This risque vintage real photo postcard features Russian-German actress, Olga Tschechowa (1897-1980). Her father was a railway engineer who became Russia’s Minister of Railways. She was the niece of Anton Chekov’s wife. She went to school and studied art and literature at an art school in St. Petersburg. . After watching famed actress Eleonora Duse, Olga joined the Moscow Art Theare’s studio. In 1914, while at the school, she met Russian-Jewish actor Mikhail Chekov. He was the nephew of Anton Chekov. She married him the same year and they had a daughter in 1916. In 1917, during the October Revolution, she divorced her husband. It is reported that he had an affair while Olga was pregnant. Olga would marry three more times. She joined a cabaret group and was offered a part in a silent movie. She travelled to Vienna and moved to Berlin in 1920, She continued to perform in films. She was one of the fortunate actresses who successfully made the transition from silent to sound movies. In the 1930’s she became one of the leading actresses of the Third Reich and was admired by Adolf Hitler. Olga was courted by Hermann Goring and Joseph Goebbels. Goebbels introduced her to Hitler in 1933 and she and Hitler became friends. In 1936, she was named “State Actress” of the Third Reich and she was made a German citizen. Olga’s brother was sent from Russia to Germany on a secret mission to assassinate Hitler. Stalin got cold feet and called off the “hit”. The brother ended up in a Nazi concentration camp, but survived the war. At one point, Olga was accused of being a Russian agent in Nazi Germany. Himmler ordered an investigation of Olga by the SS. She was often kept under surveillance by both Nazi and Soviet agents. In 1945, Himmler planned to arrest her but Hitler intervened. Olga survived the war through lying, acting, and disguise. She protected her daughter from the concentration camps by hiding the fact that she had a Jewish father. At the war’s end, Olga was arrested by the Red Army and brought to Moscow for a debriefing. She was interrogated for two months and then taken to Berlin to assist the Soviet Army. She established herself in East Berlin. She played in dramas but preferred comedies. Olga was very successful in the film business,. Her filmography reveals that she has 138 credits as an actor, director, and producer between the years of 1917 and 1974. After the World War II, she lived in Soviet occupied Berlin and in 1949 she moved to Munich, Bavaria. In Munich she started a cosmetics company. Simultaneously she continued to act in more than 20 films. She published a book of memoirs and retired from acting in the 1970’s. In 1966, her daughter died in a plane crash. Olga suffered from depression and alcohol abuse. She died in Munich and just before she died, she had her granddaughter bring her a glass of champagne, Her last words were purported to be “Life is beautiful”. This postcard was published by Ross Verlag and is part of a series (no. 3040/1). The front of the card has the logo for UFA, a German film company. This vintage portrait postcard is uncommon. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard features British actress, Alice de Winton (1870-1941). She was born and died in the city of London. Her sister, Dora de Winton was also an actress. Alice de Winton was a very popular stage actress. She appeared on Broadway in “The Man from Blankley’s” (1903). De Winton was beautiful and sophisticated. She also had a film career. She appeared in many drama films. In 1912 she played a role in Cecil Hepworth Film Companys “The Fairy Doll’. Other notable appearances included “Lady Windermere’s Fan” (1916) and “The Bachelor’s Club (1921). De Winton also was a film script writer. The IMDB credits her with 24 film appearances between 1913 and 1921. The National Portrait Gallery has two cabinet card photographs of Miss de Winton in their collections. Both images were photographed by the Elliott and Fry studio in the 1890’s. This vintage postcard was published by Frederick Hartmann. His postcard publishing company was headquartered in London. He was active in the UK between 1902 and 1909. It is thought that he produced the first divided back card in the world. His postcards were printed in Saxony (Germany) because of the country’s advanced printing industry. He produced view cards from all over England and imported glamour cards from the European continent. He was the English distributor for Trenkler & Company postcards. In 1907, Hartmann partnered with Christian Linck. The business went bankrupt that same year (1907). This vintage portrait postcard is in very good condition (see scans).
This vintage real photo postcard captures two beautiful hound dogs relaxing in a field. Although they are at rest, they are alert and observing their environment. Maybe they are hoping that a rabbit may have the misfortune of hopping into their line of vision. The postcard has a cute caption, The card was published by Valentine and Sons. The printing company was founded in Dundee, Scotland in 1851. The founder was James Valentine (1815-1879). The company became the leading manufacturer of picture postcards in Scotland. After James died, his two sons operated the business. The company was purchased by John Waddington Limited in 1963, In 1980, the Valentine business was bought by Hallmark Cards. In 1994, the company ceased operations. This postcard is part of a series (no. 574-9). The postmark indicates that it was stamped in 1930 in Haltwhistle, England and the card was sent to Darlington, England. The postcard has a light crease in the bottom right hand corner (only seen on close inspection) and is in overall good condition. 
The wedding took place in France. The groom was Albert Delattre and the bride was Jeanne Cuvellice. They are an attractive well dressed couple. The photographer who took this wedding portrait was Leopold Moulin. The preceding information came from the former owner of this postcard. This postcard was published by Thomas Illingworth & Co. (T.I.C.). The company was a paper manufacturer founded about 1904. They produced the “Horse Shoe Brand” photographic paper in London England. In 1919 they were bought by British Photographic Supplies company, Ilford. An internet source states that the company produced postcards with horseshoe stamp boxes between 1919 and 1930. This postcard is from circa 1920’s. This vintage photo postcard is in very good condition (see scans).
A pretty woman poses for her cabinet card portrait in New York City, New York. The photographer is the Edsall studio which was located at 246 and 248 West 125th Street. The previous owner of this image described the woman in this photograph as having the appearance of a Greek Goddess. Having spent little time hanging out with Greek Goddesses, I can not attest to the validity of the previous owner’s description; but I share his impression. Research indicates that the likely photographer of this image is Frank B. Edsall. It appears that he operated a photography studio in Goshen, New York and later opened a photographic gallery in New York City. He is mentioned in articles appearing in Anthony’s Photographic Bulletin (1888) and Wilson Photographic Magazine (1891). SOLD
Welcome to Scottsville, Kansas. This real photo vintage postcard features fourteen young students and their teacher posing outside of their school. The class is composed of children all about the same age. That fact, plus the size of the building, reveals that the school is large enough to segregate the classrooms by age. This is obviously no “one room schoolhouse”. The children appear to have worn some of their best clothing for “picture day” at school. A number of boys are wearing sport jackets or cardigan sweaters. All of the boys are wearing hats or caps.The postcard has a postmark from Scottsville and it is dated 1908. The postcard was mailed from Scottsville to Bellingham, Washington. (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 