This vintage real photo postcard features the Lum & Abner Jot m Down Store. The business was located in Pine Ridge, Arkansas. Chester “Chet” Lauck (Lum Eddards) (1901-1980) and Norris “Tuffy” Goff (Abner Peabody) (1906-1978) operated the Lum & Abner” comedy radio show. They were the creators, actors, writers, sound effects men, and directors of the program.They received more fan mail than any other radio program of their time. They began as young amateur performers in Mena, Arkansas; the town where they grew up together. The duo entertained at school and civic functions. They were invited to perform at a Hot Springs, Arkansas radio station. They performed their old country storekeepers routine there. They must have shown much talent because they were offered a 13 week contract with NBC and were sponsored by Quaker Oats. The pair’s radio show was founded with an interesting focus. In small towns like Pine Ridge, the general store was the center of activity. The radio show followed fictional residents of the town. Of course, all the characters were played by Lauck and Goff. If you were to travel to Pine Ridge, you would find the Lum “n” Abner Museum and General Store. After entering show business the pair were required to move around and in 1939 they moved to Hollywood to make movies. Between the late 1930’s to the early 1950’s they made seven films. Even during their film careers, Goff and Lauck continued their radio programs. These radio personalities were “big time”. Their sponsors included Quaker Oats, Ford Motors, General Motors, and Alka Seltzer. This postcard has some interesting signage. There is an “Esso” sign and gas pumps. Posted signs advertise Phillip Morris (cigarettes) and Coca Cola. There is also a sign indicating that the store sells fishing bait (minnows). It is interesting to note the contrast of the parked car and the horse drawn wagon. An inscription on the reverse of the postcard indicates that it was purchased in 1955 as a souvenir. SOLD
The beautiful woman in this vintage real photo postcard is Millie Legarde. She was an actress and a singer. She was active in her career between 1898 and 1911. She was a sitter for eight portraits in Great Britain’s National Portrait Gallery. She performed in numerous theater productions and in one film (1905). Searching for biographical information about Miss Legarde was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Preliminary research revealed that she appeared in many plays. Newspaper articles of the time, mention her name, but provide little information. It’s as if she was in the “witness protection program” and nearly all information about her has been scrubbed. Millie posed for a number of postcards but this card is certainly the nicest one I’ve seen. This postcard was published by Ralph Dunn & Company which operated out of London, England. The card is part of a series (no.A476). The postcard was manufactured in Berlin, Germany. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard features two young children sitting on a garden wall. The boy and girl are adorably dressed and are very cute. The girl is holding a bouquet of pink flowers. Note the boy’s fantastic curls and terrific cap. The postcard’s message is dated 1902. This postcard was likely published by Felix Korn & Co. (F.K.) which was located in Stuttgart, Germany. I am unable to confirm the publishers name. This postcard lists F.K. as being located in Paris, not Stuttgart. Further complicating matters is that there also was another company that went by the F.K. initials (F. Kehrhan & Co of Bexley Heath, England). This card’s postage stamp is German and the postmark is from the city of Mulhausen. Mulhausen is a city located in eastern France, near the Swiss and German borders. However, at the time of the mailing of this postcard, Mulhausen belonged to the German Empire and was part of the Alsace-Lorraine territory. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard features a close-up view of four uniformed Viennese tea room waitresses. The three standing women are dressed nearly identically while the seated woman is dressed notably different. Is the seated woman the tea room’s manager or owner? You may be wondering how I know that these ladies are tea room employees? Actually, I don’t. I am just repeating what I was told by the previous owner of this photo postcard. Of course, I may be wrong about the women’s occupation. However, I am certain about the identity of the photographer of this portrait. I am also certain that he was very talented. The Cabinet Card Gallery has three of his photographs in it’s collection. They are beautiful cabinet card portraits. The photographer’s name and address are embossed near the bottom right hand corner of this postcard. The photographer is S. Weitzmann and his studio was located in Vienna, Austria. The studio won medals at exhibitions Paris, London, and Grand Prix. Weitzmann is mentioned in a book entitled “Hitler’s Silent Partners : Swiss Banks, Nazi Gold, and the Pursuit of Justice” (2011). The book states that Weitzmann was the foremost portrait photographer in Vienna and worked for the Austrian Royal Court before it’s demise in 1918. SOLD]
This vintage real photo postcard features two young children sitting in a faux automobile. Most likely, the pair are siblings. The youngest of the two is behind the wheel. Judging by the facial expression of the driver, the roads must have been very treacherous that day. The little girl in the photo is flashing a wonderful smile. This studio photograph was taken by the Mage studio, located in Grand-Montrouge, France. Grand-Montrouge is a southern suburb of Paris. This vintage portrait postcard is probably from the 1910’s era. SOLD
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