The pretty woman featured in this real photo postcard is Mable Woods. She was a theater actress. I could find little biographical information about her. I did discover that sometimes her name appeared as “Mabel” Woods rather than “Mable” Woods. I stumbled across a couple of real photo postcards in which Miss Woods made an appearance. Two of these cards were individual portraits of the actress but another postcard paired her with an actress name Rose de Vella. Mable Woods and Miss de Vella toured India together, performing in the chorus line for one of the “Gaiety Girls” touring companies. Irish born, George Edwards (1852-1915) was the theater manage of London’s Gaiety Theater. At one point he had sixteen touring companies. He had a propensity for hiring pretty young women to work as “Gaiety Girls”. These women were the chorus girls appearing in Edwardian musical comedies that began in the 1890’s. These women were an important ingredient for staging a successful musical production. They danced and appeared on stage in bathing attire and in the latest fashionable clothing. Unlike the corseted actresses from earlier musical burlesque shows, Gaiety Girls were viewed as respectable and refined. One writer reports that Gaiety girls “were polite, well-behaved young women”. Many Gaiety girls progressed to very successful acting careers. The list of former Gaiety girls reads like a hall of fame of celebrated actresses. Gaiety girls that catapulted to major roles include Marie Studholme, Mabel Love, Ellaline Terriss, Lily Elsie, Gladys Cooper, Phyllis Dare, and Gabrielle Ray. These and other starring alumni of the chorus, kept the moniker “Gaiety Girls”. The young women performing in Edward’s shows peaked the interest of wealthy gentlemen who became known as “Stage Door Johnnies”. They would wait outside the stage door and invite the actresses to dinner at fine restaurants. A number of women accepted the invitation. Sometimes the women would eventually marry one of these dates. A number of these women married noblemen, while others became the wives of professionals. In the book, “The Gaiety Years”, author Alan Hyman refers to the chorus as becoming “a matrimonial agency for girls with ambitions” to marry titled men. This postcard is in very good condition (see scans).
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This french vintage real photo postcard is a wonderful example of Alfred Noyer’s work photographing nude, or partially clad, beautiful women. Noyer was a well known and acclaimed photographer. His Paris studio operated between 1910 and the 1940’s. Many of the postcards he produced featured nudes or risque images. This photo portrait postcard is part of a series (no.9517). SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard is quite unique. It features the portrait of a well dressed lovely couple. The woman is wearing what is probably the largest hair bow ever worn in the history of the world. If she was outside and caught the wind just right, she would probably have the ability to fly. The message on the reverse of the postcard indicates that the couple’s first names are Jeanne and Willy and that they were photographed in 1920 by E. Lorsen in Strasbourg, France. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard is striking. The photograph features a young Native American mother and her small child. The mother and her baby are members of Florida’s Seminole tribe. The mother appears quite young. My guess is that she is about sixteen years-old. She is pretty and her child is adorable. Who are the Seminole? They are a tribe that originally lived in Florida. In present times, the majority of the Seminoles live in Oklahoma. The EKC stamp box on the reverse of this photo postcard indicates it was published sometime between 1930 and 1950. The postcard is in good condition. There is a tiny pinhole located at the center bottom of the card. It is undetectable in the scans. It is only apparent if the postcard is held up to a bright light. (see scans).
This vintage real photo postcard features two adorable sisters wearing fancy winter clothing. These kids are an illustration of what it means to be “bundled up”. Note the children’s boots and hats. The youngest child is wearing a scarf that gives the appearance of a big ribbon. The ribbon makes her look like a wrapped Christmas gift. This postcard has an Artura stamp box which indicates that the card was published sometime between 1908 and 1924. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard features actress Marjory Day (1887-1940). She was born in New Zealand. She was an actress and was known for “The Woman Who Was Nothing” (1917), “The Life of Lord Byron” (1922), and “The Fighting Marine” (1926). Miss Day was married and divorced from producer/actor George Desmond (1881-1969). The National Portrait Gallery has 15 portraits of Miss Day in their collection. This postcard captures Day exhibiting socially inappropriate behavior. Day’s deviant behavior is the fact that she is smoking a cigarette. She also seems to be wearing pants which is also a violation that could get her in trouble with the fashion police. To top things off, she is rebelliously staring at the photographer as this photo was taken. At first, I thought that Marjory Day was one of those “bad girls” of the theatre (there were also “bad boys”). However, I later learned that this photograph was taken while Day was in costume for playwright George Bernard Shaw’s “Devil’s Disciple” (1897). This postcard was published by Rafael Tuck as part of the “Celebrities of the Stage” series (no. T 790). 
This vintage real photo postcard features a priest and his noble spaniel dog. This portrait was photographed by Albert Hester who operated a studio in London, England. Hester is mentioned in the British Journal of Photography (1910) for participating in a London exhibition. The card was published by Societe Industrielle de Photograpie (SIP) of Rueil, France. SOLD
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