This is a charming early 20th-century advertising/trade card for the iconic Fig Newtons brand, produced by the National Biscuit Company. The card features vivid full-color printing of the Fig Newtons bar and cookies, alongside text: ‘Made with Only the Choicest Figs.’ On the reverse is the company’s advertising message noting Fig Newtons’ growing demand year after year. Printed on thin paper (rather than heavy cardstock), this piece likely was distributed as an insert or giveaway promotion around the 1905–1920 era. SOLD
This cabinet card features early theatre actress, Annie Dunscombe. She was certainly a beautiful young woman. Unfortunately, biographical information concerning Miss Dunscombe appears to be sparse, and further research is necessary. Dunscombe is mentioned in Michael Bennett Leavitt’s book, “Fifty Years of Theatrical Management” (1912). Leavitt writes of a theatrical season where many of the young actresses he worked with, were wed. Annie Dunscombe, then, a member of the chorus, married comedian, J. W. Bradbury. This cabinet card portrait is by celebrated photographer, Marc Gambier (1838-1900). This image captures Miss Dunscombe in costume. Gambier was born and educated in Paris, France. At the age of 19, he came to America for a very short stint of time. He returned to France and became a student of the great painter, Le Creton. Subsequently, he became a student of another great painter, Camino. He then returned to America and for five years, studied and worked under esteemed photographer, Napoleon Sarony. He then launched his own photography business in New York City. He divided his time between his first love, painting, and his business of taking and selling photographs. Gambier was known as a great historical painter. He was a veteran of the French Army and while in the service, he sketched and painted several important battles. Research reveals that Gambier was listed in the 1880 US census. He was forty-one years old and living in New York City with his family. He is listed as living with his wife Emilie (age 28), daughters Louise (age 10) and Emilie (age 7), and son M. L. (age 2). Also in the residence was a young woman (age 25) who worked as a servant. Gambier was known for the many theatrical photographs he produced as well as for selling postage stamp sized portrait photographs, that people attached to their letters and postcards. This cabinet card has an extremely minor curl and is in veriy good condition (see scans). Annie Dunscombe portraits are uncommon.
This cabinet card is available for purchase at The History Peddler for $40.00 or Best Offer.
According to a notation on the reverse of this photograph, the little girl featured in this cabinet card photograph is named “Miss Eva, Emma, Ella, Ferber”. Perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Ferber were very indecisive people and couldn’t pick a single name for their daughter. Possibly, the three names that made the final cut were Eva,Emma and Ella; and when the couple couldn’t come to an agreement; they decided to give their daughter all three of the names. The girl with many names, has curly locks and big brown eyes, and is quite adorable. She is sitting on a stone wall beside a statue of a small dog (pug). A search of the U. S. census may have uncovered some biographical information about Miss Ferber. The 1920 census lists a young woman named Eva E. Ferber, age 24, who lived with her parents in Cincinnati. Her father’s name was Charles and he was employed as an inspector for the Chamber of Commerce. Her mother’s name was Ella (one of the name’s assigned to Eva). The census reported that Eva was employed as a bookkeeper in a clothing store. Her parents were listed as being born in Ohio, but of German heritage. Data from other census reports indicated that Eva had an older brother named Charles and that her father had once worked as a carriage trimmer. The photographer of this image is Herman Mueller. To view other photographs by Mueller, click on the category “Photographer: Mueller”. Mueller was born in Germany in 1833. He came to the United States with his wife, Mathilda, and his daughters Maria and Alfrieda. Both of the daughters became photographers and assisted him in the gallery he established in Cincinnati. He was active there from about 1886 until at least 1905. This cabinet card photo is in fair condition. Note a few small scratches evident on the image (see scans).
This cabinet card is available for purchase at The History Peddler for $45.65 or Best Offer.
This Cabinet Card features two young children posing for their photograph at the studio of H. R. Koopman, in Roseland, Illinois. The photographer is Henry Ralph Koopman II and his father emigrated from Holland and was a well known minister in the community. The photographers brother, George, joined him in the photography studio business. The Chicago Historical Society’s magazine published an article about Koopman; “The Life and Times of a Neighborhood Photographer”. Roseland is a neighborhood located in the south side of Chicago. This cabinet card has a slight curve and is in overall very good condition. (See Scans)
This cabinet card is available for purchase at The History Peddler for $32.00 or Best Offer.
Two sibling pose for their portrait at the studio of C. N. Stowell in Keene, New Hampshire. The reverse of the cabinet card has an inscription that identifies the children as Amy and Dexter Dodge. Photographer, C. N. Stowell is listed in the Keene, New Hampshire business directory of 1897. Amy Lee Dodge (1889-?) was married in 1919 to John Elliott Cook in Keene, New Hampshire. Her father was Willie Alfred Dodge and he mother was Mary Jane Palley. According to city directories, Amy worked as a telephone operator between 1911 and 1920. The 1930 US census revealed that Amy Cook (her married name) was living with her husband, her 4 year-old son, and a few in-laws. Her husbands occupation was listed as “farmer”. Dexter Rudolph Dodge (1896-?) In the 1917 and 1918 city directories (Keene), Dexter is listed as a member of the US Army Reserve. Note that these were the years of World War I and it is unknown whether Dexter actually went overseas and saw combat. The 1920 US census found Dexter working as a clerk in a jewelry store and living with his parents in Keene. In 1921 he married Helen Lucy Winch. Research found a 1942 draft registration card which reported that Dexter owned a jewelry store and was living in Worcester, Massachusetts. City directories from 1951 through 1957 list Dexter as “retired”. This cabinet card portrait has excellent clarity and is in very good condition (see scans).
This cabinet card is available for purchase at The History Peddler for $19.95 or Best Offer.
A pretty young woman arranges cabinet cards in a photograph album. The woman is Scottish, and she is photographed by Wohlgemuth & Company. The studio was located in Glasgow, Scotland. The studio operated between 1887 and 1914. However, a photography journal reported that Benjamin Wohlgemuth was elected to the Glasgow Photographic Association in 1879. The reverse of the image has a penciled inscription that includes a name and address. The name is difficult to decipher, but it is something close to Prince H. France. The address is 22 Short Street, Leichhardt, Sydney, New South Wales. This cabinet card portrait is in good condition (see scans).
This cabinet card is available for purchase at The History Peddler for $55.00 or Best Offer.
Francis Wilson (1854-1935) was an American actor born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began his career in minstrel shows but by the time he was 24 year-old he was playing in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Theatre. He worked several years in regular comedy and later took up opera, most successfully in “Eminie” (1886). He later starred in “The Oolah” (1889), The Lion Tamer (1891), The Little Corporal (1898), and then in a play that he authored, “The Bachelor’s Baby (1909). Wilson authored additional plays as well as books. He wrote books about fellow actors Joseph Jefferson and John Wilkes Booth. He also penned an autobiography. The photographer of this cabinet card portrait of the handsome Wilson, is Falk, a photographer known for his celebrity portraits. This cabinet card has an extremely slight curl and is in overall good condition (see scans).
This cabinet card is available for purchase at The History Peddler for $48.00 or Best Offer.
Original undivided-back theatrical postcard, printed in Germany/Austria for the European markets, ca. 1900–1905. Studio portrait of a pretty female performer in trouser-role/musketeer costume—small plumed hat, velvet tunic with braid, lace cuffs, short skirt, thigh-high boots, and a rapier. Multilingual back (German “Postkarte,” “Weltpostverein,” French, Italian, Russian, etc.) confirms early Continental printing for export; publisher and photographer uncredited, as issued. (SOLD)
Two dapper men, looking quite professional, pose for their portrait at the Leeper studio, in Salem, Ohio. These men look like their on business. Are they lawmen? The gentleman who is standing is extremely handsome so perhaps the men are actors. The photographer is Burt Leeper. Leeper was born in Pennsylvania in 1865. He worked in Salem at the end of the nineteenth century. An article in a photographic journal (1900) cites Mr. Leeper as being part of a “Picture Trust”. It seems that he was part of a “price fixing” combine that was formed to resist the lowering of photographic studio prices as a result of fierce competition between photographers. Leeper and three other photographers agreed to match each others prices for services and goods. In addition, Leeper and two of the other photographers agreed to take turns being open for business on Sundays. The fourth photographer declined, preferring to stay closed on all Sundays. This cabinet card photograph is in good condition (see scans).
This cabinet card is available for purchase at The History Peddler for $38.00 or Best Offer.
This striking vintage real photo postcard features a glamorous close-up portrait of Ilse Werner, a celebrated German-Dutch actress and singer known for her charismatic screen presence and unique whistling talent. In this image, Werner is draped in a shimmering veil that frames her face with a soft, radiant glow. Her expressive eyes, long lashes, and glossed lips project a poised, serene beauty, while the glinting fabric around her adds a mystical, almost cinematic aura. The postcard was published by Film-Foto-Verlag, a major distributor of German film star postcards during the 1930s and 1940s, and is marked “A 3732/1” in the lower left corner. The photo credit goes to Foto Quick. .On the reverse is the wartime disclaimer: “Zivile Verwendung im Inland für Autogrammzwecke nicht gestattet” (Civilian use for autograph purposes not permitted), reflecting its origin in Nazi Germany. The cards were meant for building national morale and not private autograph collecting. A small fawn symbol in the stamp box area marks it as part of the Film-Foto-Verlag series. Ilse Werner was born in 1921, in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta, Indonesia), where her father worked as a Dutch colonial official. Her mother was German, and the family moved to Germany when she was a child. She trained at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, one of the premier acting schools in the German-speaking world, and made her film debut in 1939. Her breakout role came in the film Wunschkonzert (1940), one of the most popular and propagandistic films of the Nazi era. She quickly became a favorite among German audiences, known not only for her acting but also for her unusual skill as a professional whistler, which she often demonstrated in her recordings and film appearances. During the Nazi period, Ilse Werner became one of Germany’s most beloved film stars, appearing in state-approved entertainment. Though she never joined the Nazi Party, her films were often apolitical and aligned with the regime’s values of escapism and wholesome entertainment. Her popularity made her a public symbol of the Third Reich’s cultural life, though she was not considered an overt political supporter. After the war, her Dutch citizenship initially barred her from performing in postwar Germany due to denazification policies, which caused a temporary decline in her career until restrictions were lifted. lse Werner was married to actor Tony Rödel for a brief period. The marriage ended in divorce. She did not have children. Her later years were marked by occasional television appearances and nostalgic performances of her trademark whistling songs. She passed away in 2005 at the age of 84. (SOLD)
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