This vintage real photo postcard features a pretty actress named Joan Keddie. Preliminary research found very little biographical information about her. An article in the “Black and White Budget” (1902) includes an interview with Miss Keddie. The article focuses on collecting anecdotes from theatrical performers. Keddie tells an “amusing” but “annoying” story of an experience she had while on tour. She asserts that a performer’s life is not a “bed of roses” and that there are some little hardships that must be endured. She asserts that one of these annoyances is having to deal with landladies as the touring company goes place to place. She states that the landladies often look for devious ways to inflate the bill. She recounts the experience she had with one such proprietor, who, at the end of her stay, presented her with a bill that included charges for salt, pepper, and vinegar which she had used while dining. Keddie declares that she was very surprised that she wasn’t charged for the paper that the bill was written on. It appears that Joan Keddie had a good sense of humor. The “Sphere” (1902), has a review of “Merrie England” (1902), a play in which Keddie was a cast member. The article states that her acting showed “distinct promise”. This postcard was published by Rotary Photo and was part of the Rotary Photographic Series (no, 1741 A). Her photo portrait was taken by Stage Pictorial, a theater magazine. Individual portrait postcards featuring Joan Keddie are uncommon. (SOLD)
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