This vintage real photo postcard features American silent film actress, Fern Andra (1893-1974). Andra was one of Germany’s most popular actresses in German silent film. She also worked as a film director, script writer, and producer. The pretty smiling Miss Andra poses with a Borzoi dog. She was born in Watseka, Illinois. Her father died when she was five years-old and her mother remarried. Fern’s step-dad was a vaudeville actor, circus performer and tight-rope walker. By age four, Fern was part of a tight-rope act. She later trained in dance and singing. In 1899, at age six, she made her first film, a version of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. She continued to perform with the circus and toured the United States, Canado, and Europe. She was a member of a famous troupe of wire artists. In Berlin, she took acting lessons from Max Reinhardt, prominent film and theater director. She appeared in several of his plays and films. In 1913, she acted in her first German film. In 1915, she was in her first Austrian film. Some believe Andra was an Allied spy in World War I. To deal with these rumors, she married a Prussian Baron. At some point, she stated that she actually was spying for the allies. This was her first marriage. He was killed in the war. Her second marriage was to a professional boxer. Her appearance in the film “Genuine” (1920) caused a great stir. In this horror film, she wore a costume that was simply, her painted body. She continued to make films in Europe but by the mid 1920’s, her popularity waned in Germany. In 1922, she was widely reported as being killed in a plane crash. In fact, she, and her companion, director Geog Bluen, survived the crash but according to one article, died the next day. However, the pilot, a former World War I fighter pilot and brother of the “Red Baron”, was killed. By 1928, Andra was working in the United Kingdom and the United States. She also expanded her acting to radio and television. Andra was married four times. She was widowed two times and divorced two times. Her fourth marriage, to a General, lasted about 35 years. She had no children. The IMDb gives Andra 51 acting credits between 1913 and 1930. She is also credited as a writer, producer, and director. An interesting side note is that when she was working as a producer, she interacted with a young German playwright named Josef Goebbels. Interestingly, she did propaganda broadcasts into Germany for the allies during World War II. Fern Andra died at age 80, in South Carolina. The stamp box of this postcard has an interesting story. “NBC” (Neue Bromsilber Convention) was a price cartel established in 1909 that continued until the 1930’s. The purpose of the cartel was to ensure that the minimum price charged for postcards was kept at a sufficiently profitable level. A number of postcard publishing companies joined the cartel in an effort to stave off the effect of competition on the pricing of postcards. This postcard is part of a series (no.131/1). The logo for the motion picture company, “Film Sterne” ,can be seen in the lower left hand corner of the image. SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard features a priest and his noble spaniel dog. This portrait was photographed by Albert Hester who operated a studio in London, England. Hester is mentioned in the British Journal of Photography (1910) for participating in a London exhibition. The card was published by Societe Industrielle de Photograpie (SIP) of Rueil, France. SOLD
This fun real photo postcard features a cute baby riding on a large dog. At first, I thought that this photograph was created via “trick photography” in the developing process. However, after looking further at the photo, I noticed that the baby’s parent was crouched behind the child in a hidden position. The parent is holding the child securely atop the dog. Note the parent’s hands under the baby’s arms. This photo was published by a studio in Margate, England. Margate is in Kent County in the United Kingdom. It is a coastal resort town. This vintage postcard is in very good condition (see scans).
This vintage real photo postcard features a pretty young woman holding an adorable Yorkshire Terrier. The young lady has a terrific smile. This postcard is part of the British Beauty series (no.A 436-6) published by the London company, Rotary Photo. The postcard is hand tinted and from the 1910’s. SOLD
This is an adorable vintage real photo postcard. The little girl and her dog are both very cute. This postcard is sweet. The postcard was published by Alfred Noyer. It is part of a series (no. 9387). He was a well known and acclaimed photographer. His Paris studio operated between 1910 and the 1940’s. (SOLD)
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