This Cabinet Card is a photograph of actress Odette Tyler (1869-1936) and it is photographed by famed celebrity photographic studio, the Pach Brothers. Tyler appeared in many productions including “The Love Route” (1906) which appeared on Broadway. She was an American actress and comedienne. She worked for Charles Frohman and was a member of a number of theater companies including the Madison Square Company (1884-1885). She authored a book, “Boss: A Story of Virginia Life”. Tyler was born Elizabeth Kirkland in Savannah, Georgia. Tyler’s father was a West Point graduate and served as a Confederate General during the Civil War (General William Kirkland). Odette Tyler is quite pretty in this image and her feathered hat can be described as elaborate. To view other photographs by this studio, click on the category “Photogapher: Pach Bros.”.
ODETTE TYLER: THEATER ACTRESS AND DAUGHTER OF A CONFEDERATE GENERAL
YOLANDE WALLACE: THEATER ACTRESS WHOSE ONLY REDEEMING ACTING QUALITY WAS HER “GOOD LOOKS”
Yolande Wallace is the subject of this Cabinet Card photographed by J. H. Melrose of New York City, New York. Wallace was a stage actress and singer whose early appearances included a period with actor Henry E. Dixey. Her appearances on Broadway included “Little Christopher Columbus” (1894), “The French Maid” (1897), and “The Show Girl” (1902). In 1894 the New York Times critic panned “Little Christopher Columbus” and stated that he wished Sherlock Holmes was still alive so he could find out who could have been clapping at the shows dreadful first performance. The critic also penned that Wallace, in her role of “Guinevere”, offered only one redeeming quality and that was her “good looks”.
JEWISH COUPLE, REPORTEDLY BRODER SINGERS (YIDDISH) IN BRODY, UKRAINE
This Cabinet card featuring a well dressed couple, offers a bit of mystery. The last owner of this card states that this couple are “Brody Yiddish Singers”. So what does that mean? First of all, Brody is a city in Lviv Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. The city was a crossroads and jewish trade center in the 19th century. Brody is considered to be Shtetls, Brodersanger, Purim, Jewish theater, CzarAlexander III, Berl Margulis, Berl Broder, one of the “shtetls”. The city was famous for the Brodersanger or Broder singers who were among the first Jews to publicly perform Yiddish songs outside of Purim (a holiday) and wedding celebrations. These performers were the precursors of jewish theater. Due to anti Jewish regulation enacted in 1882 by Czar Alexander III of Russia and the resulting exodus of Russian Jews; throughout 1881 hundreds of Jewish immigrants arrived in Brody daily. The most famous Broder singer was Berl Margulis also known as Berl Broder (1815 -1868). It is not certain that this cabinet card really depicts Broder singers and no evidence is available to support the claim , but it is not unusual for families to pass down such information over generations and there is a reasonable chance that the history is correct and the story is worth telling. The photographer of this cabinet card is Buscdorf.
LETTICE FAIRFAX: THEATRE ACTRESS (PRETTY THE WAY AN ENGLISH GARDNER’S DAUGHTER IS PRETTY)
Lettice Fairfax, an English actress, is the subject of this cabinet card. Her first stage appearance in America was at Daly’s Theater in New York City. She had a role in “Number Nine” in December of 1897. The reviewer in the New York Times wrote that she was “a pretty, fragile and very nervous” actress. He also labelled her the “new ingenue” and reported that she was pretty the way an English Gardner’s daughter is pretty. I guess that means that she was pretty in “the girl next door” kind of way. The photographer of this cabinet card was famed theatre photographer, B. J. Falk and the photograph is copyrighted in 1898. The reverse of the cabinet card is stamped “Charles L Ritzmann” of Broadway, New York.
ADELE BELGARDE: THEATRE ACTRESS WITH QUESTIONABLE TALENT
This cabinet card portrait captures Adele Belgarde, an actress of the theatre. On August 22, 1879, the New York Times critic reviewed her performance in “Julia” The critic clearly was not impressed when he wrote “there is so much she attempts that she cannot do, and possibly would never be able to do.” The critic also writes that her acting “was not sufficiently good” or warrant much praise. More information about this feather clad actress will be sought. The photographer of this cabinet card is Myers located on Broadway in New York City.
ZOE TUTTLE: PRETTY STAGE ACTRESS
The Boston Globe of 1880 in a play review of Uncle Toms Cabin, writes that Little Miss Zoe Tuttle played Eva in a “perfect” performance. Ms Tuttle appears to have begun as a child actress but little more information has been discovered. Additional research will be done and any facts concerning Ms Tuttle or additional comments from blog visitors would be appreciated. The photographer of this cabinet card is Myers of New York City. This photograph is back stamped with the name of Charles Ritzmann, a well known purveyor of photographs of stage actors and actresses.
HOPE BOOTH: “FETCHING BUT HOPELESS THEATRE ACTRESS”
This Cabinet Card is a portrait of theatre actress, Hope Booth. This actress seems to have had a propensity for trouble. The New York Times (1896) reported that at age 23, after appearing at the “Casino Roof Gardens” in a sketch entitled “Ten Minutes in the Latin Quartier; or A Study in the Nude”, she was arrested along with the manager of the theatre. She was charged with violating public decency because of her scant costume and daring poses. Five years later, her husband, actor, James E. B. Earll was arrested after his opening appearance in a vaudeville act at Koster and Bials. Before her arrest, she appeared in George Bernard Shaw’s first play, “Widowers Houses” in 1892. A review described her as a “fetching but hopeless” actress. Shaw had seen her in an earlier show and had described her as a “young lady who can not sing, dance, or speak, but whose appearance suggests that she might profitably spend 3 or 4 years in learning the arts which are useful on stage”. Other news stories and books report that she was born in Canada, was once married to a Canadian member of Parliament, she was a distant relative of the theatrical Booth family, and that she went bankrupt bringing a play to England. She clearly led an interesting life. The Cabinet Card is part of the Newsboy Series and was used as a premium for the sale of Newsboy Plug Tobacco.
KATE STOKES: THEATRE ACTRESS WEARING SNAKE SKINS
Kate Stokes poses for this cabinet card photograph for Newsboy of New York. She is wearing snake skins on her arms and has quite an interesting veil. It would be interesting to discover what play her costume is from. The costume appears to be very middle eastern or Indian. More research or comments from visitors to this site will hopefully provide further biographical information about Kate Stokes. Newsboy cabinet cards were used as a premium to help tobacco sales for Newsboy plug tobacco.
VIOLA ALLEN: THEATRICAL ACTRESS IN PERFORMANCE OF “IN THE PALACE OF THE KING” (1901)
Viola Allen (1869-1948) was an American theater and silent film actress who acted in roles between 1882-1919. She was born in Alabama and was the daughter of an actor. Her first stage appearance in New York City was at age 14 when she substituted for the ill Annie Russell who was playing the title role of Esmeralda at Madison Square Theater. Allen’s father was also a member of the cast. Allen appeared in many productions including Masqueraders, Twelfth Night, Under the Red Robe, The Christian, and the Winter Tale. Her most popular roles were in Shenendoah and Little Lord Fauntleroy. The reverse of this card has writing that indicates that this image is from Allen playing the role of Dolores in “In The Palace of the King” (1901). The photographer of this Cabinet Card was the studio of Sands & Brady in Providence, Rhode Island.
MISS AGNES DELAPORTE AS MERCEDES IN “MONTE CRISTO JR” (1886)
Miss Agnes Delaporte is looking quite beautiful as she poses in her role as Mercedes in “Monte Cristo Jr”. The production first appeared at the Gaiety Theatre in December, 1886. The Cabinet Card was photographed by the Stereoscopic Company in England. The London Stereoscopic Co. billed itself as “Photographers to the Royal Family”. To view other photographics by the London Stereoscopic Company, click on the category “Photographer: London Stereoscopic Company”.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 