“DO WE HAVE TO KEEP HIM?” TWO KIDS UNHAPPILY INSPECT THEIR BABY SIBLING

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Two young children are checking out their baby sibling and they don’t seem overly thrilled about his/her presence. The two older kid’s expressions are priceless. They seem to be feeling a combination of disbelief and disapproval. The baby also seems quite dubious about his/her situation. This real photo vintage postcard was produced by the Gaudernack studio in Dresden, Germany. The studio’s stamp is embossed on the front of the postcard.

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Published in: on February 5, 2017 at 1:30 am  Comments (1)  

YOUNG GIRL OUT FOR A DRIVE IN SOUTH HAVEN, MICHIGAN

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A young girl sits behind the wheel of an open early automobile in this vintage real photo postcard. She is dressed femininely with puffy sleeves, a wooly hat and a necklace with a locket. The photograph was taken at the Novelty Photo Studio in South Haven, Michigan. The photographer was Charles M. Erard who conducted business in South Haven beginning circa 1905. The Bulletin of Photography (1915) announced his move to Battle Creek, Michigan. He was in Battle Creek working as a photographer until at least 1930. He also had a studio in Albion, Michigan around 1910.

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Published in: on January 23, 2017 at 12:55 pm  Comments (1)  
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FANCY CAR AND FANCY DRIVER IN SCHONINGEN, GERMANY (RPPC 1934)

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A classy looking man and his classy looking automobile are the subject of this vintage real photo postcard produced by a photographer named Herr Wurm in Schoningen, Germany. The car looks new and is absolutely beautiful.The owner of the auto must love the car. He is showing his affection by putting one foot on the running board and placing his hand against the car’s door. He looks quite stylish with his white coat, dark hat, and driving gloves. There is something sticking out of his coat pocket. It may be a wallet and you can be sure that he had to be somewhat wealthy to afford this luxurious car. The town of Schoningen is in the district of Helmstedt, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The community is known for its mining of lignite. The writing on the reverse of this photo postcard is dated 1934. The postcard is not postmarked and was likely mailed inside of an envelope.   (SOLD)

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Published in: on January 21, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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RELAXED COWBOY WITH A WRY SMILE AND A PIPE

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A relaxed cowboy with a wry smile poses for this vintage real photo postcard. The image is taken in a photographic studio likely located in the western United States. The cowboy is wearing a vest and a pocket watch. He is holding a pipe. His lace shoes seem to have kicked around a lot of dust in their time. The postcard’s AZO stamp box indicates that it was produced sometime between 1904 and 1918.

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Published in: on January 18, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF TWO YOUNG SISTERS HOLDING HANDS

 

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This wonderful vintage real photo postcard features a portrait of two pretty young girls. They are dressed beautifully and are wearing identical skirts and scarves. It seems likely that they are sisters. The girls are holding hands. They are wearing gloves and one of the girls is holding a purse. They are both flashing half smiles. They are standing in front of a studio’s backdrop of a forest. The studio and the children are unidentified.

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Published in: on January 16, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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LOVELY MEXICAN AMERICAN FAMILY IN THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY

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This vintage real photo postcard features a portrait of a lovely ethnic family. A father and mother and their son and daughter are all wearing dressy clothing for their day at the photographer. The photographer’s studio provided a lovely homey background in which to take this photograph. This postcard image was found in an antique shop in the Texas hill country. It is likely that this family is of Mexican American origin but that hypothesis can not be confirmed. The AZO stamp box indicates that this photo postcard was created sometime between 1910 and 1930.  (SOLD)

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Published in: on January 10, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A NERVOUS YOUNG MAN AND HIS BICYCLE

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This vintage real photo postcard features a young man standing beside his bicycle. The look on his face can be described as similar to a “deer in the headlights”. One could also describe his expression as nervous. It is as if he just got caught doing something wrong. Maybe it has something to do with the cigarette that he is holding in his right hand, though I doubt it. He is wearing a great outfit and cap but I would surmise that his boots don’t make pedaling a bicycle particularly easy. Note that the backdrop in this studio photo is quite pretty and detailed despite that it is obviously fake. This postcard was produced in the very early 1900’s.  (SOLD)

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Published in: on January 3, 2017 at 5:52 pm  Comments (2)  
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PORTRAIT OF KARINA BALL: BEAUTIFUL ACTRESS AND BREWERY DIRECTOR

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Karina Bell’s beauty is quite apparent in this vintage real photo postcard portrait.  She was born in Hellerup, Denmark in 1898 and died in Denmark in 1979. Bell was a film actress who began her career as a ballet dancer. She made her stage debut in 1919. Most of her films were silent films produced in Sweden, Denmark or Germany. She did appear in two talkies. She was known for her roles in “Little Dorrit” (1924), Klovnen (1926), and “5 Raske Piger” (1933). Bell was one of the most popular stars of the Nordisk Films Kompagni in the 1920’s. She was married in 1934 to Knud Parkov (1894-1949). He was the director of a Danish brewery (Wiibroes Brewery) and a member of the Danish resistance. She retired from acting after she got married. The IMDb gives Karina Bell 20 credits. Her film appearances occurred between 1919 and 1933. Upon her husbands death, Bell took over his director duties at the brewery. This Austrian postcard was produced by Iris Verlag as part of a series (no. 589). The photograph was by Lux-Film.

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Published in: on December 31, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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SEXUAL CHEMISTRY IN FILM: VIRGINIA VALLI AND GEORGE O’BRIEN (RPPC)

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Can sexual chemistry be photographed? This fantastic vintage real photo postcard provides evidence that the answer is yes. This image captures early film stars George O’Brien and Virginia Valli in an emotionally charged scene in an unknown movie. The pair starred together in at least two silent movies produced by Fox. The films were “Paid to Love” (1927) and “Eastside Westside” (1927). Virginia Valli (1898-1968) was an American stage and film actress. Her early acting experience was with a Milwaukee based stage troupe. Her film career started in the silent film era and ended in the early stages of the talkies (1930’s). She has 65 credits on the IMDB web site. She began her film work with Essanay Studios in her hometown of Chicago in 1916. By the mid 1920’s, she was an established star at Universal Studios. She was the star of  King Vidor’s “Wild Oranges” (1924). Most of her films were produced in the mid 1920’s and include Alfred Hitchcock’s first feature movie, “The Pleasure Garden” (1925). Her first sound picture was in 1929. She left the movie business in 1931 due to her high salary command and declining appeal to audiences. She moved to Palm Springs, California with her second husband, actor Charles Farrell. She was very much part of the social scene there. She died in Palm Springs at age seventy. George O’Brien (1899-1985) was an American actor popular during the silent film era as well as the early talkies era of the 1930’s. He is remembered most for his role in Murnau’s 1927 film “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans”. He had an active film career which is evident by the fact that the IMDB web site gives him 85 credits. O’Brien was born in San Francisco and his father at one time, was the city’s chief of police.  During World War I, O’Brien was in the US Navy and served on a submarine chaser. He worked as a stretcher bearer for wounded Marines and was decorated for his bravery. Following the war, O’Brien became the light-heavyweight champion of the Pacific Fleet. After completing is service, O’Brien was in his early twenties and he went to Hollywood to seek work as a cameraman. He did find employment in the field and helped film for Tom Mix and Buck Jones. He then entered acting by playing bit parts and by being a stuntman. His first starring role was in “The Man Who Came Back” (1927) where he played opposite Doroth Mackaill. He then appeared in “Iron Horse” by famed director John Ford in which his counterpart was Madge Bellamy. The film was a great success and the experience forged a colloborative relationship with Ford that resulted in O’Brien appearing in nine more of the directors films. He spent much of the 1920’s as a leading man in action and adventure type roles. During the 20’s he received the nickname “the torso” because of his excellent physique. With the arrival of sound, O’Brien appeared predominately in Westerns during the 1930’s and he was considered a major draw. With the arrival of World War II, O’Brien re-enlisted in the US Navy and served as a beachmaster in the Pacific theater. He was decorated several times and when he was discharged he had attained the rank of commander. He later joined the Naval Reserve where he served as a captain. O’Brien’s last leading role was in a film that included the Three Stooges. According to his obituary,  O’Brien was buried at sea courtesy of the US Navy. This real photo postcard was published by Iris Verlag and made in Germany. The postcard is part of a series (no. 5121) and credits Fox Film.
ADDENDUM: After viewing this image, a visitor contacted me to claim that the beautiful woman in this photograph is not Virginia Valli, but instead, it is June Collyer (1906-1968). I was unable to locate information or relevant comparison images to definitively confirm that it is Collyer that is in the photograph, but I did find a film publicity photo identical to the postcard image above. The description of that photo indicates that the pictured woman is Collyer. Collyer was born in New York City and as a society girl was chosen by Allan Dwan (Director, Producer, Screen Writer) to her first starring role in “East Side, West Side. She did eleven silent films and made a successful transition to talkies. In 1928 she was he was one of the thirteen girls selected as “WAMPAS BABY STARS”. In 1930 she appeared in “The Three Sisters” and “Sweet Kitty Bellairs”. From 1930 through 1936 she starred in nineteen films. She took a sabbatical from acting in the 1940’s and did television acting during the 1950’s. June was the sister of radio actor/announcer Bud Collyer (1908-1969). He became a major game show star hosting such programs as “Beat the Clock” and “To Tell the Truth”. June Collyer was married to actor Stu Erwin. In conclusion, I am unsure whether the beautiful woman in this image is Miss Valli or Miss Collyer. It is an answerable question if someone is willing to do the requisite research.

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Published in: on December 24, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN SITTING ON A BENCH (REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

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This real photo picture postcard features a middle aged African American woman sitting on a bench. She is clutching a purse in her left hand and is wearing a long coat. The AZO stamp box indicates that the postcard was produced by a studio sometime between 1926 and 1940.

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Published in: on December 15, 2016 at 10:02 pm  Leave a Comment  
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