This vintage real photo postcard features two young woman photographed by a studio in Maras, Turkey. Before 1973, the city was named Kahramanmaras. Maras was part of the Ottoman Empire. During War I the empire allied with Germany. In 1919, post war, Maras was occupied by British, and later, French troops. After the “Battle of Marash” (1920), the Turkish National Movement took control. The Battle of Marash was fought between the Turkish National Forces and French forces occupying Maras. It was first major battle of the Turkish War for Independence. The battle caused the French to retreat and abandon Maras. A consequence of the withdrawal of French troops was the Turkish massacre of Armenian refugees who were just repatriated to Maras following the Armenian Genocide. It is believed that between 5,000 and 12,000 Armenians were killed in Maras after the withdrawal. According to the stamp on the reverse of the card, this postcard photograph was taken in 1922. One wonders if the two women/girls seen in this image are Armenian or Turkish. If they are Armenian, imagine how traumatized they must have been considering it was only two years after the massacre occurred. The subjects of this photo are a study in contrast. The girl in the dark dress shows a lot of emotion. She looks troubled or frightened. The woman dressed in the light dress appears void of emotion. Her affect seems very flat. The pair are posed standing on a pretty rug with a background of another rug. I have never seen a photo portrait staged this way. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard features a handsome soldier. He is wearing a military uniform and cap. The pin on his hat indicates that he was a member of the 9th regiment of the infantry. I do not know the soldiers nationality. The message on this card includes the word “captivite”. Captivite, translated from the French means “captivate”. Was the writer of this postcard talking about capturing the town of Munsterlager, or was he referring to himself as being a prisoner of war? Perhaps a visitor to the cabinet card gallery will be able to translate the message for those of us with a French language deficit. This photo was taken in the mid 1910’s by the Schubert studio in Munsterlager. During the first World War (1916), the Breloh Camp was built in Munster by a regiment of gas warfare engineers. The next year there was construction of a facility for gas munitions. In all, three factories were built for the purpose of manufacturing chemical war material and related munitions. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard features German actress, Else Kupfer (1888-1974) as she appearss in Nestroy’s play, “Revolution im Krahwinkel” (1908) at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, Germany. She is most known for her performance in “A Dangerous Woman” (1913). The IMDb lists this performance as her only film credit. This postcard portrait of Miss Kupfer presents her wearing a pretty dress and carrying a parasol. She looks adorable. Kupfe was married to Albert Arnold, brother of artist Karl Arnold. The Becker Maass studio photographed Else Kupfer for this postcard. The publisher of this card is Louis Blumenthal. His company operated in Berlin, Germany. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard features beautiful actress, Berthe Bady (1872-1921). She was born in Belgium but her nationality was French. Berthe Bady attended the Brussels Conservatory and was active on the stage between 1893 and 1913. She was a companion to both Lugne-Poe and Felix-Henri Bataille. Lugne-Poe was a French actor, theatrical director, and scenic designer. He and Bady were involved in symbolist movement of the arts. Bataille was a French dramatist and poet. A brief explanation of symbolism seems to be merited. In theatre, symbolism is a way to bring a greater meaning to something than is apparent at face value. The use of color, characters, movement, props and costumes are all methods of presenting symbolism. In 1897 Bady was the subject of a portrait by Toulouse Lautrec and her death was the subject of a poem by a leading French poet, Louis Aragon. In addition, playwright Fernand Crommelynck dedicated a play to her. Wikipedia credits her with sixteen “notable” play appearances between 1893 and 1913. She appeared in Ibsen’s “The Master Builder” on an international tour. The tour took her to London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Milan, and additional cities. In 1918 she appeared in her one and only film, “Ecce Homo”. This photo of Miss Bady was taken by the studio of Boyer & Bert. Paul Boyer (1861-1908) operated his studio in Paris. He was very talented and won many awards. He produced many portraits of theater performers as well as other celebrities. This postcard was published by F. C. & C. (Frederick Charles Cooper. The firm was located in Eastbourne, England. It was published circa 1905.This portrait postcard is in very good condition (see scans).
This vintage real photo postcard features two very pretty young women wearing kimono type dresses or robes. The fabric patterns are beautiful. Occasionally, I encounter cdv’s, cabinet cards, and postcards featuring women wearing kimonos. These early photographs document that kimono popularity in the western world was evident as early as the 1880’s. The postcard was published by “NPG” (Neue Photographische Gesellschaft) as part of a series (no. 208/4). The company was a leading bromide photo printing company for many years. A. G. Steglitz, is also noted as the publisher and this photo was published circa 1905 in Berlin, Germany. Note the initial “F. E. D.” at the bottom of the image. The initials stand for Friedrich Eyfried, the printer of this card. The company was located in Dusseldorf, Germany. This postcard is in good condition. Note the slight discoloration in and near the bottom left hand corner of the card. SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard features actress Miss Mildred Claire. She is quite pretty and is dressed for cold weather (pre global warming). A fur muff protects her hands and a fur stole (pre PETA) wrapped around her shoulders. I could find very little information on this pretty actress. I learned from the Internet Broadway Data Base (IBDb) that Mildred Claire had acted in three Broadway shows between 1900 and 1905. I discovered little else. An actress named “Mildred Clair” appeared in a film titled “Treason” (1918). Perhaps this film actress was our Mildred Claire. There was also an actress named Mildred Claire who changed her name to Claire Rochelle and than had a successful film career. I do not believe the two “Mildred Claire’s” are one and the same person because Claire Rochelle was born in 1908, too late to be an adult when this postcard was issued. This portrait postcard was published by Rotary Photo as part of a series (no.4373 C). It was part of the Rotary Photographic series. The postcard is in very good condition (see scans). (SOLD) 
POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)
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POSTCARD 2
This vintage real photo postcard features theater actress Miss Lydia Flopp (1877-1963). “Flopp” is an unfortunate name for a stage performer. However, it did not get in the way of her success on the stage. Lydia was one of the five “Rudge Sisters”. The women were British actresses and dancers. Some of them were quite successful. The sisters performed as Letty Lind, Millie Hylton, Adelaide Astor, Fanny Dango, and the aforementioned Lydia Flopp. The sisters were primarily dancers but over time developed their singing ability. They performed in pantomime, variety, music hall, and Victorian burlesque realms of theater. Their venues included the Gaiety and Daly theaters in London. Letty Lind was a popular skirt dancer and star of musical comedies. Hylton worked in music halls and theatre and had much success appearing in varieties as a male impersonator. Miss Astor was a West End actress and Fanny Dango worked in London and then launched a successful career performing in Australia. Lydia Flopp’s specialty was pantomime. She was a sitter for two photo portraits in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. The photographer of Miss Flopp’s portrait is Alexander Bassano (1829-1913). Bassano) was a leading royal and high society photographer in Victorian London. This postcard was published in England by the Davidson Brothers. Davidson Brothers was located in both London and New York City. The firm operated between 1901 and 1911. This postcard is published by Rotary Photo as part of the Rotary Photographic Series (no.1594 B). This vintage postcard portrait has excellent clarity and is in excellent condition (see scans). (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 