This little girl is one of the cutest kids that I have ever seen featured in a real photo postcard; and I have seen lots of real photo postcards. She has a terrific grin and engaging eyes. She is sitting on an attractive fabric covered bench and holding a teddy bear. She is leaning against an interesting pillow with a bow and arrow type design. The child’s and the photographer’s name are not identified and the location of the studio is unknown.
This vintage real photo postcard captures two siblings posing for their portrait. They are standing in front of a doorway of what appears to be a business. There is a “closed” sign on the door’s window. The older sibling is a little girl wearing a flower topped hat and holding a dainty purse. The younger sibling is sitting in a stroller of some sort and appears to have a cigar in his/her mouth. The baby is holding some sort of stick and is strapped into the stroller. There are some hints to the identity of these children. Below the image are the names “Russel and Leone Lannier”. On the reverse of the postcard is the name “Clayton Allen”. This evidence was not enough to facilitate a successful identification of these children. The stampbox on this postcard shows the logo “Kruxo” which indicates that it was produced sometime between 1908 and the 1920’s. Kruxo photo paper was made by Kilborn. SOLD
A handsome man poses for his portrait at “Casper’s Studio” in Spokane, Washington. An inscription on the reverse of this vintage real photo reveals that the gentleman’s name is Vincent Vergel Matson (1885-1978). Matson dressed up for this photograph. He is wearing a western vested suit and western hat. Matson was born is South Dakota. The 1900 US census finds him living with his family on the Blackfoot Indian Reservation in Teton, Montana. The 1910 census lists him as living in Edwards, Montana and working as a farmer. By 1920, he moved again. This time he was residing in North Bonners Ferry, Idaho and working as a laborer. He was still working as a laborer at the time of the 1930 census and he was living in a Boarding House in Spokane. He was living in Kalispell, Montana at the time he registered for the draft in 1942. He was listed in the 1943 Kalispell directory as a laborer. At the time of Matson’s death in 1978, he was living in Beaverhead, Montana. My research did not find any record of Matson ever marrying. One has to wonder if Matson was a bit of a drifter. He appears to have moved around a lot, not letting the grass grow under his feet. He had no wife or kids, and could take on labor work wherever he lived. This postcard has an AZO stamp box indicating that it was produced between 1904 and 1918. (SOLD)
This endearing vintage real photo postcard captures a barefoot little boy and his drum. He is looking quite proud and serious. The drum does not look like a toy. Perhaps it saw some action during the civil war. The reverse of the postcard has an inscription revealing that the child is named John M. Norris and that he is two years old. The inscription also states that this photograph was taken in 1914. The AZO stamp box offers a confirmation of the date. This stamp box was utilized between 1904 and 1918. This postcard was purchased near Austin, Texas. SOLD
I wish I knew what was going on in the photograph on this vintage real photo postcard. Mom, Dad and their child all are displaying very intense expressions. The man and woman are staring at each other. It is as if their eyes are throwing darts at each other. The child, wearing a nautical outfit, looks like he just saw a ghost. The child is standing on a wagon. The family dog is standing on it’s hind legs with one paw on the wagon. This postcard’s AZO stamp box indicates that it was produced sometime between 1904 and 1918. (SOLD)
Henny Porten (1890-1960) is the subject of this real photo postcard. Porten was a German actress and film producer of the silent era. She was Germany’s first major film star and appeared in more than 170 films produced between 1906 and 1955. Along with Asta Nielsen and Pola Negri, she was one of the three most popular German actresses. Her father was a film director and her sister was an actress/screenwriter. She began her film career without any stage experience which was an unusual phenomenon for German actresses. Porten was not well known outside of Germany. A large number of her early films were directed by her husband, Curt Stark. Stark died during World War I (1916) while serving on the Eastern Front. In 1921 she remarried a Jewish man named Wilhelm von Kaufmann. When the Nazis took power, she received much pressure to divorce her husband. She refused to comply and her career plummeted. She was denied a visa to emigrate. Her career blossomed again after World War II. The photograph of Miss Porten seen on this postcard is by the Becker & Maass studio of Berlin, Germany. The photographers were well known for portrait and fashion photography in the first decades of the twentieth century. They photographed dozens of German film stars for magazines and postcards. You can view more of this studios photographs by clicking on the category “Photographer: Becker & Maass”. The postcard is published by Rotophot which began publishing “RPH” postcards in 1916. There were three different series: Buhnen-Sterne (stage star), Film Sterne (film star), and Film Sterne (displayed scenes). This postcard is from the Film Sterne series and was no. 216/3. The film star series ran from number 61 through number 224. The front of the Film Sterne cards included the name of the film studio represented. This card advertises Messter-Films of Berlin. These postcards were continued by the Ross Verlag company who’s origins can be traced back to the earlier Rotophot postcard company. The You Tube clip below presents Henny Porten in some scenes from “24 Hours from the Life of a Woman” (1931).
This vintage real photo postcard features a stout woman posing with two cows. The woman is wearing a wide smile. One might say that she is in a state of udder delight. This bovine aficionado seems a bit young to have gone to pasture. A postcard like this one would likely fall in the “rare” category. Over the many years I have collected real photo postcards, I have yet to see one like it. SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard captures a mother and her two young children posing for their portrait at an unidentified photo studio. The whole family appears quite apprehensive about having their photograph taken. The trio are dressed for winter. All three are wearing winter coats and hats. The older child is wearing gloves and the youngest child is wearing a muff. This image features a truly attractive family.
This image is special because it features a baby with a wonderful smile and happy demeanor. It is a rare occurrence to find a portrait of a baby with such a great smile. The photograph was taken at a studio and was used to produce this vintage real photo postcard. The baby is dressed in white and looks so adorable wearing a white sweater and little booties. The baby is sitting on a chair that is covered by a lace light blanket. I am unsure how the baby is safely held in the chair. There is no evidence of a hidden mother’s hands or a device to hold the baby safely in place. A studio backdrop can be seen in the background. The AZO stamp box on the reverse of the image indicates that the postcard was produced sometime between 1924 and 1949
POSTCARD 1
POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)
Top Postcard
Bottom Postcard (SOLD)
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