This vintage real photo postcard features a pretty young woman, attractively dressed, posing at an unidentified studio for her portrait. She is accompanied by her very expressive dog. The dog appears to be a Jack Russell Terrier. The initials “HT” are printed on the bottom left hand corner of the image. “HT” is likely the publisher of the card. The postcard has a French stamp and was postmarked in 1910. SOLD
This rare vintage real photo postcard features stage actress, Madge Hodgkinson. There is not much information about her readily available. She sat for one photograph that can be found in the collection of England’s National Portrait Gallery. The photograph was taken by female celebrity photographer, Rita Martin. An article in Royal Magazine (1908) includes another photo to Hodgkinson by Rita Martin. The caption describes her as “a pretty Gibson Girl” and that “Gibson Girls are always delightful”. It is written that Hodgkinson was one of many actresses recently marrying for wealth and/or title. The writer whimsically asks “At this rate, how long will the supply hold out”. Hodgkinson’s groom was Paul Grisewood, “a stock exchange man”. Further research is needed to illuminate details of the pretty actress’s life. This postcard was published by Raphael Tuck & Sons as part of the “Celebrities of the Stage” series (1002). The postcard has a Canadian stamp and a 1914 postmark from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. SOLD
Postcard 1 (SOLD)
Postcard 2 (SOLD)
Postcard 3 (SOLD)
La Jana (1905-1940) was an actress and dancer. Her nationality was Austro-German. She was the illegitimate daughter of a master gilder and his housekeeper. Her parents wed four years after her birth. Her family was Jewish. She went by the name, Henny.. She trained as a dancer at the Frankfurt Opera Ballet and her first stage appearance was at the age of eight. She later began dancing in revues. She was “discovered” in Paris and brought to Berlin to meet with Frederic Zelnik who got her into films. The film director who “discovered” her said that the first time he saw her dance, “that woman possessed the most attractive body that I had set eyes upon” in my not all that long life. He went on to describe her as simple, nice and approachable. He added that she “had as much interest in sex as in Immanuel Kant”. meaning, none at all. As her career advanced, she danced in revues in Berlin, Stockholm, London, and many other cities. When she appeared in “Casanova” she viewed by the audience semi-naked and on a silver platter. In Berlin, she began an affair with Crown Prince Wilhelm. There were also rumors that she had an affair with Joseph Goebbels. Charlie Chaplin was also one of her lovers. Clearly, her attitude about sex changed from the earlier days of her dancing career. In 1937, her performance in a film catapulted her to film stardom. In 1940, while touring Germany, entertaining troops, she fell ill with pneumonia and passed away. The IMDb gives La Jana 23 film credits between 1926 and 1940.
La Jana’s portrait for Postcard 1 was taken by the Manasse studio in Vienna, Austria. The Manasse studio was in existence between about 1922 and 1938. The studio was run by Olga Solarics (1896-1969) and her husband Adorja’n von Wlassics (1893-1946). Olga was known for her interest in photographing nudes. The studio flourished in Vienna during the 1930’s. Many of the portraits taken by the studio had an erotic flavor. The studio attracted some of the leading ladies of film and theater. This postcard was published by Ross Verlag (no.7043/1). This vintage postcard has a small imperfection located under La Jana’s left elbow. (SOLD)
Postcard 2 was published by Ross Verlag (no.5035/2). Miss Jana’s photograph was taken by the Manasse studio in Vienna, Austria. The Manasse studio was in existence between about 1922 and 1938. The studio was run by Olga Solarics (1896-1969) and her husband Adorja’n von Wlassics (1893-1946). Olga was known for her interest in photographing nudes. The studio flourished in Vienna during the 1930’s. Many of the portraits taken by the studio had an erotic flavor. The studio attracted some of the leading ladies of film and theater. (SOLD)
Postcard 3 was published by Ross Verlag (no.3911/1). Miss Jana’s photograph was taken by Martin Badekow (1896-1983) in Berlin. In the 1920’s, Badekow was a well known photographer in Berlin. He photographed portraits of many film stars and other celebrities. He also was a fashion photographer. Before she was famous, Badekow took many fashion photos of Marlene Dietrich. After World War I, he and his son Heinz, took photographs of the devastation in Berlin. Some of them can be found at Getty Images. After the 1920’s, interest in Badekow’s work waned. More recently, Badekow’s photographs from the Berlin cabarets and of the stars of German silent films, can now be found in museums and are considered symbolic images of Weimar Germany. (SOLD)
The adorable stage actress featured in this vintage photo postcard is Madge Temple (1875/80-1943). She was an English actress, vocalist, and music hall comedienne. Temple’s first appearance in pantomime was at West London’s, Lyric Theatre, at Christmas in 1900. She then went on tour and in 1905, she began playing on the variety stage. She then successfully toured music hall theatres with such songs as “Come , Be My Rainbow”, “He’s a Very Old Friend of Mine”, and “I’m Looking for Mr. Wright”. In 1909 and 1910 she made a series of of recordings for Pathe. She was a popular performer on the British stage and became a star in Australia when she toured there in 1913-1914. Madge Temple was married to Herman Darewski (1883-1947), a successful composer of many popular songs. The pair had at least one child. The story of Neville Lawrence Darewski is told in a book entitled “SAS Italian Job: The Secret Mission to Storm a Forbidden Nazi Fortress”. He was known as “Major Temple”, adopting his mother’s last name as his nom de guerre. He was a member of a an elite “Special Duty” unit and was involved in secret missions during World War II. He was a member of Churchill’s “Ministry for Ungentlemanly Warfare”. In 1943 he was dropped behind enemy lines in Italy. He commanded a unit of five hundred Italian partisans. The group did a great deal of damage to the Italian and German military in Italy. They attacked a airbase and destroyed eighty-nine Italian planes. Unfortunately, Major Temple did not survive the war. He was killed in a truck accident as he was trying to escape the German army which after much time and effort, had surrounded his unit. This postcard is postmarked 1907 in Kilburn which is likely the Kilburn that is a section of London. The photographer of this portrait of Madge Temple is Ian Douglas Campbell-Gray. He is associated with ten portraits in the United Kingdom’s National Portrait Gallery. The British Journal of Photography (1910) printed a photograph of a commercial truck that advertised Campbell Gray’s photo studio. His creative flair is evident because the back half of the truck looked exactly like a camera. This postcard has a message which discusses the photograph on it’s front. The writer apologizes about her inability to find a photo card of “G.R.?” and claims that such cards are scarce because the performer was not active when the postcard was written. Could she be referring to “Gaynor Rowland”? This specific Madge Temple photo postcard is uncommon. The postcard is in very good condition (see scans). SOLD
This provocative vintage real photo postcard features a pretty young woman drinking a mug of beer and smoking a cigarette. This postcard is provocative and meant to be sexually charged. This postcard may be gay themed. This postcard photo is a studio card and is likely one-of-a-kind. An inscription on the reverse of the card is dated 1932. SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard features a young black boy wearing coveralls and a young girl dressed in a maid’s uniform. The boy is holding a feather duster and looking at the girl who standing on a table and is in deep concentration as she brushes off a sculpture. This photographer produced this image in a tongue and cheek manner. A caption on this postcard states “Valet de Chambre et Soubrette” (valet and maid). SOLD
This French hand tinted real photo postcard features an adorable little girl sitting on a bench next to her dog. The dog appears to be a collie or a mixed collie breed. The postcard was published by Rex as part of a series (no.9588). Rex are the initials for “Societe Anonyme des Papeteries de Levallois”, a firm located in Paris, France. SOLD
POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)
POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)
POSTCARD 3 (SOLD)
This uncommon vintage real photo postcard (Postcard 1) features silent film icon, Clara Bow (1905-1965 ). She successfully made the transition to talkies in 1929. Bow appeared in 46 silent movies and 11 talkies. She was known as the “It Girl” during the golden age of Hollywood. She was known for her vivacious energy, mesmerizing on-screen presence, and her impressive talent. She was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in the borough’s tenements. Both of her parents had mental health issues and she grew up in an unstable and chaotic environment. She was a resilient and determined child and she took on a caretaker role for her younger siblings. She was responsible and mature beyond her years. Despite her humble background, she became a very influential figure in cinema history. Her rise from poverty to stardom, and her groundbreaking portrayals of independent and liberated women, helped her gain an enduring legend of the silver screen. Clara Bow was discovered in 1922 when she participated in a magazine contest searching for new talent. Her photographs were seen by film producer B. P. Schulberg who saw her potential and offered her a screen test. Her screen presence was impressive and she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures. In her earliest films, her versatility was was obvious as she transitioned effortlessly between dramatic and comedic roles. It was the 1927 film, “It” that made Clara Bow a superstar and earned her the nickname of “The It Girl”. She was viewed as modern, charismatic, and sexually liberated. Bow was also successful in “talkie” films, despite her Brooklyn accent. While Bow was successful professionally, her personal life was a “hot mess”. She had a long term troubled marriage to actor Rex Bell (m.1931) and she battled her own mental health issues, including anxiety and depression. In 1933, Bow retired from acting and became a rancher. This vintage real photo postcard was published by Ross Verlag (Germany) as part of a series (No.3394/1). Bow is wearing a grass skirt, a Hawaiian Lei, and holding a ukulele. She is showing her bare legs. The card is risque for it’s era. The logo for Paramount Pictures can be found in the images bottom right hand corner. SOLD
Postcard 2 was published by Ross Verlag (Germany) as part of a series (No.4480/1). Bow is wearing a short skirt. She is showing her bare legs. The card is risque for it’s era. The logo for Paramount Pictures can be found in the images bottom right hand corner. SOLD
Postcard 3 was published by Ross Verlag (Germany) as part of a series (No.3812/1). This postcard captures Bow as she appeared in the film “Get Your Man” (1927). The film was a light, fast-paced silent romantic comedy starring Clara Bow at the height of her “It Girl” popularity. It was produced by Paramount Pictures and the firm’s logo can be seen in the bottom right corner of the image. This photo is risque. Miss Bow is wearing a chiffon negligee. SOLD
POSTCARD 1
POSTCARD 2
POSTCARD 3
This vintage real photo postcard features Hungarian film actress Agnes Esterhazy (1891-1956). She is quite pretty and is dressed in flapper fashion. Esterhazy predominately appeared in Austrian and German films. In total, her IMDb filmography includes 32 films between 1918 and 1943. Her parents were a Count and Countess. She married actor Fritz Schulz in 1910. He was 14 years old and she was 19 years of age. I am sure there is an interesting story there and a lot of material for armchair psychologists to hypothesize about. After World War I, the pair lived in Budapest and Agnes began acting lessons. She made her film debut in 1918 and many more roles followed. During her career she acted alongside Harry Liedtke, Hanni Weisse, Asta Nielsen and Greta Garbo. Agnes mostly played supporting roles but she also played some leading roles. Esterhazy’s career virtually ended with the arrival of sound films. After her retirement from film, she she acted at various theaters, many of which were in Ostrava (Czech Republic). Esterhazy’s husband (Fritz Schulz) was arrested by the Nazis and held in a Vienna prison. His crime was that he was Jewish. Esterhazy was able to get him released in the Spring of 1938. This portrait postcard was published by Ross Verlag (Berlin). The postcard is part of a series (no.776/6). Esterhazy’s photograph was taken by celebrity photographer, Alex Binder (Berlin). The card is posted and has a stamp that was issued by Yugoslavia in 1921. The message on the postcard is dated 1925. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard features a little boy sitting in a goat cart while the rest of his family is beside him, sitting in a donkey cart. The entire family are posing for a souvenir photograph while visiting Happy Hollow, located in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The city of Hot Springs is located in the Ouachita Mountains and has several natural hot springs in the area. Beginning in the 1830’s, Hot Springs became a resort offering many spas. Hot Springs was the place to go for relaxation, fun, and good health. The photo seen on this postcard was taken by N. E. McLeod at his Wild West & Rustic Photography Studio in Happy Hollow. 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. McLeod evidenced much skill in taking this image. The photograph is clear and well-balanced. An added asset is that he was photographing an attractive family. This postcard has an AZO stamp box that dates the postcard between 1904 and 1918. SOLD
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