LITTLE GIRLS DANCE TROUPE IN VIETNAM (PRESS PHOTO)

VIETNAM KID DANCERS

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This vintage press photo features five darling young Vietnamese girls giving a dance performance. The girls are wearing long white dresses and translucent shawls. The photograph was taken for the Bureau of Press Information in 1957. I believe that this photograph was taken in North Vietnam as opposed to South Vietnam, based on the wording of the stamp on the reverse of the photograph. This photograph was taken at a turbulent time in Vietnam. In 1957 the South Vietnamese President, Ngo Dinh Diem visited the United States and was hailed as a hero for saving South Vietnam from Communism. The term Viet Cong began to replace the term Viet Minh. There was insurgency against Diem and the U.S. government doubted the stability of Diem’s regime. Diem did much to repress opposition to his rule, and as a result, alienated many South Vietnamese people facilitating the growth of communism in the nation. The seeds were being planted for a long and tragic war. I am sure that dance performances, such as this one,  offered a welcome distraction during troubled times. This vintage photograph is in very good condition (see scans).

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Published in: on July 2, 2019 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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SEVEN “SHOW GIRLS” AT THE PALACE OF THE LUMINOUS FAIRIES

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This vintage real photo postcard features “show dancers” posing “at the palace of the luminous fairies”. Perhaps the palace is a cabaret in France. Preliminary research revealed no information about the establishment. The women are young and pretty and are all flashing smiles. This postcard is in very good condition (see scans).

 

Buy this original Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #2782

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$21.50

 

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$30.00

 

 

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Published in: on July 1, 2019 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
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MISS HILDA GUIVER : PRETTY ACTRESS AND PRINCIPAL BOY (PHOTO BY GUTTENBERG)

This vintage real photo postcard features theatre actress, Hilda Guiver. She had an active acting career between 1905 and 1917. She sat for one portrait that can be found in the National Portrait Gallery of Great Britain. Interestingly, the portrait owned by the National Portrait Gallery is the very same one as seen in this postcard image. The photographer of this photograph is Percy Guttenberg of Manchester, England. The photo was taken in about 1905. Alexander Percy Guttenberg (1870-?) came from a family that produced a number of photographers. His father, Marcus Guttenberg (1828-1891) began as a daguerreotypist in Hungary, Prussia, Poland and Germany before starting a photography business in England (1851). One source reports that he established 24 studios in England but settled in the Manchester area. Percy, like his father, was also very successful. In fact, there are fourteen of his photographs in England’s National Portrait Gallery. Percy was famous for his work photographing actors and actresses. Finding information about Miss Guiver took some effort. I did learn that she appeared in “Cinderella (1906)” at The Kings Theatre in London. Actress, Ethel Ward, also was part of the cast. Hilda Guiver is also known for her starring in “The House that Jack Built (1916)”. This patriotic show was popular during World War I. The play was written in the tradition of English pantomime so the role of the principal boy needed to be played by a woman. Hilda Guiver took on that role with great swagger and dash. Dressed as a handsome naval officer, she sang patriotic songs and received “enthusiastic reviews”. Guiver was a natural for the role as she was considered one of London’s leading principal boys.   SOLD

Published in: on June 30, 2019 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A PRETTY SLAVIC WOMAN

This vintage real photo postcard features a portrait of a Slavic woman wearing traditional clothing. Is she Serbian, Bosnian, or a different nationality? She is wearing a “Jelek”, a traditional women’s short vest.  This postcard is from circa 1920’s. The postcard was produced in Great Britain. The stamp box contains the name “Criterion”. This portrait postcard is in very good condition (see scans)

Buy this original Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #2793

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$20.00

Buy this original Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes International shipping outside the US) #2793

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$32.00

Published in: on June 29, 2019 at 2:51 pm  Comments (2)  
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MABEL POULTON : RISQUE PORTRAIT OF THE BEAUTIFUL BRITISH SILENT FILM STAR

The pretty actress in this risque vintage real photo postcard is Mabel Poulton (1901-1994). She was a popular English film actress during the silent film era. Poulton was born in England. Her family was poor. Her father worked as a “clicker”, someone who cuts patterns for shoes and boots. Her father belonged to a social club and took Mabel to see a play. After the experience, Mabel became determined to become an actress. Before entering films, she worked as a secretary at London’s Alhambra Theatre. While employed at the theatre, she was asked to impersonate actress Lillian Gish, dead on stage. She was Gish’s double in a death scene in the play’s prologue. It was noted that Poulton had theatrical talent. As a result, she was given a screen test and aced it. Her debut role was in “Nothing Else Matters (1920)”. Noted actress Betty Balfour also made her debut in this film. The film was a success. Over the next several years Poulton appeared in many films. She tended to land parts playing feisty and mischievous characters. She was blonde and petite. Poulton became a major celebrity of her time and was noted for her fashion sense. In 1928, she starred in “The Constant Nymph” and was highly acclaimed for her performance. By the end of the 1920’s, she and Betty Balfour were considered Britain’s leading film actresses. It is said that “all good things come to an end”, That was especially true for many successful silent film performers with the arrival of “talking pictures”. Mabel Poulton was one of those victims. Her cockney accent did not fit for the roles she tended to play. An attempted comeback in the mid 1930’s was a failure. Her last significant film appearance was in 1938. She spent her final years working on a script about a young British starlet who gets raped by a film director and due to the trauma, becomes an alcoholic. Sadly, the plot appears to have been autobiographical. In fact, she  eventually wrote in the character’s real names. She accused director Thomas Bentley of the crime. The pair had worked together on two films. The first of these films was shot in 1921, when Mabel Poulton was about twenty years old. Poulton was married in 1939 to an oil engineer. The IMDB credits Poulton with 29 film roles between 1920 and 1943. This vintage portrait postcard was published by Iris Verlag/Amag and is part of a series (no. 5887).  Iris Verlag was a popular Austrian postcard producer. Amag (Albrecht & Meister) was a publisher located in Berlin. The company took over Aristophot in 1909. Amag ceased production in 1920.The photo was taken while she was working for Gaumont Film. She is scantily dressed (for her time) and smoking a cigarette. This risque vintage postcard is in very good condition. A glance at the reverse of the postcard indicates that it formerly resided in someone’s postcard album. This postcard portrait of Mabel Poulter is uncommon.   (SOLD)

 

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Published in: on June 26, 2019 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A HANDSOME WORLD WAR I ERA SOLDIER (FRENCH FOURRAGERE)

This vintage real photo postcard features a handsome French soldier. The previous owner of this photo postcard reports that the soldier is from the era of World War I. The most notable aspect of this postcard is that the soldier is wearing a French Fourragere decoration. If you look at the soldiers left shoulder, you will see a braided cord which is a Fourragere. This decoration was initiated by Napoleon I and it was given to units that distinguished themselves in battle. The award was revived during World War I. Note that the soldier’s collar holds pins indicating his honored unit was the 150th. This vintage real photo postcard is in very good condition (see scans)

Buy this original Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #2778

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$23.50

Buy this original Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes International shipping outside the US) #2778

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$32.00

Published in: on June 25, 2019 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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THREE EXQUISITE FRENCH WOMAN WEARING KIMONOS IN TOULON, FRANCE

This vintage photo postcard is simply exquisite. Three pretty women, wearing Japanese kimonos, pose for their portrait at the photographic studio of E. Meunier, in Toulon, France. At the turn of the century, kimonos and textiles from Japan captured the interest of fashionistas in Europe and the United States. Women began wearing kimonos as indoor fashion and some women used kimono fabrics to make western dresses. Over time, Japanese kimono fashion became absorbed into Paris Haute Couture. Occasionally, I encounter cdv’s or cabinet cards featuring women wearing kimonos. These early photographs reveal that kimono popularity in the western world was evident as early as the 1880’s. I have seen other real photo postcards with portraits of western women wearing Japanese fashion. However, this image is very special. The women are clutching Japanese fans and one of the ladies is holding a Japanese umbrella (wagasa).    SOLD

Published in: on June 24, 2019 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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PORTRAIT OF A BUCKEYE: CADDIE JOHNSON POSES IN CANTON, OHIO

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This cabinet card portrait features Caddie Johnson in a very fine dress. She is posing for the photographer at the Buckeye Portrait & View Company  at No. 13 North Walnut Street in Canton, Ohio. No further information could be found about Ms. Johnson or the Buckeye Portrait and View Company. However, an explanation of the term “Buckeye” was excavated. The Buckeye is the state tree of Ohio.  (SOLD)

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Published in: on June 22, 2019 at 12:01 pm  Comments (5)  
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CLOSE-UP PHOTOGRAPH OF THE CUTEST LITTLE BOY IN YUGOSLAVIA RIDING A CAROUSEL HORSE

This vintage real photo postcard captures a a very cute child sitting on a carousel type horse. The child seems to be a bit befuddled by the experience of being photographed. He does not appear to be thrilled with the idea of posing for a photograph. On the other hand, the horse seems perfectly happy. Is the child wearing pajamas? The setting of the photograph is a studio in Yugoslavia. The evidence of that identification is the Yugolslavian stamp on the card. The postmark indicates that the picture was taken in 1973. The postmark is from Vrnjacka Banja. On today’s map, the town is located in central Serbia.   SOLD

Published in: on June 21, 2019 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PRETTY PRIMA DONNA: MINNIE ASHLEY

BJ FALK PORTRAIT VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH 1  (SOLD)

BJ FALK PORTRAIT 1 VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH 1   (CLOSE UP)  (SOLD)

 POSTCARD 2   (SOLD)

 POSTCARD 3   (SOLD)

This vintage real photo postcard features theater actress Minnie Ashley (1878-1946). She was one of the great “stage beauties” of the end of the 19th century. She was a talented singer and dancer and she was featured in the madcap musical “1492” (1892). In Boston she performed with the Museum Company and in New York she was a member of the Augustin Daly Company. She had many successes including her performance in “A Country Girl”, “Wang”, and “San Troy”. Her acting resulted in a medical problem. The prolonged exposure to theatrical arc lights caused vision problems. In 1902 she left her acting career and married politician William Astor Chanler who was an affluent grandson of John Jacob Astor. Medical treatment did not help her vision problems and Miss Ashley than put her efforts into sculpting. Chanler and Ashley separated in 1909. She made an attempt at returning to the stage in 1911 but soon opted to pursue her sculpting. During her artistic career she worked under the name of Beatrice Ashley Chanler. In addition to the sculpting, she was active in philanthropy. The book “Famous Prima Donnas” (1900) by Lewis Clinton Strang, devotes a chapter to Minnie Ashley. He describes her as having “artless girlishness, remarkable personal charm, and skill as an imaginative dancer scarcely equalled on the American stage”. He adds that these talents explain her “sudden success” in musical comedy. He describes her dancing as “artistic in every sense” but asserts she was not exceptionally talented in the realm of acting and singing. However, Strang is very complimentary of Ashley’s appearance. He states “nature was indeed good to her when it endowed her with a most fascinating personality, a pretty piquant face, and a slim graceful figure.                                                         Vintage Photograph 1 features a young Minnie Ashley. She is a beautiful. Her facial expression is very engaging. The photographer, B. J. Falk was a very well known for his penchant for photographing theatrical stars. He was also recognized for his talent as a celebrity photographer. The image was copyrighted in 1896. this photo measures about 4″  x 5 3/4″. It appears upon very close examination that this image may have been trimmed. Note the imperfection in the top right hand corner. This vintage photograph is in overall good condition (see scans).   (SOLD)                                                                                               Postcard 2 was published by the Rotograph Company (New York) and was part of a series (no. B 174).   (SOLD)                                                                                                                    Postcard 3 has the same portrait of Miss Ashley except the image is color tinted. It became common practice around 1902 to hand color photo postcards. Rising labor costs led to the decreasing use of this practice after the 1930’s.  This postcard, like the one above it, was produced by the Rotograph Company (New York) and was part of a series (H.B. 14/30). The postcard was mailed and has a 1910 postmark from Warren, Ohio.  (SOLD)                                                                                                                                                     

 

 

                                                                    POSTCARD 1                                                                                                                                          
ashley 2    POSTCARD 2

Published in: on June 20, 2019 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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