This vintage real photo postcard features a cowboy wearing frilly chaps, a holster, a bandana and a cowboy hat. In one hand he is holding a pistol and in the other he has a pair of gloves decorated with a five point star. The cowpoke in this studio image appears ready to head out on the next cattle drive. The cowboy in this photograph has an ethnic appearance. Perhaps he was Hispanic or Native American. This photograph was taken at the Mazeograph Studio in Portland, Oregon. Charles E. (Cal) Calvert operated his studio between 1906 and 1930. As the advertisement on the reverse of the postcard attests, Calvert’s specialty was creating fast postcards. Studio backdrops and set-ups awaited customers, so they simply had to place themselves in the scene. This arrangement coupled with quick development techniques, allowed subjects to be able to procure a postcard image of themselves in less than ten minutes. The postcard itself was made by Cyko and the stamp box indicates that it was produced between 1904 and the 1920’s.
This vintage real photo postcard is truly fantastic. The postcard features a pretty woman wearing a gorgeous spider web style hat, complete with spider. To top things off, the hat is made of torn newspaper. This photo postcard is advertising “Le Matin” which was a French daily newspaper that was first published in 1884 and discontinued in 1944. This interesting photograph was taken by E. Rameau. The postcard’s stamp box indicates that it was published around 1916.
This carefully posed vintage real photo postcard begs the viewer to hypothesize about what’s happening in this photograph. A pretty young woman displaying a far-away look holds an open fan in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other. Her dress and appearance could be described as risque. The top part of her dress is sheer and beaded in places. She has a beautiful hat and wearing a fancy hair ornament. The woman is well dressed and stylish. What is this lovely lady thinking about? Any guesses? The preprinted message on the bottom of the postcard, “prosit neujahr” is German for “Happy New Year”. This postcard was published by Neue Photographische Gesellschaft (NPG) in Berlin, Germany. The postcard was part of a series and was mass produced for sale. It was likely published in the 1910’s.
Sometimes the cabinet card gallery features vintage photographs that are not cabinet cards. Some may find fault with the site’s occasional lapses of fidelity to the cabinet card era. However, I can not stop myself from sharing other types of vintage photographs in my collection. This real photo postcard is truly special. A cute baby sits in a carriage in front of a 48 starred American flag. Behind the child is a white picket fence. The only items missing from this patriotic photograph is a Chevrolet and an apple pie. The postcard was produced by AZO between 1918 and 1930. If you have an opinion as to whether I should be including vintage non cabinet card photographs in the Cabinet Card Gallery, please let me know by leaving me a comment.
Once again I could not resist putting a non cabinet card photograph in the Cabinet Card Gallery. I will use the same excuse I always use. This photograph is truly special and I want to share it with the gallery’s visitors and followers. This vintage real photo postcard captures a young family sitting in a field. Capture is definitely the right word. The photographer did an exceptional job of capturing the emotional state of the family members. The mother and father in this image are both quite attractive despite being dressed in their work clothing. Many photographic subjects of this era dressed in their finest clothing when being photographed. There is an implication that this family is a poor family. The words “tenant farmer”and “share cropper” come to mind. Both husband and wife look intensely worried. The wife also looks quite determined. Are they worried about a failed crop? Are they worried about the bank foreclosing on their farm? The older child in this photograph is adorable despite the fact that she is eyeing the photographer with a great deal of suspicion. This postcard was produced by CYKO sometime between 1904 and the 1920’s. The postcard is in good condition (see scan). The postcard was found in Bessemer,Alabama which is about 18 miles southwest of Birmingham. If the photograph was taken in the area of Bessemer, it is interesting to note that truck farming was one of the occupations associated with that town around the time that this postcard portrait was taken.
Photograph 1 is a cabinet card portrait of Minnie Dupree (1873-1943). She was an American stage and film actress. She was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She made her acting debut in a touring company in 1887. In 1888, she was a sensation in a small role in William Gillette’s New York play. “Held by the Enemy”. This role propelled her into a number of supporting roles with the some of the leading actors of the day. She finally got a starring role in the 1900 production of “Women and Wine”. Many other leading roles followed as well as a number of notable successes. However, critics agreed that her later career was less successful than her early and middle career. Dupree also made a small number of films including “The Young in Heart” (1938). Costars in this film included Janet Gaynor, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Billie Burke, and Paulette Goddard. This cabinet card photograph captures Miss Dupree holding her had and looking dreamily away from the camera. The photograph was taken by celebrity photographer, B. J. Falk. Falk’s address is listed as 949 Broadway, New York City. However, there is a light stamp over the Broadway address indicating that the studio had “removed” to 13 & 15 West 34th Street, New York City. To see other photographs by Falk, click on the category “Photographer: Falk”.
Photograph 2 is a vintage real photo postcard featuring Miss Dupree. The image provides a wonderful close-up view of the actress. She is wearing a fancy dress that is low-cut. Note her pearl necklace. Her hair is styled perfectly, providing a very fresh and clean look. The photographer credited with this fine portrait is celebrity photographer, Jacob Schloss (1856-1938). His studio was located in New York City (Manhattan). He received his education at the Cooper Union in New York City. He graduated in 1872 as an etcher. He joined Benjamin J. Falk’s photography studio and worked there in the mid 1870’s. He left Falk’s employ to open his own studio (54 West 23rd Street) where like Falk, he specialized in theatrical photography. He tended to favor photographing actresses in costume in front of generic studio furnishings. He produced many cabinet card photographs but also was active in the production of magazine images. By the 1890’s he was particularly known for his photographs of beautiful women, much like photographer Jose Maria Mora. Schloss also was an activist for photographers rights. He was very involved in the movement to copyright images. He sued those who used his photographs without crediting or paying him. He was an active participant in national photographer associations and was an worked as a photographer until the 1910’s. The photograph was published by the Rotograph Company as part of the “Rotograph Series” (no.B1844). The postcard has a stamp stating “From Robert S. Simmons”, whom I believe, but can not confirm, was a well known collector of photographs. (SOLD)
Priscilla Dean (1896-1987) was a popular American actress who appeared in both silent films and theatre productions. Her career spanned two decades. She was born in New York to a theatrical family. Her mother and father were actors. She attended a convent school until she was fourteen and than launched her film career. Priscilla made her stage debut at the ripe old age of four and, as previously stated, her film debut at fourteen in films produced by Biograph and several other studios. She was signed to a contract by Universal (IMP) in 1911 and soon gained popularity as the female lead in the comedy series of Eddie Lyons and Lee Moran. She reached stardom after appearing in “The Gray Ghost” (1917). The advent of sound to the film industry impaired Dean’s career. She was relegated to low-budget films for minor independent studio during the 1930’s and her career fizzled out. Priscilla Dean has been called “an unlikely Diva”. She was described as being a plain woman, but cheerful. She is said to have had heavy features, a crooked smile, and an “unfashionably curvaceous figure”. However, her intensity on screen was considered “unmatched”. Dean was married to actor Wheeler Oakman (1890-1949) who was also under contract at Universal. The couple appeared together in “The Virgin of Stamboul” (1920) and “Outside the Law” (1920). The pair divorced in the mid 1920’s and a few years later she married Leslie Arnold, a famous aviator. Dean died at the age of 91. Perusal of Miss Dean’s filmography reveals that she has 95 credits as an actress between 1912 and 1932. To view Miss Dean in the talkie film “Behind Stone Walls” (1932), click the You Tube link below. Keep in mind that she was considered a significantly better silent film actress than a “talkie” actress.
Postcard 1 was published by Ross Verlag of Berlin, Germany. It was part of a series (No. 547/2) and was produced for Universal Studios. It was published sometime between 119 and 1924. The photographer of this portrait was Roman Freulich (1924-1974). Freulich was born in Poland and immigrated to the United States at the age of 14. He learned his trade from New York photographer Samuel Lumiere. He moved to Hollywood in the mid 1920’s where his brother Jack was a portrait photographer at Universal Pictures. Roman became a still photographer for Universal and produced many portraits of their major stars. He stayed at Universal until 1944 when he moved to Republic Studios. After Republic stopped production, Freulich did much work for United Artists. (SOLD)
Postcard 2 offers a close-up view of Priscilla Dean. She has a lovely smile. This photo postcard was produced by the Foto Luz studio, located in Bucharest, Romania. The postcard is part of a series (no.431). The postcard was exclusively sold by G. B. Falci of Milan, Italy. (SOLD)
Postcard 3 features Miss Dean in an elaborate attention grabbing costume. She likely wore it in a film role. This close-up photo highlights Priscilla Dean’s beauty. This vintage postcard was published by Ross Verlag of Berlin. A logo for “Unfilman” can be seen in the lower left hand corner of the image. “Unfilman” is an abbreviation for “Univeral-Film-Man. Co”. This vintage photo portrait postcard is in excellent condition (see scans). (SOLD)
Postcard 4 offers a close-up view of Priscilla Dean. She has a lovely smile. This lithographic postcard captures Miss Dean in her role in the film “Wildcat of Paris” (1918). The IMDb describes the plot being about a “girl from Paris’ underworld fights for love and survival during a time of international turmoil”.
