PORTRAIT OF A WORLD WAR I ERA AMBULANCE AND IT’S CREW

This vintage real photo postcard features a World War I era ambulance and two members of it’s crew. This postcard presents a number of questions. Is this a military or civilian ambulance? The attendants are wearing uniforms but are they military uniforms? The windshield of the ambulance has a cover and two very small windows. Is this windshield military issued? After doing some research, it is clear that this postcard pictures a civilian ambulance. A box on the running board of the vehicle has printing which states that the ambulance (or the box) was “presented by Messrs. Dorman Long & Co. Ltd.”. Dorman Long is an engineering company which does consulting as well as manufactures equipment for the construction of long-span bridges, power stations, and other large building structures. At it’s creation, the company was based in Middlesbrough, in northeast England. The company was founded in 1875. A logo on the the side of the ambulance indicates that the emergency vehicle was part of the St. John Ambulance Association. This group was founded in 1877. In 1887 they began it’s first uniformed first-aiders brigade. The organization continues today and has become international. There are 40 national organizations and 500,000 volunteers worldwide. The eight pointed Maltese Cross is a component of all the different national logos. This historic postcard has excellent clarity and is in good condition (see scans).  SOLD

Published in: on August 4, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (4)  
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BRITISH STAGE ACTRESS: MOLLIE LOWELL

Mollie Lowell, a stage actress, is featured in this vintage real photo postcard. According to the Internet Broadway Data Base (IBDB), she appeared in one Broadway play. The play was a musical comedy and entitled “Our Miss Gibbs” (1910). Sketch (1899) reports that Lowell was born in Newcastle-on-tyne and was of Irish descent. She joined the Carl Rosa Opera Company and played small parts. Next, she was signed by George Edwardes and she appeared in “The Geisha” (1896) and “A Greek Slave” (1898). She then had great success in the production of “Her Royal Highness”. Play Pictorial (1906) cites her appearance in “The Beauty of Bath”. This photo postcard, published by Rotary Photo, was part of the Rotary Photographic Series (no.1964B) and was printed in England. The photographer of Miss Lowell’s portrait is listed as Play Pictorial magazine, indicating that the photo likely appeared in that publication.

Buy this original Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #2421

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$13.49

 

 

Buy this original Real Photo Postcard (includes International shipping outside the US) #2421

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$21.49

Published in: on May 15, 2018 at 5:29 pm  Comments (1)  
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ADORABLE AND FASHIONABLE LITTLE BOY AND HIS BIG TOY HORSE IN TRURO, ENGLAND

This cabinet card portrait features a little boy holding the reigns of his toy horse in one hand and a whip in the other hand. The child is adorably dressed from head to toe. The toy horse beside him is nearly as tall as he is, and is very realistic looking. The horse even has a mane with real hair. E. I. Ellery is the photographer of this lovely image. His studio was located in the city of Truro which is located in Cornwall, England. On the reverse of the photograph is a very elaborate logo advertising Mr. Ellery’s services. An inscription on the reverse identifies the child as being “Percy Rogers” at two years and two months of age.  (SOLD)

Published in: on May 12, 2018 at 4:15 pm  Comments (2)  
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BRITISH CHAP RIDING HIS DOUGLAS MOTORCYCLE (1920’S)

An Arlo Guthrie song has the following lyrics. “I don’t want a pickle. Just want to ride on my motorcycle. And I don’t want a tickle. Cause I’d rather ride on my motorcycle.” Motorcyclists often have a passionate relationship with their bikes and riding, Perhaps the chap in this vintage snapshot shares that same enthusiasm. This photo features a middle aged or older motor cyclist. His bike has a British (Bristol) license plate and was manufactured by the Douglas company. Douglas was a British motorcycle manufacturer that operated from 1907 through 1957. The company was based in the city of Bristol.  Interestingly, the company also built cars in its early days (1913-1922). This photograph measures about 3 3/8″ x 2 3/8″.  I believe that this photograph is from the 1920’s.  (SOLD)

Published in: on April 1, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (7)  
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MOTHER AND DAUGHTER PORTRAIT (CARDIFF, WALES)

This cabinet card portrait features a mother and her young daughter. The mother is wearing a dark dress while the daughter is dressed in white; creating a nice contrast in this family photograph. This photo was taken at Sargent Brothers studio in Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff is a port city on the coast of South Wales. I found another cabinet card image at an internet site that reveals that the Sargent Brothers also had studios in the cities of Bristol, Newport, and Penarth.  SOLD

Published in: on March 10, 2018 at 12:00 am  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF MUSIC HALL ACTRESS HILDA HAMMERTON (PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEXANDER BASSANO)

This vintage real photo postcard features beautiful music hall actress Miss Hilda Hammerton. Hammerton was known for being one of the “Cozy Corner Girls”. She and Gertrude Thornton, and Clare Richards appeared as the Cozy girls in the musical comedy, “The Earl and the Girl” (1903) which was produced at the Adelphi Theater. “Weekly Magazine” (1904) article reports that Hammerton performed a very heroic act. She risked her life to save the life of a little child. While out walking, she heard people screaming about a little girl in danger who had strayed into the roadway and was in “imminent danger” of being run over by a fast approaching vehicle. The actress ran to the scene and scooped up the child, and barely avoided being hit by the speeding truck. It was reported that witnesses to the scene gave her an ovation for her quick actions. There are three portraits of Miss Hammerton in England’s National Portrait Gallery. The talented photographer responsible for this lovely portrait is Bassano. Two of the three portraits of Hammerton in the National Portrait Gallery are by Alexander Bassano. Bassano  (1829 –1913) was a leading royal and high society photographer in Victorian London. This postcard was published in England by the Davidson Brothers. Davidson Brothers was located in both London and New York City. The firm operated between 1901 and 1911. This postcard is part of the “Real Photographic Series” (no. 2253). The message on this postcard is written in French, but the sender mailed it from England. The postmark indicates that it was stamped in Edinburgh, England in 1907. The postcard was mailed to someone in Paris, France.   SOLD

Published in: on March 9, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PRETTY STAGE ACTRESS: MISS DOROTHY CHARD (TWO REAL PHOTO POSTCARDS)

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POSTCARD 1  (SOLD)

 

chard 1

POSTCARD 2    (SOLD)

This vintage real photo postcard features Edwardian theater actress Miss Dorothy Chard. Preliminary research yielded little information about her life and her career. More intensive research is required to uncover biographical information. The Internet Broadway Data Base (IBDB) notes that Miss Chard appeared in eleven Broadway shows from 1926 through 1930. She played in musicals but she primarily appeared in comedies. Among her credits are “Merry-Go-Round” (1927) and “Cinderelative” (1930). The dearth of information about Miss Chard reveals that she certainly was not a leading actress of her time but she certainly was beautiful and well known enough to merit the publishing of a photo postcard by the Rotary Postcard company. This postcard was part of the Rotary Photographic series (no. 4353 A). The photograph of Dorothy Chard appearing on this postcard was taken by the Foulsham & Banfield Studio.The pair were well known celebrity photographers. Frank Foulsham and A. C. Banfield operated a studio from the 1900’s through the 1920’s. The postcard is postmarked 1909 from Edinburg, Scotland. Edinburg is Scotland’s capital city. The content of the message on this postcard mentions “fresh cards” referring to newly released photo postcards. Collecting such cards was a popular hobby during this era. I guess this hobby was a precursor to collecting pokemon. I prefer collecting photo portraits. Call me “old school”.      (SOLD)                                               

       The second vintage postcard features a portrait of Dorothy Chard from the same series as the top postcard. This Rotary postcard (no. 4353 K) presents a more complete view of the actress. Miss Chard was dressed in different clothing and accessories for the two portraits. She looks very friendly in card 1 but has an arrogant expression in card 2. The message on the reverse of this postcard states “Dearest Lil, Have you been feeling well today. I have. M. has not spoken to me yet. Wish I was going to see you tonight. –?– on saturday night. Have you had your chocolates? Hope you will like the P-C (postcard). I think it is very good. With fondest love. I remain yours forever.  (JM?)  My- Word -” It is interesting that the writers of postcard 1 and 2 both mention the photo postcard that they are sending. It would be interesting to know what “My-Word-” means. Does it mean “I will remain yours forever, you have my word”. Hopefully, a Cabinet Card Gallery visitor will be able to offer an explanation,  (SOLD)

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POSTCARD 1

 

chard 1 1

POSTCARD 2   (SOLD)

Published in: on December 11, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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BABY NURSE LOVINGLY LOOKS AT BABY IN HER CARE IN EVESHAM, ENGLAND

This vintage photograph is special in that it captures emotion. The baby nurse pictured in this photograph is looking at the baby in her charge in a warm loving way. The nurse is looking at the baby in an identical manner that a mother looks at her infant. The photograph is also special in that it shows  a nurse’s uniform that dates back to slightly after the turn of the nineteenth century. This photograph was taken by Fred Gegg who operated a studio in Evesham, England. Evesham is a town in the district of Worcestershire. Frederick George Gegg (1871-1925?) took photographs in Evesham from about 1899 until his death.  SOLD

Published in: on October 28, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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ADORABLE LITTLE GIRL IN LUTON, ENGLAND

The little girl seen in this cabinet card portrait is absolutely adorable. Her hair is disheveled but the “wild look” suits her. Note the toy seen in the bottom left hand corner of the photograph. The toy appears to be a train car, or perhaps, a circus car. The studio that produced this image is the American Photo Company which was located in Luton, England.  Luton is a large town in Bedfordshire, about thirty miles northwest of London. It is interesting that the American Photo Company is located in England rather than in the United States.

Published in: on September 11, 2017 at 9:03 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A FASHIONABLE GENTLEMAN IN THE RESORT TOWN OF TORQUAY, ENGLAND

This cabinet card features a fashionable clean-cut gentleman posing for a studio portrait. His nice clothing indicates that he was a well-to-do man. Perhaps he was on vacation at the time of this photograph. He was photographed by James C. Dinham who operated the Gainsboroough Gallery in Torquay, England. Torquay is a seaside resort town located on the English Channel in southwest England. This gentleman may have been staying at one of the local resorts. A photograph of Dinham’s studio can be seen below. The photograph was taken in 1918 and the gallery is decorated for Armistice Day. The image and further information can be found at the Devon Heritage Site on the internet. Dinham established his business in the 1890’s. He had a very distinguished clientele but his gallery bordered a very poor area of the city. The residents lived in “ancient tenements” and were poor and lived in squalor. Dinham visited this neighborhood and took many photographs of colorful characters and street scenes. He gave these photos catchy titles but in truth, Dinham was engaging  in photo journalism. He was one of the pioneers in this field of photography. In researching Mr. Dinham, it was found that he began his studio 1881. The source reports that the gallery closed in about 1910 only to become “Dinham & Sons” which operated from 1910 until about 1939. Research also found that Dinham was cited in “Photography” (1898) for photographing the Duke of York during one of the Duke’s visits to Torbay (the Borough which includes Torquay).  SOLD

Published in: on September 8, 2017 at 2:05 pm  Comments (1)  
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