If this vintage real photo postcard portrait of a handsome bulldog isn’t the best you’ve ever seen; it has to be right up there with the best. This adorable canine is apparently watching doggie tv. The dog is looking out the curtained window and appears quite intense about what he is seeing. The caption below the photo indicates that the dog is hoping to see cats. This unused postcard is part of a series published by Rotograph (no. 5016).
Two adorable little girls and their sweet little brother pose for their portrait at an unknown German photographic studio. They are beautifully dressed and each child is holding a basket of flowers. This image likely dates back to the 1920’s.
This vintage real photo postcard features a costumed stage actress named Violet Bowman. Her clownish costume’s pattern includes men in tuxedos and blackface. Preliminary research yielded little information about Miss Bowman but it appears from the postcard that she performed at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris France. The theatre was designed by Gabriel Davioud after it was requested by Baron Haussmann between 1860 and 1862. Although it has been remodeled, the theatre is still in operation and currently seats 2,500 people. Violet Bowman is quite pretty in this portrait by celebrated Paris photographer, Paul Boyer (1861-1908). He photographed many famous people during his career. This postcard is published by Societe Industrielle de Photograpie (SIP) of Rueil, France and was part of a series (no. 1264). The postmark of this French stamped postcard is from Castelnaudary, France and is dated 1905. It is addressed to Mazamet, France.
This vintage real photo postcard features a portrait of a smartly dressed young World War I era soldier. He looks quite handsome in his uniform and clearly has his “game face” on. The photographer of this image is Gustave Cade. He operated a studio at 8 Rue de la Barillerie in Nantes, France. Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River.
This vintage real photo postcard features a pretty woman wearing a bird nest hat. At least it looks like a bird nest. This young woman has the beauty to wear this unusual hat and look terrific rather than silly. The postcard is of French origin and was published in Paris. The Publisher’s logo “LL” can be seen on the front of the postcard. The postcard is part of a series (#123). “LL” postcards were produced for France, England, United States, and other nations. For many years postcard collecting experts believed the logo stood for Louis Levy but there was no real supporting evidence and that belief died around 1991. Later research arrived at the conclusion that the initials “LL” stand for (Moyse) Leon and his son-in-law (Isaac) Levy. Leon and Levy began their career as assistants with the Parisian photographic studio Ferrier-Souilier. The pair began their own photographic studio in 1862. Leon and Levy’s studio won a gold medal at the 1867 Universal Exhibition. Leon left the partnership in 1872 and Levy kept the business going and continued to use the “LL” logo. The company was renamed Levy Fils et Cie. Levy died in 1913 and the company was later bought by the printer Emile Crete.
This vintage postcard features a very beautiful woman dressed for tennis and holding a tennis racquet. Her tennis clothing may appear to be a bit impractical for the demands of a tennis match, but this is the attire that women actually wore at the time this postcard was published. The postcard is postmarked 1923 and was mailed from Portugal. The card was published by PFB (Paul Finkenrath) of Berlin, Germany. It is part of a series. (no. 3075/4). The Paul Finkenroth company made quality photo postcards and the company was heavily oriented toward export. They were known to be responsive to printing postcards that they’re customers desired over time. They were quite profitable but closed in 1911 when protective tariffs interfered with their business. The company was established by Paul Finkenrath and Paul Grasnick in 1897. The partnership lasted about a year and then Grasnick left to start his own lithography studio. (See comments below concerning information about the publishing house that produced this postcard). SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard features a scantily clad sexy young woman wearing a “come hither” expression. There is little doubt that this postcard portrait was meant to be sexually inviting. This image supports the principle that “sex sells”. Sex sold products in the early 1900’s just as it does today. This postcard is of German origin. It was published by “NPG” (Neue Photographische Gesellschaft). The company was a leading bromide photo printing company for many years. The stamp box of this particular postcard has an interesting story. “NBC” (Neue Bromsilber Convention) was price cartel established in 1909 that continued until the 1930’s. The purpose of the cartel was to ensure that the minimum price charged for postcards was kept at a sufficiently profitable level. A number of postcard publishing companies joined the cartel in an effort to stave off the effect of competition on the pricing of postcards. (SOLD)
It appears that the two couples riding in this buggy are having a lot of fun judging by the preponderance of smiles in the photograph. Of course this buggy may in fact be standing still. The driver of the carriage is likely holding the reigns of non existent horses because there is a more than reasonable chance that the buggy is a prop located inside a photographers studio. The photographer in question is N. E. McLeod who bills himself as a “Rustic & Wild West Photographer”. His location is advertised on the reverse of this vintage real photo postcard is Happy Hollow, Hot Springs, Arkansas. Take note of the women’s hats in this image. The woman in the back of the carriage has a wide brimmed hat and the woman in the front seat is wearing a plumed hat. Also note the lamp attached to the side of the buggy. The internet’s Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture informs us that Happy Hollow was another name for McLeod’s Amusement Park. This site was one of Hot Spring’s most popular tourist attractions from the late 1800 until the 1940’s. It’s location was at the head of Fountain Street, just off of Central Avenue and north of Hot Springs Mountain. Happy Hollow was owned and operated by photographer Norman McLeod from the time of its founding (1888) through 1908. McLeod was born on a farm in Georgia . At the age of 19 he moved to Live Oak, Florida where he learned the photography business. He then attended college in Athens, Georgia. He started Happy Hollow as a photography studio and gradually developed it into an amusement park complex which included a zoo. In 1908 he sold the property. The park became known for taking humorous photos of it’s guests. Props included an old bathtub, a burro, and painted scenery which included a jailhouse and a gigantic angry bear. McLeod and Happy Hollow were nationally known. This postcard has an AZO stamp box indicating it was produced sometime between 1904 and 1918. SOLD
Norman McLeod
This vintage real photo postcard features a pretty woman posing for her portrait at a studio in Focsani, Romania. Foscani is the capital city of Vrancea County and is located on the shores of the Milcov River in the historic region of Moldavia. The woman in this image is nicely dressed in what I believe is a traditional regional clothing. She is wearing a flower in her hair and she is coyly looking at the camera. Note that the photographer’s backdrop does not meet the floor. Writing on the reverse of this postcard indicates that the photograph was taken in 1937 and that the postcard was addressed to an individual living in Bucharest, Romania. Bucharest is that nation’s capital and largest city.
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