The pretty actress in this risque vintage real photo postcard is Mabel Poulton (1901-1994). She was a popular English film actress during the silent film era. Poulton was born in England. Her family was poor. Her father worked as a “clicker”, someone who cuts patterns for shoes and boots. Her father belonged to a social club and took Mabel to see a play. After the experience, Mabel became determined to become an actress. Before entering films, she worked as a secretary at London’s Alhambra Theatre. While employed at the theatre, she was asked to impersonate actress Lillian Gish, dead on stage. She was Gish’s double in a death scene in the play’s prologue. It was noted that Poulton had theatrical talent. As a result, she was given a screen test and aced it. Her debut role was in “Nothing Else Matters (1920)”. Noted actress Betty Balfour also made her debut in this film. The film was a success. Over the next several years Poulton appeared in many films. She tended to land parts playing feisty and mischievous characters. She was blonde and petite. Poulton became a major celebrity of her time and was noted for her fashion sense. In 1928, she starred in “The Constant Nymph” and was highly acclaimed for her performance. By the end of the 1920’s, she and Betty Balfour were considered Britain’s leading film actresses. It is said that “all good things come to an end”, That was especially true for many successful silent film performers with the arrival of “talking pictures”. Mabel Poulton was one of those victims. Her cockney accent did not fit for the roles she tended to play. An attempted comeback in the mid 1930’s was a failure. Her last significant film appearance was in 1938. She spent her final years working on a script about a young British starlet who gets raped by a film director and due to the trauma, becomes an alcoholic. Sadly, the plot appears to have been autobiographical. In fact, she eventually wrote in the character’s real names. She accused director Thomas Bentley of the crime. The pair had worked together on two films. The first of these films was shot in 1921, when Mabel Poulton was about twenty years old. Poulton was married in 1939 to an oil engineer. The IMDB credits Poulton with 29 film roles between 1920 and 1943. This vintage portrait postcard was published by Iris Verlag/Amag and is part of a series (no. 5887). Iris Verlag was a popular Austrian postcard producer. Amag (Albrecht & Meister) was a publisher located in Berlin. The company took over Aristophot in 1909. Amag ceased production in 1920.The photo was taken while she was working for Gaumont Film. She is scantily dressed (for her time) and smoking a cigarette. This risque vintage postcard is in very good condition. A glance at the reverse of the postcard indicates that it formerly resided in someone’s postcard album. This postcard portrait of Mabel Poulter is uncommon. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard features a handsome French soldier. The previous owner of this photo postcard reports that the soldier is from the era of World War I. The most notable aspect of this postcard is that the soldier is wearing a French Fourragere decoration. If you look at the soldiers left shoulder, you will see a braided cord which is a Fourragere. This decoration was initiated by Napoleon I and it was given to units that distinguished themselves in battle. The award was revived during World War I. Note that the soldier’s collar holds pins indicating his honored unit was the 150th. This vintage real photo postcard is in very good condition (see scans)
This vintage real photo postcard captures a a very cute child sitting on a carousel type horse. The child seems to be a bit befuddled by the experience of being photographed. He does not appear to be thrilled with the idea of posing for a photograph. On the other hand, the horse seems perfectly happy. Is the child wearing pajamas? The setting of the photograph is a studio in Yugoslavia. The evidence of that identification is the Yugolslavian stamp on the card. The postmark indicates that the picture was taken in 1973. The postmark is from Vrnjacka Banja. On today’s map, the town is located in central Serbia. SOLD
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This vintage real photo postcard features an oval portrait of a pretty older woman wrapped in furs. She looks quite fashionable. She was living in an era when wearing furs was not politically incorrect. Her head covering is a very nice accessory. She looks great. The woman appears to be displaying a pursed lips smile. The postcard’s stamp box indicates that it was published sometime between 1924 and 1949. The woman’s photograph was taken by the Passport Studio in Toronto, Canada.This real photo postcard is in very good condition (see scans) .
This vintage real photo postcard features a young man wearing a London Fog type raincoat and a cap. He is smoking a pipe. The young man’s outfit make me think he looks British. Forgive me for stereotyping. Note the gentleman’s long hair. The postcard’s addressee is Rose Getchel and she lived in Park Rapids, Minnesota. The sender was Donnie Page (aka “My Donnie Pal”). The postcard is dated 1913. The stamp box indicates the publisher was Cyko and the date of publication was sometime between 1904 and 1920. This vintage portrait postcard is in good condition (see scans). (SOLD)
Meet Elsie Cook. I wish there was something I could tell you about her. I assume that she is a performer of some kind. Most likely she is an actress that did not receive much acclaim as my initial research into her background found nothing. Perhaps a visitor to the Cabinet Card Gallery can provide us with some information about this pretty young woman. This vintage real photo postcard was published by Stewart & Woolf. The firm was located in London, England. The postcard is part of a series (115, no. 42). (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 