PORTRAIT OF A BASKETBALL PLAYER (ST. MARY’S, 1925)

This wonderful photographic portrait features a basketball player in his game day uniform. Note his high top sneakers and long athletic socks. His uniform reveals that he played for St. Mary’s. There were many schools called St. Mary’s so it is unclear where the school was located or whether it was a high school or a college. Writing on the basketball discloses that this photograph was taken in 1925. There is a name inscribed on the reverse of the photograph but it is hard to decipher. The photo measures about 5 5/8 x 3 3/4 and is on paper that has the consistency of postcard paper.  (SOLD)

Published in: on June 9, 2017 at 1:07 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF THREE OLD TIME BASEBALL PLAYERS (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

Welcome to Mudville. This vintage real photo postcard features three uniformed baseball players. The young men are wearing the uniform of St. Joseph school. Two of the players are wearing fielding gloves and the player in the middle is equipped with a catcher’s glove. The ball players appear to be standing on a ball field in front of empty bleachers. The AZO stamp box on the reverse of this photo postcard indicates that the postcard was published sometime between 1926 and the 1940’s.  SOLD

Published in: on March 7, 2017 at 9:02 pm  Leave a Comment  
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CUTE LITTLE GIRL WITH A PAIL AND SHOVEL IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

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This cabinet card portrait features a little girl with an engaging smile. She is holding a wooden pail and is standing next to a shovel. She posed in front of the studio’s proverbial wall which the photographer embellished with leafy vines. The photographer of this image is Carl Joseph Horner (1864-1926). He operated a studio in Boston, Massachusetts. I have seen him advertise himself on other images as a “European Photographer”. On the reverse of this cabinet card he describes himself more precisely geographically as being “from Stockholm, Sweden”. It appears that, at least in Boston, European photographers held more status than American photographers. Interestingly, Horner developed a great reputation as a sports photographer. Some of his baseball photographs are very well known. To view more of his images, and to learn more about this photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Horner”.

SOLD

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Published in: on January 17, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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“BEST TEAM EVER”: TEAM PHOTO OF A WOMENS BASKETBALL TEAM (1923 VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH)

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This wonderful vintage photograph features a Womens Basketball team which apparently just completed a championship season. The image includes seven girls in uniform and their coach. Three of the girls are holding trophies. All of the girls look like their having a good time. There is an abundance of smiles as the photographer shoots his picture. Even the coach seems to be enjoying the moment. As customary, the basketball has been marked with the date. The girls are celebrating completion of the 1923 season. Their team’s name and their location are unidentified. This image is an important piece of womens basketball history. Note the girls uniforms and their sneakers. There appears to be some variety in their footwear. The reverse of the photograph has an inscription that must summarize the girl’s experiences as a member of the basketball squad. The writing happily declares “Ye Old Team….Best Ever”. This vintage photograph measures about 8″x10″.

SOLD

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Published in: on September 5, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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‘WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS”: TEAM PHOTO OF WOMENS BASKETBALL TEAM IN RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY (1926)

basketball

The ten girls featured in this vintage photograph are members of a girls basketball team. The basketball is marked indicating that this is a team photo from 1926. Writing on the reverse of the photograph informs us that this team was the “Interclass Basketball Champions of 1926 (Freshman). In addition, all of the players in the image are named on the back of the photo. “Top Row: Eleanor Einerson, Betty Stillwell, Helen (Boby) Moser, Vivian Grey, Yvonne Muser”. Team members in the bottom row are “Mary Webb, Helen Hendrickson, Sarah Temple (Captain), Betty Hukill, Martha Arrigoni”. Kudos to the internet because I was able to use these names to find the location of where these girls went to school and played basketball.  Research revealed that these girls resided in the area of Ridgewood, New Jersey. All of the girls were born in, or around, 1912. This post-cabinet card era photograph measures about 4 1/2″ x 2 3/4″.

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Published in: on July 21, 2016 at 5:25 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF SWISS BOXER ANDRE SIMETH (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

boxer

This vintage real photo postcard features champion Swiss boxer, Andre Simeth. This postcard is part of a series (no. 26) entitled “Les Vedettes du Ring” (Stars of the Ring). In the course of his career, Simeth won 39 fights, lost 55 , and had 16 draws. He won 13 fights, and lost 16 fights by knockout. He was born in 1902 and made his debut in 1919. Simeth fought as a lightweight and at times held the Swiss lightweight title. The photographer of this portrait is Felix Bonnet who operated a studio in Paris, France. The postcard was published by Ajax.

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Published in: on July 14, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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YOUNG FRENCH CYCLIST WEARING HIS BICYCLE CLUB UNIFORM POSES WITH HIS BIKE (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

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A young cyclist poses with his bicycle in this vintage real photo postcard. The studio photograph shows the young man wearing the uniform of his bike club (V.C.K.). His bike clothing looks comfortable and clearly facilitates easier riding. Compare his clothing to the cumbersome bicycle clothing seen in photographs of woman of this era. Women clearly had to sacrifice comfort for beauty and modesty.  I believe that this RPPC is of French origin. The logo of the publishing company of the postcard paper has a logo showing a horse and horseshoe (see image or reverse).

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Published in: on May 20, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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A MAN RIDING A RACING BIKE: NEED FOR SPEED (FRENCH VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

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A MAN RIDING A RACING BIKE: NEED FOR SPEED: This vintage real photo postcard features a bicycle racer sitting on his bike. I believe he has goggles strapped around his head. The lens’s are visible at the front of his cap. Note the photographers embossed stamp on the bottom of the right hand side of the image. This photograph was taken by Antoine Provost who worked as a photographer in Toulouse, France. At one point his studio was located at Rue de la Pomme. The photographer did an excellent job of posing the rider. The image captures the feel of speed and motion. The postcard was published by “K Ltd” sometime between 1918 and 1936.  (SOLD)

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Published in: on March 14, 2016 at 11:53 am  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF A FOOTBALL TEAM (1916 REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

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This vintage real photo postcard features a portrait of a football team. The player in the center of the front row is holding a ball which announces that the team is CHS and the year of the photo is 1916. It is likely that the HS part of CHS stands for “high school”. The previous owner of this image reported that it was found with a group of many other photographs and that many of it’s companions were from either Michigan or North Dakota. The three coaches and their players look very much like the way a high school football team looks today. A fashion update may be necessary but the players intensity and pride is evident in photos from the past and the present. This image is notable for it’s excellent clarity. The postcard was printed on AZO paper issued sometime between 1904 and 1918.   SOLD

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Published in: on December 2, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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A YOUNG WOMAN AND HER TENNIS RACQUET IN LITTLE FALLS, NEW YORK

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A thin waisted young woman poses for her portrait at the Abbott Photographic Art studio in Little Falls, New York. She is flashing a sweet smile and holds a tennis racquet behind her back. I wonder if she is wearing her tennis outfit. She seems to be wearing a corset and I am guessing that running around a tennis court in a corset can’t be exactly comfortable. I don’t think it would help her game either. I’ve never seen Venus or Serena Williams wearing such a contraption while competing for a major title. William H. Abbott operated his studio at 545, 547, and 549 Main Street in Little Falls. The copyright on the reverse of the cabinet card is 1889.  SOLD

Published in: on February 5, 2015 at 12:01 pm  Comments (2)  
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