EDITH TALIAFERRO : REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM : REAL PHOTO POSTCARD : (1914)

This vintage real photo postcard features actress Edith Taliaferro (1894-1958). She was an American stage and film actress in the late 19th and early 20th century. She was active on the stage until 1935. She played roles in three silent films. She is most famous for playing the role of Rebecca in the stage production of “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” (1910). Edith was born in Virginia. Her parents were theatre workers and her sister, Mabel, also became a stage actress. Edith made her stage debut at age two and by the time she was ten, she was performing in productions of Shakespeare. During her career, she performed in more than thirty stage productions. She appeared in sixteen Broadway shows.  (SOLD)

CAMILLA HORN : GERMAN ACTRESS AND DANCER : NAZI FOE : HOLLYWOOD : RPPC

POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)

These vintage real photo postcards feature German dancer and film star of the silent and sound era, Camilla Horn (1903-1996). She also was an internationally known actress, starring in several Hollywood films of the late 1920’s as well as a few British and Italian productions. Her father was a civil servant working in the Railroad Industry. She was born in Germany and educated in Germany and Switzerland. Horn was educated to work as a dressmaker. She went to Berlin where she trained as an actress and dancer. She next became a cabaret dancer. In 1925, she worked as an extra in a German film. Her big break came in 1926 after she replaced Lillian Gist in the UFA production of “Faust”. In 1928 she left for Hollywood where she played opposite John Barrymore in “Tempest” and “Eternal Love”. She became romantically involved with film director, Joseph Schenck. She returned to Europe (upon the advent of sound film) and in the 1930’s got in trouble with the Nazis and was prosecuted for an alleged financial offense. During the war years, she was too outspoken against the Nazis. The regime investigated her. She tried to escape unsuccessfully to Switzerland. Thereafter, she kept a low profile. After the war, she was convicted by a British tribunal and sentenced for three months of jail due to some minor offenses. It was also reported that post war, she worked as an interpreter for occupying American forces. Horn was a screen star from 1930 until her retirement in 1953. Horn was married four times during her life. Interestingly, in about 1972 Bruce Springsteen wrote a song about her. Camilla Horn was quite beautiful. She had blonde hair, slanting brown eyes and classical features.

Postcard 1 was published by Ross Verlag as part of a series (No.4123/1). The logo for “United Artists” can be seen in the lower right hand corner of Horn’s image. This postcard has a 1930 postmark. (SOLD)

Postcard 2 was published by Ross Verlag as part of a series (No.7348/1). The card has a Latvian stamp and postmark.  (SOLD)

CLAIRE ROMMER : FILM ACTRESS :SAVED FROM NAZIS BY ARISTEDES De SOUSA MENDES

POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)
POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 3 (SOLD)

These vintage real photo postcards feature German film actress, Claire Rommer (1904-1996). Her filmography on IMDb credits her with 49 film appearances between 1922 and 1934. She made her film debut at the age of eighteen. She also began her career as a soubrette appearing in operettas and comedies on the Berlin stage. However, her fame came from her film work. She played both leading and supportive roles. She played in silent films and made a successful transition to sound films. She even sang in some of her talkies. She was married to a prosperous Jewih man, named Adolf Strenger. Because of her marriage, in 1938 she was banned from any participation in the German film industry. It was thought that she was probably not Aryan like her husband. The rise of the Nazis forced the couple to leave Germany and emigrate to the United States via Portugal.The pair left Europe with the assistance of Aristedes de Sousa Mendes. He was a Portuguese Consular stationed in France. Mendes defied orders from his government and issued thousands of visas to Jews, allowing them to escape with their families and their lives. He was a hero for his work as a Holocaust rescuer. Ultimately, Mendes was severely punished for his defiance. After leaving Germany, Rommer’s film career ended. In the US, she divorced her husband and married a meat industry multi-millionaire.

Postcard 1 was published by Ross Verlag as part of a series (No.1933/1). Claire Rommer’s photo portrait was taken by celebrity photographer, Alexander Binder. This vintage photo postcard is in excellent condition (see scans). (SOLD)

Postcard 2 was published by Ross Verlag as part of a series (No.1933/2). Claire Rommer’s photo portrait was taken by celebrity photographer, Alexander Binder. This vintage photo postcard is in very good condition (see scans). (SOLD)

Postcard 3 was published by Ross Verlag as part of a series (no.3010/1). Miss Rommer’s portrait was taken by famed celebrity photographer Alex Binder, who operated his studio in Berlin. The postcard was postmarked in 1928. (SOLD)

EVELYN HOLT : GERMAN ACTRESS : BANNED FROM FILM BY THE NAZIS : RPPC

POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 3 (SOLD)

Evelyn Holt (3 October 1908 – 22 February 2001) was a German actress. Her father was a journalist. Her film career began with UFA, a German film company. It did not take long for her to become a film star. She was popular in the 1920’s and early 1930’s. Holt was blond and blue eyed. In 1931 she became a soubrette at the Grosses Schauspielhaus (a popular theatre) in Berlin. Her film career came to an abrupt end when the Nazis’ took power. It was alleged that Holt was half Jewish, and she was banned from films. The ban was based on her being born with a Jewish sounding last name. Holt married Jewish publisher Felix Guggenheim (1904-1976) in 1936. Two years later the couple emigrated to Switzerland, then England, then the United States. She remained in the U.S. and never returned to acting.

Postcard 1 reveals that Evelyn Holt was quite pretty. She looks very confident in this image. Her dress is shiny. Is it silk? This postcard was published by Ross Verlag, a firm located in Berlin. The card was part of a series (no.6509/2). The photographer of this portrait is Walther Jaeger and the photograph was taken in Berlin, Germany. (SOLD)

Postcard 2 was published by Iris Verlag. Iris Verlag in Vienna was the most important Austrian publisher of film star postcards.  The logo for “Lux Film” can be seen in the lower left hand corner of  the image. The company was an Italian Film distribution and production company. This card is part of a series (no.946).  (SOLD)

Postcard 3  was published by Ross Verlag, a firm located in Berlin. The card was part of a series (no.3553/1). The photographer of this portrait is Ernst Schneider and the photograph was taken in Berlin, Germany.  He was considered to be one of the most celebrated studio photographers in Berlin during three decades (1900’s, 1910’s, 1920’s). He photographed many celebrities from the world of theater, opera, circuses, and film. He was also one of the most prominent fashion photographers in Berlin. In addition, he was well known for his nude photography, and he published books showcasing his work in this domain. Sometime around 1908 Schneider began working with postcard publishers “Rotophot” and “Neue Photographische Gesellschaft” (NPG). In 1919 he began working with Ross Verlag. The card was postmarked in 1928 in the city of Riga, Latvia.  (SOLD)

POSTCARD 1

POSTCARD 2

POSTCARD 3

NATALIE WOOD : AMERICAN FILM AND TELEVISION ACTRESS : MYSTERIOUS DEATH : RPPC

This vintage real photo postcard features pretty American actress, Natalie Wood (1938-1981). She had both talent and charisma. She was a successful actress and was known for being glamourous but also for her personal problems. Wood started acting in films as a child. One of her first notable roles was in the classic Christmas film “Miracle on 34th Street” (1947). As a teenager, she starred in films like “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955). She played alongside James Dean in a role that solidified her status as an actress perfect for playing wholesome and innocent young women. Through the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s she appeared in numerous successful films where she showcased her versatility in genres ranging from drama to comedy. Wood’s personal life was good fodder for sensationalized headlines. She was married three times. She had a tumultuous relationship with actor Robert Wagner. Despite her success as an actress, she struggled with insecurity and inner turmoil. She struggled with anxiety and depression throughout her adult life. In 1981, she drowned under mysterious circumstances while on a boating trip off the California coast. Speculation and controversy about the events surrounding her death continued for years after her death.  SOLD

PORTRAIT OF ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMEN OF FRANCE (PHOTO BY JEAN AGELOU)

This vintage real photo postcard is part of a series named “Les Plus Belles Femmes de France” (The Most Beautiful Women of France). This series is about the Provinces of France, and the model for this image represents La Francomtoise. This postcard is number 19 in the series. There were a number of different series published. The Province series was one of the more popular series. The models in this series represent different French Provinces and wear traditional clothing from that particular area of the country.This postcard was published by well known photographer Alfred Noyer. The celebrated photographer supervised a large photo studio in Paris. The Noyer Studio operated from 1910 until the 1940’s. Many of his early postcards were reproductions of artworks. He also produced illustrated patriotic postcards during World War I. With the onset of the 1920’s he began producing postcards of children and women. Many of the postcards he produced of women were nudes or risque images. Some of his postcards list his name while others are simply marked “AN”. The photographer of this postcard portrait is Jean Agelou (1878-1921). Agelou was a French photographer of the 1910’s and 1920’s who is best known for his erotic and nude photographs. He was born in Egypt and not much is known about his private life. Agelou generally used models between the age of 20 and 24 years-old. He had a favorite model. Her name was “Fernande” and in addition to modeling, she was Agelou’s lover. Her full name was Fernande Barrey (1893-1960). She was a prostitute by trade. She also modeled for for painters (Amadeo Modigliani and Chaim Soutine). Fernande later became a painter. Although the 1900’s was the “golden age” of erotic photograph, photographers who took such risque photos had to use discretion. As a result, Agelou signed his work “JA”. In 1908, nudity in photographs was banned in France and photographers had to cover nude women images with strategically placed undergarments or other materials. Nude images had to circulate on the down low. They were sent in the mail inside of envelopes. Fernande remained popular and her erotic photographs were enjoyed by soldiers on both sides during World War I. Jean Agelou died in 1921; the result of a car accident. His brother George, who managed Jean’s business, also was killed in the crash.  SOLD

CHILD SITTING IN AN OX PULLED CART : HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS : HAPPY HOLLOW : RPPC

This vintage postcard features a photograph of a young child sitting on an ox pulled cart.  The scene is at Happy Hollow, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Note the signage.  The sign on the cart states “Traveling Thru Ark : Will Be Home Soon). This postcard was a souvenir from Hot Springs National Park. The AZO stamp box on this postcard indicates that it was published sometime between 1924 and 1949. SOLD

Published in: on March 21, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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ELLA RUSSELL : AMERICAN OPERA STAR : RPPC

Postcard 1 (SOLD)

Postcard 2 (SOLD)

Ella Russell (1864-1935) was an American opera star. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio but spent much of her life in England. She was 33 years-old when she made her American debut. She had already appeared in Europe. During her career, she sang a command performance in front of England’s Queen Victoria.

Photo Postcard 1 was published by Frederick Hartmann. His postcard publishing company was headquartered in London. He was active in the UK between 1902 and 1909. It is thought that he produced the first divided back card in the world. His postcards were printed in Saxony (Germany) because of the country’s advanced printing industry. He produced view cards from all over England and imported glamour cards from the European continent. He was the English distributor for Trenkler & Company postcards. In 1907, Hartmann partnered with Christian Linck. The business went bankrupt that same year (1907).  (SOLD)

Postcard 2 was published by J. Beagle as part of a series (No.410). The publishing company was headquartered in London. (SOLD)

Postcard 2

PRETTY WOMAN SITS ON COUCH WEARING SHEER LINGERIE : RISQUE : PC PARIS : RPPC

This risque vintage real photo postcard captures a pretty young woman sitting on a couch. The woman is holding a small mirror in her right hand. She is wearing lingerie. Her sheer bra, exposed legs, stockings, garter, and “come hither” pose, all contribute to making this an erotic postcard. This postcard was produced by PC Paris as part of a series (No.1481). The P.C logo is an abbreviation for Papeteries d Levallois-Clichy. The firm published a variety of real photo postcard topics including portraits of pretty models, nudes, views, and holiday cards. The company was active in the 1920’s. SOLD

Published in: on March 16, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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TWO SISTERS FLYING AN AIRPLANE : STUDIO PORTRAIT : RPPC

This vintage divided back real photo postcard features two young girls flying an airplane. The plane is of the photo studio variety. The girls, judging by appearance, are presumably sisters. Although it is not uncommon to see a studio airplane on a postcard, this particular plane prop is uncommon. (SOLD)

Published in: on March 12, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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