A SOUBRETTE OF MAJOR PROMISE: STAGE ACTRESS EDITH MURILLO

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This cabinet card portrait by New York City celebrity photographer Benjamin Falk, features stage actress Edith Murillo. Judging by the sparsity of easily accessible information pertaining to Miss Murillo, it appears that she was not a major theatrical player. However, The New York Times  (1884) “Notes of the Stage” section announces her appearance in a musical comedy. In addition, the Topeka State Journal (1889) describes Miss Murillo as “a soubrette of uncommon promise”. Wikipedia defines a soubrette as “a comedy character who is vain and girlish, mischievous, lighthearted, coquettish and gossipy”. The description adds that soubrettes “often display a flirtatious or even sexually aggressive nature”. This image of Edith Murillo certainly captures the pretty actress in a flirtatious pose.

Published in: on July 30, 2015 at 4:10 pm  Comments (3)  
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PORTRAIT OF AN AUSTRIAN ACTRESS: ROSA ALBACH RETTY

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This cabinet card portrait features German born Austrian actress Rosa Albach Retty (1874-1980). Retty appeared on the stage and in movies. She was daughter of actor Rudolf Retty. She began her theatrical career in 1890 at the Deutsches Theater and the Lessing Theater. In 1895 she appeared at the Volkstheater in Vienna and in 1903 became a member of the Burgtheater ensemble. She made her film debut in 1930 in Georg Jacoby’s “Money on the Street”. Her last film credit was for a role in “Congress Dances” (1956). She was married to Karl Albach, an Austro-Hungarian Army officer. Albach-Retty’s son, Wolf Albach-Retty was an actor as was her granddaughter (Romy Schneider {1938-1982}). Albach-Retty clearly had the “theatrical gene” as well as the gene for longevity. She died at the age of 105. She is buried in Zentralfriedhof in Vienna. The photographer of this image is Hans Makart and his studio was located in Vienna, Austria. The photographer Hans Makart is not the same individual as Austrian Hans Makart (1840-1884), the celebrated artist. It is an interesting coincidence however, that Makart the artist utilized photography in his work. Another portrait of Albach- Petty as well as an image of her gravestone can be seen below. The third photograph is a portrait of Romy Schneider.

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Published in: on July 25, 2015 at 6:06 pm  Comments (4)  
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AMELIA GLOVER: FAMOUS SKIRT DANCER (CABINET CARD PORTRAIT BY SARONY)

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This cabinet card portrait features celebrated skirt dancer Amelia Glover. The photograph was taken by the well known New York theatrical photographer, Napoleon Sarony. The term “skirt dancer” is not a term we read or hear about today so an explanation is likely in order. Skirt dancing earned its name due to the voluminous skirts worn by the dancers. These skirts were often made of sheer and flimsy material. The skirts were utilized as part of the dancers act. Famous skirt dancers include Glover, Loie Fuller, Papinta, and Anna Held. Amelia Glover was not just any skirt dancer. The Illustrated American (1892) published an article called “The Skirt and the Dance”. In the article the author bemoans the trend that resulted in French and English dancer’s skirts getting shorter and shorter. Most dancers prior to the trend wore long skirts (below the knee). Kate Vaughn is credited with the reintroduction of long skirts and the”skirt dance”. Letty Lind and Sylvia Grey are asserted to be responsible for importing the dance from England to the United States. The pair are said to have created a “rage” with the skirt dance. The author complains that the dance “has mostly degenerated into a lot of high kicking and can can impropriety”. He continues with the contention that the original dance has become “vulgarized”at the hands of “ordinary women” of the variety stage.The author goes on to state that there is one American skirt dancer who has “remarkable natural gifts”. He identifies that dancer as Amelia Glover, also known as “Little Fawn”. The cabinet card image below gives a view of  Glover dancing while wearing a long skirt. Besides being an incredible dance talent, Glover has another claim to fame. Theatre Magazine (1922) reports that Miss Glover started the fad of wearing bobbed hair. Her hairstyle was imitated by other women of the stage as well as by women of society.  SOLD

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Published in: on July 24, 2015 at 3:25 pm  Comments (2)  
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PAULINE HALL (1860-1919): BEAUTIFUL MUSICAL THEATRE STAR

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CABINET CARD 2

CABINET CARD 3   (SOLD)

pauline hall                       CABINET CARD 4   (SOLD)

The top cabinet card features Pauline Hall (1860-1919), one of the most popular turn of the century prima donnas. She began her career as a dancer in Cincinnati, Ohio at age 15. She joined the Alice Oats Opera Company but left to tour in plays with famed actress Mary Anderson. By 1880, she worked for well known producer Edward Everett Rice in musical productions. Early in their association, he gave her a role in “Evangeline”. Her shapely figure allowed her to take male roles as she did in “Ixion” (1885). Her greatest success came in the title role of the first American production of  “Erminie” (1886). She played in more than two dozen Broadway operettas. Her final role was in the “Gold Diggers” (1919). This photograph was taken by famed celebrity photographer, Elmer Chickering of Boston, Massachusetts. Other photographs by Chickering can be seen by clicking on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of “Photographer: Chickering, E.”.

The second cabinet card, photographed by B. J. Falk, of New York City, captures Pauline Hall in stage costume. The photograph is #305 in a series from Newsboy. The tobacco company (Newsboy) gave away cabinet cards as a premium with the purchase of their products. This cabinet card shows a copyright date in the 1890’s. The exact date has become illegible over time. To view other Newsboy or Falk cabinet cards, click on the categories “Photographer: Falk” or “Photographer: Newsboy”.

The third cabinet card portrait was also photographed by Falk. Ms. Hall looks quite beautiful in this image. She is wearing earrings and an interesting hat. The photograph is a bit risque. Much of her neck and shoulders are exposed. In addition, her dress accentuates and reveals significant cleavage. Is the material at the base of her scoop neckline part of her dress; or was it added in order to make the photograph less provocative? Perhaps a visitor to the cabinet card gallery will be able to provide an explanation.  SOLD

The fourth cabinet card image, once again photographed by B J Falk, features Miss Hall wearing a dark dress, long gloves, a lovely hat, and a purse. Pauline Hall certainly was a stage beauty as attested by this photograph.  SOLD

Published in: on July 11, 2015 at 7:44 pm  Comments (4)  
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PORTRAIT OF A PRETTY WOMAN IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA BY PROMINENT PHOTOGRAPHER JOSEF LOWY

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This cabinet card photograph features a well dressed and pretty woman displaying a beautiful smile. She also has beautiful eyes. The woman is photographed by J.Lowy who operated a studio in Vienna, Austria. A notation on the reverse of the cabinet card (see image below) indicates that the photograph was taken in 1904. The former owner of this vintage image contends that the woman in the photograph was an actress. I can not confirm that she was a stage performer but it certainly would not be surprising. The photographer of this wonderful portrait was Josef Lowy (1834-1902). Lowy was a very prominent and talented Vienna photographer who was active in the city between the 1870’s and early 1900’s. A book of Lowy’s photographs (published in 1897) can be found on “Abe Books” at a price over three thousand dollars. Lowy was an Austrian. He was trained as a lithographer and received an artistic education at the Vienna Academy. He entered the field of photography in 1861 and was a regular exhibitor in photographic salons beginning in 1864. He won medals in the 1873 Vienna World Exhibition and became an official photographer to the Austrian Court. Lowy had varied interests in photography. He did royal portraits and also photographed industrial sites. He photographed many theatre and opera stars. Upon Lowy’s death, his wife (Mathilde) took over operation of the studio until 1908. Mathilde Lowy (1854-1908) had married Josef in 1875. She was succeeded in business by Lowy’s nephew, Gustav Lowy who renamed the studio “Art Institute J. Lowy”. By now you may realize that I reported that Josef Lowy took this photograph in 1904 but died in 1902. This fact makes this particular photograph even more special. Actually, my hypotheses is that this cabinet card portrait was taken by a photographer employed by Lowy’s widow, or perhaps Mrs. Lowy herself.  (SOLD)

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Published in: on July 10, 2015 at 8:16 pm  Comments (2)  
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ROSE ZAZEL: PRETTY AND EXPLOSIVE YOUNG WOMAN (FIRST FEMALE HUMAN CANNONBALL)

HUMAN CANON BALL_0005This cabinet card portrait features a pretty young woman who was quite a daredevil. She was the first female canonball. Her stage name was Rose Zazel. In this photograph she is wearing her namesake rose as well as a necklace, bracelet, and earrings. She is also wearing a risque costume. Miss Zazel’s act involved being shot from a spring loaded cannon invented by “The Great Farini”. Zazel’s given name was Rossa Matilda Richter and she was just 14 years of age when she was engaging in this exciting but reckless behavior. At one point, she toured with the PT Barnum Circus. Eventually she suffered a career ending injury when she missed a safety net and suffered a broken back. The information I cited about Rose Zazel comes from an interesting article on Scribol.com. The article is entitled “Seven Most Mind Blowing She-Daredevils in History” and it was written by Karl Fabricus. The article included the image below which is a poster advertising an appearance of “Zazel the Human Projectile”.  This cabinet card image was photographed by Marc Gambier, a well known photographer of celebrities. You can view more of his images and learn more about him in the category “Photographer: Gambier”.

Zazel_The_Human_Projectile_vintage_poster_on_display_at_the_Circus_World_Museum_in_Baraboo,_Wisconsin.

Published in: on June 14, 2015 at 8:33 am  Comments (4)  
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A RISQUE PORTRAIT OF AN ACTRESS AND HER VIOLIN IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA

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This cabinet card portrait features an actress, or possibly a musician, holding a violin and bow. She is dressed in a risque fashion. Courtesy of her short dress, she is exposing a great deal of her legs. The photograph was taken by Julius Gertinger (1834-1883) whose studio was located in Vienna, Austria. The reverse of the photo (seen below) shows some of the medals won by Gertinger in exhibitions. One of the earlier medals is from 1868. The date of this photograph (1886) is also listed on the reverse of the cabinet card. Gertinger is cited in the “British Journal of Photography (1874)”. In a review of a collection of his photos appearing in an international exhibition, the writer states that his photographs “possess great delicacy”. “The Photographic News (1875)”  in announcing the winners of awards at the Vienna Photographic Exhibition, reports that Gertinger and another winner were “by no means unknown to many of their brethren in Great Britain”. The New York Public Library’s Photography Collection includes the work of Gertinger.   (SOLD)

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Published in: on June 9, 2015 at 6:52 pm  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF ETTA MILLER ORCHARD: NOTED SOPRANO

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The pretty and well dressed woman featured in this cabinet card portrait is noted soprano, Etta Miller Orchard. Her photograph appears in “The International (1901)”. In addition, she is mentioned in “The Musical Courier (1902)” for her performance in a Good Friday service at the Marble Collegiate Church in Boston, Massachusetts. Interestingly the photographer of the image seen in “The International” is Aime Dupont, the same photographer who created the portrait seen above. Dupont is a well known New York City photographer who took many photographs of celebrities. To view more of his images and to learn more about him, click on the category “Photographer: Dupont”. The cabinet card is stamped on the reverse with the name “Charles L. Ritzmann”. Ritzmann was a well known collector and retailer of celebrity cabinet cards. To view more of Ritzmann’s photographs, click on the category “Charles Ritzmann Collection”.

Published in: on June 2, 2015 at 10:25 am  Leave a Comment  
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PRETTY WOMAN WEARING A FEATHERED HAT IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

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A pretty well dressed young woman poses for her portrait at the Anderson studio in San Francisco, California. She is wearing a beautiful dress with a large bow and a feathered hat sits atop her head. She is also wearing what appears to be diamond earrings and a collar pin. I would guess, and it’s only a guess,  that the woman in this photograph is an actress. The woman’s beauty, attire, and poise leads me to hypothesize her theatrical background. Perhaps a visitor to the cabinet card gallery will recognize her and be able to provide the rest of us with her identity. The photographer of this image is Hugh S. Anderson. He was born in Scotland sometime between 1820 and 1828.  Anderson was a California photographer who operated studios in Eureka (1858-1865), Hydesville (1859-1860), San Francisco (1866-c1895), and Petaluma (1875). The Valencia Street studio that produced this photograph operated between 1879 and 1884.   SOLD

Published in: on April 19, 2015 at 9:48 am  Comments (6)  
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MAGGIE MITCHELL: CELEBRATED THEATRE ACTRESS WHO PERFORMED IN FRONT OF PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN

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Maggie Mitchell (1832-1918) was a famous American actress, born in New York. Her first regular stage appearance was in “The Soldier’s Daughter” at the Chambers Street Theatre in 1851. Her first major success was as star of  “Oliver Twist”. She has been described as small, agile and energetic, with a special talent for comedy. In 1860, she appeared in “Fanchon, The Cricket” which was adapted for her from a George Sand novel. She performed in this and other plays in front of  President Abraham Lincoln. The photographer of the top image was celebrity photographer, Mora, of New York City. To view other photographs by Mora, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category, “Photographer: Mora”. The second portrait of Miss Mitchell was taken by the esteemed Philadelphia photographic studio, Gilbert & Bacon. This cabinet card image shows Maggie displaying a “come hither” expression. To view more photographs by this studio, click on the category “Photographer: Gilbert & Bacon”. ADDENDUM: A knowledgeable visitor to Cabinet Card pointed out that the second photo of Miss Mitchell is actually actress Lotta Crabtree (see comment below). A bit of research confirmed his astute observation. Lotta Crabtree, a woman who led a very interesting life, will receive her own entry in the cabinet card gallery in the next few days.

Published in: on April 15, 2015 at 12:01 pm  Comments (2)  
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