes reported to have a circumference no greater than 16 inches (41 cm)
A woman models a corset in this 1898 photograph.
Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
This vintage real photo postcard features actress Dorothy Russell (1883-1954). She was the notorious daughter of the ultimate diva, Lillian Russell (1860-1922). Dorothy was in three Broadway plays between 1904 and 1907. Dorothy’s trademark was her penchant for sensational hijinks, divorces, and legal fights. Dorothy was married seven times. In one civil suit, she was forced to surrender jewelry given to her mother by “Diamond Jim” Brady. The court insisted that she use the proceeds from the jewelry to pay off personal debts. A stamp on the reverse of the postcard indicates that this card was once the property of Robert S. Simmons. This postcard was published by the Rotograph Company (New York City). It is part of the Rotograph Series (No. B 624), The photographer of this image is William Mckenzie Morrison whose studio was located in the Haymarket Theatre building in Chicago, Illinois. Morrison was a well known and successful celebrity photographer. (SOLD)
This carte de visite portrait features actress Julie Marberg. She appears quite young in this photograph. She is wearing flowers in her hair and it appears that she is also wearing a hat or bow. Cdv photographs of Miss Marberg can be found in the collections of the Vienna Museum, as well as the Vienna Theater Museum. This photograph was taken by Moriz Muller Jr.. He operated a photo studio in Vienna, Austria. The reverse of the photograph displays a number of European photography awards the studio won in the 1870’s. This photograph has been trimmed to fit into an album or frame. SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard features actress and singer, Miss Aileen Davies (1902-1981). At first glance, this image appears to be a photograph of a pretty woman on a bad hair day. However, this is actually a photograph of Miss Davies playing the role of “Mad Margaret” in “Ruddigore”. The comic opera was also known as “The Witches Curse”. The production was presented by the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and the music and libretto was written by Gilbert and Sullivan. It was first performed in 1887 for a run of 288 performances and was revived in 1920. The “Gasbag” (2006) quotes a review of Miss Davies performance in a 1926 revival of “Ruddigore”. In regard to the actress, the reviewer admires “her prissy delivery and skittish style” and describes her “wonderful sexy lift ” into song. This photo postcard was published by Parksle Pictures as part of a series (No. 157). Davies is best known for her role in The Mikado (1926). The YouTube video below presents Beatrice Elburn, Elsie Griffin, and Aileen Davies, performing a song from “The Mikado”. This vintage postcard is in very good condition (see scans). SOLD
These vintage real photo postcards feature beautiful stage actress Marie Studholme (1872-1930). The English actress and singer was known for her supporting and starring roles in Victorian and Edwardian musical comedies. Her theater career spanned from 1891 through 1915. Her roles included appearances in “An Artists Model” (1895), “The Messenger” (1900), and “Lady Madcap” (1906). Marie Studholme’s beauty made her one of the most popular postcard models of her time.
Postcard 1 is a wonderful portrait of Miss Studholme in costume for the stage production of “Miss Hook of Holland). The play was an English musical comedy. It opened at the the Prince of Wales Theatre in 1907 and ran for 462 performances. It originally starred Isabel Jay and Harry Grattan. The play also ran on Broadway. Studholme starred in the title role in “Miss Hook of Holland” on a long provincial tour from 1907 to 1910. This vintage photo postcard was published by Rotary Photo (no. 4890 A) and the photo was taken by the Foulsham and Banfield studio. This postcard has an interesting message. Rather than signing the card, the writer left his identity a secret by signing it with one word, “Guess?”. The postcard is postmarked “1908”. The card is in excellent condition (see scans).
Postcard 2 is part of the Rotary Photographic Series (no. 4188 A) and was printed in England. Miss Studholme’s portrait was photographed by the celebrated Foulsham & Banfield studio. Although photo postcard portraits of Miss Studholme are common , this particular photograph is uncommon. (SOLD)
Postcard 3 is also part of the Rotary Photographic Series (no. 348 K). This photograph highlights the beauty of Miss Studholme. The postcard is also aimed to be erotic judging by the generous view of the actress’s cleavage. The photography studio that produced this image is W & D Downey of London, England. This studio was well known and highly respected in England. They advertised themselves as photographers specially appointed to photograph the imperial and royal families of Europe and they photographed many other celebrities. Although Studholme posed for many postcard portraits, this particular photo postcard is uncommon. The postcard is in excellent condition (see scans).
Postcard 4 is a member of the Rotary Photographic series (No. 24 L), just like Postcard 1 and Postcard 2. In this portrait, Miss Studholme flashes a beautiful smile. The low cut dress that she is wearing is a bit risque for the era. It appears that she was not adverse to the idea of suggestive poses. The photographer who took this portrait photo of Marie Studholme is a well known female photographer named Lizzie Caswall Smith. Smith (1870-1958) was a British photographer who operated in the early 1900’s. She specialized in photographing members of society and celebrities. Many of her photographs were used for postcards. She was involved in the Women’s Suffrage movement and photographed many of the leading suffragettes. She also photographed many actors including Billie Burke and Maude Fealy. She operated the Gainsborough Studio from 1907 through 1920 (309 Oxford Street) and moved to a new location (90 Great Russell Street) where she remained until she retired in 1930 at the age of 60 years-old. Her most famous photograph is a portrait of Florence Nightingale taken in 1910. It was auctioned in 1908 and sold for 5500 pounds which is an equivalent today of nearly 8,000 dollars. The National Portrait Gallery has 84 portraits associated with Lizzie Caswall Smith. The postmark stamped on this postcard indicates that it was mailed in 1907. The message on the card is written to a 13 year-old girl. The writer of the card apologizes for not sending a letter sooner and explains “but I’m so busy”. It is interesting to note that “excuses” have not changed much over the last hundred years. SOLD
Postcard 5 features a fashionably dressed Marie Studholme. This postcard was published by Rotary Photo and is part of a series (no.229W). This particular postcard is uncommon. SOLD
Buy this original Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #2800
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Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #3517
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POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)
POSTCARD 1 (CLOSE-UP) (SOLD)
POSTCARD 2
POSTCARD 2 (CLOSE-UP)
POSTCARD 2 
POSTCARD 4A (SOLD)
POSTCARD 4B (CLOSE-UP) (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 