This vintage real photo postcard features a portrait of seven young soldiers and their mascot Jack Russell Terrier. I do not know what army these men served in. Perhaps a visitor to the Cabinet Card Gallery will educate us via a comment. The stamp box on the reverse of this postcard indicates that the postcard was printed on “P M C” card stock. Therefore, this photo postcard was produced sometime between 1920 and 1935. The men served in the military between World War I and World War II.
This carte de visite portrait captures a uniformed soldier with a handlebar mustache. The photographer of this cdv image is the Leon studio in Grenoble, France. Grenoble is located in the southeastern section of France and is at the foot of the French Alps. It is my guess that the soldier pictured in this carte de visite served in the French military. An illustration of Leon’s gallery can be seen on the reverse of this cdv.
This vintage real photo postcard presents us with a glimpse of history in southeast Asia during colonial times. The postcard features a group of soldiers; three are Vietnmese and one is French. The caption under the photograph describes the group of soldiers as a “Groupe de Tirailleurs Tonkinois”. The Tirailleurs were soldiers comprising several regiments of local ethnic indochinese infantry organized by the French colonial authorities.The Tirailleurs were originally established in Vietnam in 1880. The regiment members in this photograph came from the noted “Tonkinese Rifles”. Initially these regiments were known to have problems with a high rate of desertion. Eventually, with French marine officers, the Vietnamese force became effective. They were positioned to occupy France’s indochinese possessions, These troops also served in Indochina, China (Boxer Rebellion), Russia (1918-1919), Syria (1920-1921), and Morroco (1925-1926). They also participated in World War I. In 1945, some regiments rebelled against the occupation of Vietnam by Japan. Despite a fierce resistance, the Tirailleurs were nearly annihilated. The illustration below shows a soldier from a regiment (Annamite Tirailleur) that fought alongside the “Tonkinese Rifles”. This postcard was published by R. Moreau (Hanoi) and is part of a series (no. 1138). The postcard was postmarked at Ninh Binh in 1905 and has a French stamp. Ninh Bình is a province in North Vietnam’s Red River Delta. SOLD
Some images are very effective at capturing history. This real photo postcard is one of those historic photographs. The image features World War I prisoners of war held at Camp Konigsbruck. The POW camp held Serbian, Russian, and French prisoners of war. The camp held about 15,000 captives. I am unsure if this photo shows four prisoners or two prisoners and two guards (the men wearing heavy coats). One of the possible “guards” is wearing a red cross armband. Note the high barbed wire fence in the background. This photograph was taken sometime around 1916. Konigsbruck is a town in the German state of Saxony. It is located only 17 miles from Dresden.
This cabinet card provides a portrait of a handsome uniformed Austro-Hungarian soldier. He is posing at the Rudolf Denk studio in Vienna, Austria. Note his high boots, sabre, and wrist watch. The soldier is wearing a couple of medals on his chest. His cap is on the table beside him. He is wearing a whistle which can be seen between his two breast pockets. The soldier is holding an open book. It is likely that this young man saw military action. World War I was not many years away from the time that he sat for this photograph.
This cabinet card portrait captures three British soldier posing for their portrait at a photo gallery in Cawnpore, India. The three men are in uniform and the standing soldier is wearing a medal on his chest. The two seated soldiers are holding batons. Note the sun helmets on the floor in front of the trio of soldiers. The photograph was taken at “The Portraiture Coy” located in Cawnpore (now Kanpur), a historic city in the relationship between India and Britain. An important battle in the Indian Rebellion (First War of Independence) of 1857 was the Siege of Cawnpore. Cawnpore was the site of a major garrison of the East India Company forces. There were 900 British (including civilians) in Cawnpore as well as a large number of Sepoy troops (Indian infantry). Tensions mounted between the British and the Sepoy troopers until the Sepoys joined the war against the East India Company. The British came under siege for three weeks until the British surrendered in return for safe passage to safety. The evacuation was fraught with problems and in the end, the Sepoys fired upon the departing British. The result was a massacre which included the killing of 120 captured British women and children. East India Company forces from Allahabad marched to Cawnpore and recaptured the city. Company troops retaliated for the massacre by massacring captured local civilians and Sepoys. The soldiers in this photograph arrived in India more than twenty years after the massacres occurred in Cawnpore. However, they were likely very aware of the historic events that happened in Cawnpore. SOLD
Three handsome military men pose in front of the radio shack for this snapshot portrait. The soldiers look like their having a great time. The man in the middle has a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He looks like he’s playing a part in a World War II movie. Judging by the inscription on the reverse of the photograph, these guys are not in a war zone. In fact, the use of the word “Aloha” probably indicates that they are located in Hawaii. They are likely radiomen who worked the night shift which is logical since they are posing by the “Radio Night Crew’ sign seen above the shack’s door. This photograph was likely inscribed to, and sent to, “Arnolds” girlfriend. Along with the snapshot, the inscriber sent his “smiles” and “love and kisses”. SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard features a young French soldier posing for his portrait in a photography studio located in Grenoble, France. The soldier looks quite handsome in his crisp uniform. He is holding a pair of gloves. The photographer of this image has the last name of “Rambaud”. The postcard stock paper was manufactured in England.
This vintage real photo postcard features a lovely couple. The handsome gentleman is in his crisp British military uniform and holding his hat at his side. Beside him is his pretty wife who is wearing an attractive long white dress along with a necklace and collar pin. The couple’s portrait was taken at Ward’s Studio in Reading, England. The postcard has excellent clarity.
This cabinet card photograph features a Bulgarian uniformed military officer and his wife. The officer is wearing a medal on his chest and is holding a pair of dress gloves. He is wearing high boots which may indicate that he is a member of the cavalry. The soldier’s wife is quite pretty. She is clutching a purse and wearing a pair of leather gloves. An inscription on the reverse of the photograph indicates that this portrait was taken in 1916. The photographer was C. Balus and the location of his studio was in Rousse (Pyce), Bulgaria. Rousse is currently the fifth largest city in Bulgaria. It is in the northeastern part of the country and is located on the banks of the Danube. The city is often called “Little Vienna”. SOLD
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