Photo 1
PHOTO 2
PHOTO 2 (CLOSE-UP)
Mlle Polaire is actually the stage name used by French singer and actress Emilie Marie Bouchaud (1874-1939). Polaire was born in Algiers, Algeria and began her theatrical career as a cafe singer at the young age of 15. She moved to France two years later and ad0pted the stage name Polaire and became a music hall singer. In 1895, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec drew a sketch of her which appeared in the satirical magazine Le Rire. In 1900 her portrait was painted by Leonetto Cappiello and her popularity rose even more. She began acting in Paris in 1902 and became a major celebrity star. She was thought to be a gifted comedic actress but was also very well known for her beauty. She was famous for her tiny, corsetted waist. She was five feet and three inches tall. She lavishly overdressed in furs and dazzling jewels. In 1911 she appeared in her first silent film role and later appeared in six films of director Maurice Tourneur in 1912 and 1913. She then returned to the stage and toured the United States and England. She later made a reappearance in films, performing in ten (some were talkies). She died at age 65 and was buried in France. This cabinet card photograph (Photo 1) was taken in Paris, France at the studio of Reutlinger. Charles Reutlinger (1816-1860) was a French photographer whose studio operated between 1850-1937 in Paris, France. Among his subjects were many celebrities including the prettiest ladies of Paris. To view other photographs by Reutlinger, click on the category “Photographer: Reutlinger”. The second photo of Miss Polaire is featured in this vintage real photo postcard (Photo 2). She looks beautiful in this image. She is sitting cross-legged and wearing dark clothing, boots, and a large bow. Examining the print of the front of the card provides some interesting information. We learn that the photographer of this image is the celebrated and talented Paul Nadar (1856-1939).He was a French photographer. He learned photography by his father, Felix Nadar, also a talented portraitist. Paul eventually ran his father’s studio. The establishment catered to a affluent clientele and was very successful. In 1890 he began shooting photographs from a hot air balloon. The press referred to him as “The Fearless Paul Nadar”. Nadar also photographed sites in Europe and Ssia along the ancient silk route. Some consider his work from that trip to be the first incidence of “photo-reportage”. In 1893 he became an agent in France for Eastman Kodak. The word “Eclair” appears in the bottom right hand corner of the photo. The Eclair Company was a movie production company established in 1907 and headquartered in Paris. The company produced many silent shorts in France beginning in 1908 and it’s American division produced films from 1911 through 1914. Included in their productions was one of the first film version of “Robin Hood”. In the top left hand corner of the photograph is the word “Bouffes”. The “Theatre des Bouffes-Parisiens” is a theatre located in Paris and founded in 1855. It was the location of the production that Miss Polaire was appearing in when she posed for this photograph. The name of the production can be seen in the bottom border of the card, “Claudine a l’Ecole”. The translated title of the play is “Claudine at School”. The story is from a 1900 novel by the French writer, Colette. It is a tale about a 15 year-old girl and her brazen conflicts with the headmistress and fellow students in her school. This vintage postcard has a great deal of back story. It is in excellent condition (see scans).
Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #3062
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PHOTO 2
This cabinet card portrait features an elegant looking and well dressed older gentleman. The previous owner of this photograph reported that the gentleman is named Jakob Fausel and that this photo was dated 1910 and was found in a family album. The photographer was Henry D. Schoerry of New York City. Schoerry was born in Germany in 1854 and emigrated to America in 1870. He began working as a photographer in the 1880’s. (SOLD)
A young farmer is captured in this vintage snapshot photograph riding on his Zetor 25 diesel tractor. He looks proud atop his farm vehicle and happy to be out in the fields. Although most of us have never heard of the Zetor brand, the company is one of the best known tractor manufacturers in Europe. There are nearly one and a half million Zetor tractors in use today in over ninety nations scattered around the world. The vehicles are manufactured by the company in Brno, Czech Republic. The company was founded in 1946. It’s first model was named Zetor 25, and this photograph features one of those models. The Zetor 25 was produced until 1961. This photograph measures about 2 1/4″ x 3 1/4″ and is in good condition (see scans). Note the small ink spots slightly above the bottom left corner.
POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)
POSTCARD 1 (CLOSE-UP) (SOLD)
POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)
POSTCARD 2 (CLOSE-UP) (SOLD)
POSTCARD 1
POSTCARD 2
This vintage real photo postcard is striking. The photograph features a young Native American mother and her small child. The mother and her baby are members of Florida’s Seminole tribe. The mother appears quite young. My guess is that she is about sixteen years-old. She is pretty and her child is adorable. Who are the Seminole? They are a tribe that originally lived in Florida. In present times, the majority of the Seminoles live in Oklahoma. The EKC stamp box on the reverse of this photo postcard indicates it was published sometime between 1930 and 1950. The postcard is in good condition. There is a tiny pinhole located at the center bottom of the card. It is undetectable in the scans. It is only apparent if the postcard is held up to a bright light. (see scans).
This vintage real photo postcard features American stage and film actress, Mayo Methot (1904-1951). Until encountering this postcard, I had never heard of Miss Methot. However, a Hollywood historian would easily recognize her name. The exact reason for her name recognition will become apparent in just a bit. Methot’s acting career spanned between 1909 and 1940. She was married three times and divorced three times. Her third husband was actor Humphrey Bogart. Their seven year marriage, beginning in 1938, is one of the reasons she is known by Hollywood aficionados. Their marriage was turbulent. The press reported many of their violent fights. The press called them the “Battling Bogarts”. Methot struggled with alcoholism and was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic after she attempted suicide in 1943. Methot appeared in over 30 films, as well as many Broadway productions. The IBDb credits her with 11 appearances in Broadway shows. She was raised in Portland, Oregon, where she began her theater career at the age of 5. She was a prolific child actress and continued to perform in Portland through the 1910’s and 1920’s. In 1922 she moved to New York to pursue a career in Broadway theater. After starring in more than ten Broadway shows, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1930. She emigrated to the west coast to begin a film career. She was signed by Warner Brothers and appeared in a variety of supporting roles. She often portrayed hard edged women. The IMDb credits Methot with 28 film appearances between 1930 and 1940. After divorcing Bogart, Methot’s film career stalled and she returned to Portland. Her drinking and depression worsened and she died there from complications from alcoholism. This card was published by Societe Industrielle de Photograpie (SIP) of Rueil, France. It is part of the 77 series (no.5). Methot’s photograph was taken by celebrity photographer Jacob Schloss (1856-1938) in his Manhattan studio. Schloss received his education at the Cooper Union in New York City. He graduated in 1872 as an etcher. He joined Benjamin J. Falk’s photography studio and worked there in the mid 1870’s. He left Falk’s employ to open his own studio (54 West 23rd Street) where like Falk, he specialized in theatrical photography. He tended to favor photographing actresses in costume in front of generic studio furnishings. He produced many cabinet card photographs but also was active in the production of magazine images. By the 1890’s he was particularly known for his photographs of beautiful women, much like photographer Jose Maria Mora. Schloss also was an activist for photographers rights. He was very involved in the movement to copyright images. He sued those who used his photographs without crediting or paying him. He was very involved in national photographer associations and was an active photographer until the 1910’s. This postcard formerly resided in a postcard album. SOLD
This cabinet card portrait features a well dressed gentleman with an extremely bushy mustache. In addition, his hair is longer than most men of his era. This photograph was produced by the Howe studio in Pittsfield, Maine. W. H. Howe is listed as a photographer in the Pittsfield Register (1904). SOLD
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