JAPANESE OIRAN COURTESAN : BEAUTIFUL GEISHA : FROM US NAVAL OFFICER : RPPC

This vintage real photo postcard features a beautiful Oiran Courtesan accompanied by her young assistants (kamaro). What is an Oiran? An Oiran is a high class, beautiful and esteemed prostitute in Tokyo. Her assistants are often apprentices; in other words, future Oirans. How are Oirans different from Geishas you may ask. Geishas are highly trained entertainers. They entertained via song, dance, or playing a musical instrument. Geishas were not necessarily prostitutes, though some were. This postcard comes from a collection that belonged to a US Navy officer. He likely acquired the card while in a Japanese port during his tour of duty. This postcard likely was issued in around 1908. SOLD

Published in: on September 22, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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ARTIFICIAL LEGS : GEORGE R. FULLER CO : USS MAINE : ADVERTISING TRADE CARD 1898

This vintage trade card advertises the George R. Fuller Co., manufacturer of Artificial Limbs, Trusses, and other products. This advertising trade card focuses on “The Fuller Walkeasy” artificial leg. The firm was established in 1857 and was located in Rochester, New York. The firm also had branches in Buffalo, New York and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company issued a set of 15 cards illustrating different ships of the US Navy. This card features the USS Maine which in early 1898, tragically suffered a massive explosion on board causing the ship to sink in the harbor of Havana, Cuba. Interestingly, this trade card has a copyright from 1898. The card was published by Koerner & Hayes.  SOLD

Published in: on February 18, 2025 at 8:36 pm  Leave a Comment  
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TWO HANDSOME AFFECTIONATE SAILORS : IN UNIFORM : PRIVATE STUDIO : RPPC 1930-1950

This vintage real photo postcard features two handsome uniformed sailors in an affectionate pose. This is a studio photograph and is likely one-of-a-kind. The card’s EK stamp box indicates that the photo was taken sometime between 1930 and 1950. SOLD 

Published in: on January 8, 2025 at 2:37 pm  Leave a Comment  

THE U.S. ARMORED CRUISER NORTH CAROLINA : WORLD WAR l : RPPC : (1908)

This vintage real photo postcard features the U. S. Armored Cruiser North Carolina. The ship was a Tennessee class armored Cruiser of the United States Navy. The ship was built by Newport News Shipbuilding and launched in 1906. It was commissioned in 1908. The ship had a crew of 945 men. Much of the ship’s career was spent in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It conducted training and visited foreign ports. The ship was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea twice. The first time its mission was to protect Americans in the Ottoman Empire (1909) and it’s second mission was also to protect Americans during World War I. The ship was later used to bring American soldiers back from France following the war. In 1920, she was renamed “Charlotte: and she was decommissioned the following year. This postcard was published in 1908 by The Valentine Souvenir Company (New York).  SOLD

Published in: on December 24, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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HANDSOME SAILOR : USS FISH HAWK : NAVY : APALACHICOLA, FLORIDA: CABINET CARD

This cabinet card portrait features a young and handsome naval sailor in uniform. His cap reveals that he was part of the crew of the USS Fish Hawk. The ship was launched in 1879. Originally, called the USFC Fish Hawk, the ship was a fisheries science research ship. It conducted research and ran a large fish hatchery on board. The ship was operated by the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries. The Fish Hawk was the first large ship built by any country for the purpose of promoting fisheries. The ship operated during it’s 46 year career along the US eastern coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. However, the ship also served in the US Navy in 1898 during the Spanish-American War and from 1918 to 1919. The sailor seen in this cabinet card portrait was serving on the ship during the Spanish-American War. The sailor had his photograph taken a the Ferris studio in Apalachicola, Florida. The city of Apalachicola is located on the shore of Apalachicola Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico. The city was captured by the Union navy early in the Civil War. Before the late 19th century, Apalachicola was the third busiest port on the Gulf of Mexico. It was only behind New Orleans and Mobile. This cabinet card portrait is an interesting remnant of American naval history.  SOLD

Published in: on March 19, 2024 at 9:11 am  Leave a Comment  
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HANDSOME SAILOR : NAVY UNIFORM : WEARING A MEDAL : HULL, ENGLAND : CABINET CARD

This cabinet card portrait features a young and handsome naval sailor in uniform. He is wearing a medal on his jacket. He is likely a British sailor but that is only a hypothesis. This navy man was photographed by the Barry studio, located in Hull, England. The print advertising the studio, seen under the image, is in gold leaf style. This cabinet card photograph is in very good condition (see scans).  ADDENDUM:  A current resident of Hull has advised me that the young man in this photograph is not a sailor, but in fact, he is a schoolboy who attended the Trinity House Nautical School in Hull. The medal is some form of commemorative or school medal. I was also informed that this photo dates back to circa 1890-1900.

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Buy this Cabinet Card Photograph (includes shipping within the US) #5964

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Buy this Vintage Original Cabinet Card (includes International shipping outside the US) #5964

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$59.95

Published in: on February 17, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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GORGEOUS PORTRAIT OF TWO IDENTIFIED SISTERS READING A MAGAZINE : RPPC : (1933)

This gorgeous vintage real photo postcard captures two young sisters posed reading a large magazine. The oldest child has a beautiful smile while her younger sister shows just a hint of a smile. Both girls are wearing identical hair bows. Embossed on the bottom right hand corner of the image is the photographer’s name, “Nadir”. Despite Nadir’s obvious talent, he should not be confused with the famous French portrait photographer, Felix Nadar. There is a story behind this portrait postcard. The card comes from the collection of George R. Wilson, a steward who served aboard the British battleship, HMS Barham.The children in this photo are Wilson’s nieces. They are named Daphney and Audrey Wilson. This photograph was taken in Portsmouth, England in 1933. This vintage real photo postcard is in very good condition (see scans).    

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Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #3930

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$43.75

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Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes International shipping outside the US) #3930

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$53.00

Published in: on September 7, 2022 at 11:05 pm  Leave a Comment  
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XMAS DINNER : USS CEBU : NAVY : SAILORS : WORLD WAR ll : 1940’s : VINTAGE PHOTO

This vintage photograph features a group of sailors haveing Christmas dinner aboard the USS Cebu during the early to mid 1940’s. It is likely that this Navy photograph was taken during World War II. The sailors are certainly crowded together as they enjoy their holiday meal. Note the decorated Xmas tree in the background. The Cebu served as an engine repair ship. It was launched in 1943 and named after one of the islands that make up the Phiippines. While based in the Admiralty Islands, she repaired small and large ships to prepare them for the Invasion of the Philippines.  Later in the war, the Cebu was used to repair ships that were victims of Kamikaze attacks. This snapshot photograph measures 5″ x 4″. (SOLD)

Published in: on November 1, 2021 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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THE J. HEEMSKEREK SAILS INTO CUBA’S HAVANA HARBOR (PHOTOGRAPH)

This vintage real photo postcard features a photograph of the “J. Heemskerek” sailing into Cuba’s Havana Harbor. The postcard is labeled a “Souvenir of Cuba”. The “HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerck” was launched in 1939. The ship was a Tromp-class light cruiser that sailed for Netherland’s navy. It was decommissioned in 1969 and sold for scrap in 1970. The cruiser was named after Admiral Jacob van Heemskerk (1567-1607). The ship was designed to be a torpedo cruiser. The ship had not yet been armed when Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940. She escaped to Great Britain where she was completed as an air defense cruiser. Winston Churchill visited the ship in 1940 and 1941. She was used to protect convoys and the ship seemed to be charmed because it never lost a ship under her protection. In 1942 she was assigned to the Dutch East Indies to reinforce the defense fleet. After another reassignment, in 1942, the ship took part in an operation to retake Madagascar. She then joined allied navy forces in Australia and resumed convoy duty. Toward the end of 1942, accompanied by an Australian cruiser, she attacked and damaged a German supply vessel/blockade runner. The damaged ship eventually had to be scuttled by her own crew. At the end of 1943, the “J. van Heemskerk” worked in the Mediterranean doing convoy duty. In 1945, the ship was the first Dutch warship to arrive in Amsterdam post liberation. After the war, the ship served as a barracks ship for naval trainees. In 1069, after decades of service, the “J van Heemskerck” was decommissioned. SOLD

Published in: on December 13, 2020 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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