A BEAUTIFUL TENNIS PLAYER PROPERLY DRESSED FOR A MATCH (1923 REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

TENNIS

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

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EROTIC YOUNG LADY DEMONSTRATES THAT SOME THINGS DON’T CHANGE: SEX SELLS POSTCARDS IN THE EARLY 1900’S

german nudeThis 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)

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TWO COUPLES ENJOYING A BUGGY RIDE IN HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

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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

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PORTRAIT OF A PRETTY WOMAN IN FOCSANI, ROMANIA

romanian folk

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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PORTRAIT OF HARRIET BOSSE: SCANDINAVIAN ACTRESS PHOTOGRAPHED BY FERDINAND FLODIN

BOSSEE

This vintage real photo postcard features Harriet Sofie Bosse (1878-1961) who was an actress of Swedish/Norwegian background. Her father was a German publisher who for business reasons moved his family a number of times back and forth between Oslo (Norway) and Stockholm (Sweden). Harriet was the thirteenth of fourteen children in her family. Two of her sisters were performers. She was well known for her acting but also for being the third wife of playwright August Strindberg. Bosse began her acting career in a company run by her older sister in Oslo. She developed a problem with this sister (Alma) when the sister discovered that Harriet was having an affair with her husband.  Harriet clearly had a boundary problem. After appearing at the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm, she was noticed by Strindberg. He was enamored with her acting ability as well as her exotic “oriental” appearance. The pair were married in 1901; he was 52 years old and she was just 21. The marriage was short and volatile. Strindberg had a history of a jealousy problem that some considered to be actual paranoia. In 1908 Bosse married Swedish actor Anders Gunnar Wingard and later had a third marriage to movie idol Edvin Adolphson in 1927. Her second and third marriages both ended in divorce after just a few years. After retiring from acting, in the midst of World War II, she returned to Oslo. This postcard photograph was taken by Ferdinand Flodin (1863-1935). He was a Swedish photographer who operated a studio in Stockholm. He was well known for his portrait work, especially of theatrical performers. He was educated in the United States from 1883 to 1887. For the next two years he ran a photography gallery in Worcester, Massachusetts. He then returned to Sweden. In 1906 he became secretary of the Swedish Photogaphers Association, a post he held nine years. This postcard was published by Axel Eliasson’s Art Publishers. The publishing house was founded in 1890 and the Stockholm company was the leading producer of postcards in Sweden for many years. A number of Ferdinand Flodin’s cabinet card photographs that were produced at his Massachusetts studio can be seen in the Cabinet Card Gallery. To view these images click on the category “Photographer: Flodin”.  SOLD

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                                                                                                                                                                 Self-Portrait of Ferdinand Flodin

STAGE ACTRESS LOUISE LEWIS IN SHAKESPEARE’S “AS YOU LIKE IT” (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

loise lewis

This vintage real photo postcard features actress Louise Lewis who played in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”. Miss Lewis did not reach stardom in her career but her stage experience did merit an appearance on this theatrical picture postcard. Preliminary research found meager biographical material about this actress, but an article in the Los Angeles Herald (1898) reports that the Calhoun Opera Company at the Los Angeles Theater was presenting “La Grande Duchesse” and that Louise Lewis was a member of the ensemble. It is not certain that the Louise Lewis pictured on this postcard is the same one referenced in the Herald article. This postcard appears to have an American origin and is part of a series (no. 13). This particular postcard was distributed by the Souvenir Post Card Shop in Cleveland, Ohio.

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MABELLE ADAMS: A PRETTY BROADWAY ACTRESS

mabelle

This vintage real photo postcard features actress Mabelle Adams (1880-1935). Mabelle Adams was her stage name but her real name was Mabelle Humberstone. She is known for her stage career but also for being the mother of director Bruce “Lucky” Humberstone whose work included Film noir “I Wake Up Screaming” (1941) as well as some “Charlie Chan” and “Tarzan” films. Interestingly, Mabelle was a niece of Edwin Booth. She was the understudy on Broadway for actress Maude Adams in “Peter Pan”. She was in a number of Broadway productions including occupying a starring role in “Two Orphans” (1933). Adams was an active member of the Stage Women’s War Relief which raised money for medical supplies for Allies wounded in World War I. A brief biography of Adams can be found in “The Stars of Hollywood Forever” (2014), This postcard was published pre 1907 by the Rotograph Company and part of a series (no. B1998). Rotograph was located in New York City.  (SOLD)

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Published in: on December 26, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  

CUTE LITTLE GIRL SITTING BESIDE HER DOLL IN IN A TOY STROLLER (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

stool

This is an unusual vintage real photo postcard featuring a young girl and her doll. The relatively unique aspect of this portrait is that the doll is sitting in a toy stroller. The child in this photograph is well dressed and well coiffed but appears either fatigued or none to happy to have a camera aimed at her. She holds the handle of the cart-like stroller in one hand and steadies the stroller with her other hand. Note the design of the stool that she is sitting on. This postcard has an AZO stamp box which indicates that it was produced sometime between 1918 and 1930.

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Published in: on December 24, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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YOUNG BAREFOOT BOY IN INDIA WORKING AS STREET VENDOR (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

oakeys

This is a very interesting vintage real photo postcard that gives us a look at a young boy selling his wares on a street somewhere in India. Note that the lad is barefoot on a stone paved street. Ouch! The young entrepreneur is selling Wellington knife polish. He also has a hanger holding some type of material. I can not identify the item and hopefully a cabinet card gallery visitor can shed some light on the matter. I can tell you a little bit about the knife polish that is for sale on this Indian street. John Oakey (1813-1887) was an inventor and he established a company (John Oakey & Sons Ltd) which manufactured sandpaper and other polishing materials. Oakey began his interest in sandpaper while working as a piano maker. He then set up a manufacturing business in London in 1833. He later moved the business to Wellington Mill. Among his products was Wellington Knife Polish. See second scan below for a photograph of an antique can of Oakey’s knife polish. Advertising for this product was commonly seen on buses and trams in the early 1900’s. His sons took over the company after his death and took it public in 1893. This postcard was published by Thacker & Company of Bombay, India and manufactured in Great Britain. . It was part of a series (#122). Thacker, Spink, & Company (1853-1960) was a major Indian book publisher of literature guides, history and almanacs. They were also an early publisher of photo postcards. They had a distribution office in London, England.

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Published in: on December 8, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
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SWEET PHOTOGRAPH OF A LITTLE BOY RIDING A ST. BERNARD (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

stuff dog

This vintage real photo postcard features a sweet little boy dressed in winter clothing riding a large St. Bernard dog. Of course the dog is a stuffed toy but it sure looks realistic. In fact, the dog may actually be a stuffed “real” dog. This winter scene photograph is a rare find. The image was produced by a private studio. There are two photographer stamps on the reverse of the postcard. One stamp is from “Le Bon Photographe” (The Good Photographer?) which was located in Ostende, Belgium. Ostende is a coastal city in West Flanders. The second stamp states “Studio Universele” which was located in Brussels.   SOLD

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Published in: on December 7, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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