Two dandies pose for their photographic portrait at an unidentified studio. They are wearing wonderful hats and both of the men are flashing half smiles. The postcard has a CYKO stamp box revealing that it was published between 1906 and 1915.
ADORABLE TEENAGE GIRL DOING A SPLIT- GYMNAST OR DANCER (VINTAGE RPPC)
This vintage real photo postcard features a portrait of a teenage girl doing a split. She appears to be a gymnast or a dancer. A notation on the reverse of the postcard identifies the girl as “Clara”. The postcard was published on Artura paper that was produced between 1908 and 1924.
PRETTY WOMAN WEARING A GORGEOUS HAT IN BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND (VINTAGE RPPC)
This vintage real photo postcard features a pretty young woman wearing a big and wonderful summer hat. She is wearing the hat at a seaside setting. She posed for this photograph at Cooper Brothers Studio at Promenade and Central Pier in Blackpool, England. This unused postcard has terrific clarity.
A PHOTOGENIC FAMILY POSES FOR THEIR PORTRAIT (1917 REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)
This vintage real photo postcard captures a very photogenic family posing at a photographic studio in 1918. The photographer must have loved photographing this crew. The mother is quite pretty and she stares at the camera with icy but engaging eyes. The oldest of the siblings is wearing nautical clothing and is posed in a manner in which he seems to be protective of his family. By the way, where is dad? Mom is wearing a wedding band but father is missing from the photograph. The younger two children are adorable and definitely are sticking close to mom. This family could be doing commercials on television if there was such a thing in 1918. This scalloped edged postcard is unmailed.
PRETTY WOMAN ON THE ROCKS (1932 REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)
A very pretty woman sits on the rocks and poses for this splendid vintage real photo postcard portrait. The woman sits on the rocks along the shore of an unidentified body of water. The young woman is wearing a summer dress and has a parasol beside her. It is amazing to me how, dressed in a relatively tame fashion, she is just as attractive as any scantily clad model that appears in the Sports Illustrated bathing suit issue. I will admit, that the photographer most certainly posed her to reveal her partially uncovered calves. I guess sexual provocativeness sells postcards as well as magazines. This postcard has a message that is dated 1932. It was published by L. Bergeret of Paris, France. I don’t know if there is a connection between L. Bergeret and Albert Bergeret (1859-1932). Albert was a leading French postcard producer in France who operated in the city of Nice. In 1900 he produced 25 million cards and by 1903 he published 75 million postcards. I am wondering if L Bergeret may have been a successor to Albert Bergeret. L. Bergerets images seem to cluster in the 1930’s.
PORTRAIT OF A HANDSOME YOUNG CAVALRYMAN (VINTAGE RPPC c.1918)
This vintage real photo postcard features a handsome young cavalry man mounting his horse. The soldier is in uniform and wearing boots. The horse is calmly standing by at the ready. The cavalry man appears to hold the rank of sergeant. The postcard’s stamp box indicates that it was published sometime between 1918 and 1930. World War I was from 1914 through 1918, so there is a possibility that this soldier was involved in the war. An inscription on the reverse of the postcard indicates that the soldier’s name was Bert Stimson.
TWO COWBOYS WEARING WOOLY CHAPS: ONE OF THEM IS TIED UP (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)
This vintage real photo postcard captures two cowboys in an interesting scene. One of the cow pokes is tied up as if he’s a criminal. “They hang horse thieves around these parts” says the cowboy to his prisoner. Heaven forbid! Although this image is a studio photo and the cowboys almost definitely borrowed their cowboy outfits from the photographer’s prop room, the men’s costumes are terrific. Their western hats, neckerchiefs, belts, and wooly chaps make the image look authentic. The rope is a nice touch. The photographer who took this photograph was certainly seeking realism. The AZO stamp box on the reverse of this postcard informs us that the image was produced sometime between 1904 and 1918. This photo postcard reminds me of one of my favorite cabinet cards in the Cabinet Card Gallery. You can view the cabinet card by clicking the link below.
MISS RENEE MAYER: CHILD ACTRESS AS PUCK IN “THE SLEEPING BEAUTY RE-AWAKENED” (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)
This vintage real photo postcard features child actress, Miss Renee Mayer, posing in character for photographers Foulsham and Banfield. She is photographically captured in her role as Puck in the theatrical production of “The Sleeping Beauty Re-Awakened”. Note the cute little puppy that she is holding. Mayer was a child actress and dancer who made her stage debut in 1910 as the Pearl Fairy in “The Goldfish”. She is most noted for her performance as Puck in three revivals of “Sleeping Beauty” (1912, 1913, 1914). She acted in pantomimes throughout her teenage years and appeared in films in the early 1920’s including “A Bachelor Husband” (1920). Miss Mayer was born in 1900 which informs us that she was somewhere around thirteen years old when she posed for this photograph. The New York Times (1915) mentions Renee Mayer in an article about a play called “Masque of War and Peace”. Looking at the roster of cast members in this production, it becomes clear that the show had an all-star cast. Performers included Mme Rejane, Lily Elsie, Edna May, Viola Tree, Elsie Janie, Lily Langtry and of course Miss Mayer. The show was performed at the Drury Lane Theatre to raise money for “The American Women’s War Relief Fund”. Great Britain’s National Portrait Gallery has twenty real photo postcard portraits of Miss Mayer. Three of the images are photographs by Foulsham and Banfield and published by Rotary Photo (just like the image above). This postcard is part of the Rotary Photographic Series (no. 6924 B) and was printed in Britain.
BEAUTIFUL BRITISH STAGE ACTRESS: OLIVE MORRELL (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)
This vintage real photo postcard features a very beautiful British stage actress named Olive Morrell. She was a successful enough actress to merit having six portraits of her included in the United Kingdom’s National Portrait Gallery. She performed in England and toured in Australia. She was born as Olive Miller; Morrell was her stage name. In 1908, she married Willie Kelly (1877-1960), an Australian politician. The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News (1905) highlights her career including her role in “The Spring Chicken” at the Gaiety Theatre. In researching the play, I was struck by the number of well known actresses appearing alongside her. The cast included Kitty Mason, Kate Cutler, Gaynor Rowlands, Ethel Oliver, and Gertie Millar. This was certainly an all star lineup and any collector of theatrical postcards will be familiar with these actresses. Collectors will also note that these women were quite pretty and their postcard images were, and still are, very collectible. Miss Morrell is also the subject of an article in The Play Pictorial (1905) which mentions her appearance in a theatre production called “The Talk of the Town”. This postcard was produced by Rotary Photo as part of the Rotary Photographic Series (no. 1547 C). It is truly a special portrait of Miss Morrell. After viewing many postcard images of this actress; I believe this portrait is one of the finest portraits of Olive Morrell that a postcard collector can find. This photograph captures her beauty as well as provides a close look at fashion during the turn of the century. SOLD
THE CORNHUSKERS: EASTERN EUROPEAN FAMILY HUSKS CORN TOGETHER (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)
When I hear the word Cornhuskers I immediately think of the University of Nebraska’s football team. This vintage photo postcard features “real world” cornhuskers. This photograph captures a family husking corn together. They appear to be hard at work judging by their serious expressions. No one is excluded from the work. The huskers include a young boy and an older man. The postcard appears to be from the 1920’s and of Eastern European origin.
