This vintage real photo postcard features a young woman driving an early automobile. What makes this postcard rather remarkable is that she is driving the car while her husband sits in the passenger seat. She truly was a woman before her time. She didn’t need a man to drive her around. She appears to have been self sufficient and confident enough to operate a vehicle on her own. The couple’s son is enjoying the car ride by straddling the hood of the automobile as it travels down a bumpy dirt road. I don’t know the model or year of the car but I can appreciate some of its features. Note the funky headlights, windshield and the starting crank on the front grill. This postcard was produced by AZO sometime between 1904 and 1918. Addendum: A knowledgeable and helpful cabinet card gallery visitor has informed me that this automobile is a 1910 or a 1911 Maxwell. (SOLD)
PIONEER FEMINIST DRIVING HER FAMILY IN AN EARLY AUTOMOBILE
GITTA ALPAR: RISQUE PORTRAIT OF GERMAN ACTRESS
This vintage real photo postcard features Hungarian actress Gitta Alpar (1903-1991). She starred in operas and operettas. This photograph is risque relative to the time it was taken. Miss Alpar is wearing a tight bathing suit. Note that the swim suit has a nice design on it’s front. She is posing in front of a large rattan chair. Gitta was born in Budapest, Hungary. She was the daughter of a Jewish cantor. From an early age, she studied singing and piano at the Academy of Music. In 1923, she made her debut at the Budapest State Opera House. She had a long career and she performed at the great opera houses of Vienna, Berlin, an many other international venues. Alpar’s first films were made in Germany. In 1931 she married an actor, Gustav Frohlich. Their marriage ended in 1935 because Alpar was Jewish and the marriage was against the law in Nazi Germany. A related fact is that both of her brothers, a pianist, and a violinist, were concentration camp survivors. Alpar appeared on Hitler’s anti semitic “hit list”. She left Germany in 1933, and then did some globe hopping. She first went to Austria, followed by Hungry, England, and the United States. She continued her singing and film career in the US. The IMDb credits Alpar with nine acting credits from 1932 through 1941. Alpar’s accent ruined her chance to be a successful Hollywood actress. After the war, she primarily worked as a singing teacher. For a sample of Miss Alpar’s singing voice and acting, click on the YouTube segment below. This postcard was published by Ross Verlag and is part of a series (no.6683/2). Alpar’s photo was taken by FFG (Froehlich-Flm GmbH). (SOLD)
A MAN AND HIS DOG SITTING ON THE FRONT PORCH NEAR AUSTIN, TEXAS (SNAPSHOT)
This vintage snapshot photograph features a man and his dog sitting on his front porch. There is a bench on the porch and there appears to be a blanket hanging on a clothes line. His house is made of wood. There is a jar on the ground in front of the porch. The vegetation in front of the porch suggests that the house is located in a dry climate. The photo was obtained in the Hill Country outside of Austin, Texas. Paper residue on the reverse of the photo indicate that it is a refugee from a photo album. The photograph is in very good condition (see scans). (SOLD)
PORTRAIT OF CELEBRATED ACTOR HARCOURT WILLIAMS APPEARING IN OTHELLO
This vintage real photo postcard features celebrated English actor and director Ernest George Harcourt Williams (1880-1957). After early experience working in touring companies, Williams became the director of the old Vic Theater. He held that position between 1929 and 1934 but continued to act there after he left the position. While director at the Vic, he recruited the great actor, John Gielgud to perform there. Williams acted in many plays with many well known actors and actresses. He performed in a number of plays by Shakespeare.This particular postcard shows Mr. Williams in a production of Othello. Note that the postcard reflects the Edwardian preference for portraying Othello as a North African Arab. In the latter part of Wiliams’s career, he appeared in about thirty film and television roles. This postcard was published by Percy Guttenberg in Manchester, England. Guttenberg was well known for this theatrical portraits. This vintage real photo postcard features celebrated English actor and director Ernest George Harcourt Williams (1880-1957). After early experience working in touring companies, Williams became the director of the old Vic Theater. The held that position between 1929 and 1934 but continued to act there after he left the position. While director at the Vic, he recruited the great actor, John Gielgud to perform there. Williams acted in many plays with many well known actors and actresses. He performed in a number of plays by Shakespeare.This particular postcard shows Mr. Williams in a production of Othello. Note that the postcard reflects the Edwardian preference for portraying Othello as a North African Arab. Guttenberg published a photo postcard featuring Margaret Halston, another performer who appeared in Othello. Her portrait can be viewed by placing the word “Halston” in this site’s search box. In the latter part of Wiliams’s career, he appeared in about thirty film and television roles. This postcard was published by Percy Guttenberg in Manchester, England. Gutteberg was well known for this theatrical portraits. (SOLD)
RARE PORTRAIT OF A 1910’S FRENCH COUPLE HOLDING HANDS (HOW OBSCENE!)
This vintage real photo postcard features a lovely couple posing for their portrait at an unidentified studio. The couple are well dressed and wearing jewelry. This postcard is unusual because the man and woman are holding hands. Private postcards from this era (c 1910’s) seldom showed public displays of attention. I imagine that this couple was so in love that they couldn’t take their hands off each other. At the very least, the man and woman seen in this photo, were unconventional. This postcard is in of French origin and is in very good condition (see scans).
Buy this original Vintage Cabinet Card Portrait (includes shipping within the US) #2623
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$21.50
Buy this original Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes international shipping outside the US) #2623
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$29.50
PORTRAIT OF A HANDSOME FRENCH PERFORMER
This cabinet card portrait features an unidentified French performer. He is a handsome man and wears a very happy expression. This photograph was taken by the E.Lohmann studio which was located in Asnieres, France. Asnieres is a Paris suburb that borders the river Seine. (SOLD)
PORTRAIT OF THREE “FUTURE MEXICAN BELLES”
This vintage real photo postcard features three indigenous Mexican little girls standing behind a large urn. The children are barefoot and likely quite poor. A caption printed on the postcard declares them as “Future Mexican Belles”. I am not particularly comfortable with that caption and by today’s standards, it would be considered “politically incorrect”. This postcard was published by H. H. Stratton. The company was located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and operated between 1908 and 1915. Stratton published many international postcards and is known for a series of postcards showing scenes of the Great White Fleet visiting a number of ports around the world. They also published Tarjeta postcards from Cuba. It was common knowledge that Stratton stole many images from other publishers, retouched them, and then printed them under their own name. SOLD
TRADE CARD ADVERTISING “AU BON MARCHE” IN PARIS, FRANCE: THE WORLDS FIRST MODERN DEPARTMENT STORE
This vintage trade card advertises “Au Bon Marche” located in Paris, France. The translation from French to English is “At the Good Market” or “The Good Deal”. The shop was founded in 1838 and it sold lace, ribbons, sheets, mattresses, and other miscellaneous goods. The store opened with twelve employees. The entrepreneur Aristide Boucicaut (1810-1877) became a partner in the business in 1852 and instituted many innovative changes in the business. The store became more and more successful evidenced by its rising revenue. The store is known as the first modern department store. Interestingly, Gustave Eiffel, creator of the Eifel Tower, was involved in the redesign of the store. A drawing of the Au Bon Marche can be seen on the back of the card. The picture on the front of the card features a Black woman in a fancy dress and wearing feathers in her hair. She is walking into the store and is being directed to the entrance by a well dressed gentleman. The caption on the right bottom of the trade card states “No Purse”. Apparently this woman is going into the department store without any money. This trade card was published by Testu & Massin. This vintage trade card is in very good condition (see scans).
Buy this original Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #2619
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$35.50
Buy this original Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes international shipping outside the US) #2619
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$43.50
PORTRAIT OF AN ADORABLE LITTLE GIRL AND HER KEWPIE DOLL (1926-1940’s)
This vintage real photo postcard features an adorable little girl, seated on a bench, and holding a little doll. The doll appears to be a kewpie doll. Kewpie is a brand of doll which was modeled after a comic strip character created by cartoonist Rose O’Neill in 1909. The doll had a similar appearance to cupid. In 1912 the first kewpie doll appeared and it was a bisque doll. Later, the dolls were made of composition (1920’s), celluloid (1930’s and 1940’s), and later plastic kewpies made their appearance. A person knowledgable about dolls, told me that the doll seen in this photograph is made of celluloid. The AZO stamp box on the reverse of this postcard indicates that the photograph was taken sometime between 1926 and the 1940’s. This photo postcard is in excellent condition (see scans). (SOLD)
PORTRAIT OF AN ADORABLE UNDERAGE DRIVER AND HIS PEDAL CAR (1937)
This vintage real photo postcard is charming. The postcard features a portrait of an adorable little boy sitting in his pedal car. This underage driver’s car has a license plate for the year 1937. This photograph was likely taken at or around that year. The photographer, the subject, and the location where this photo was taken, are all unidentified. This photograph of a boy and his toy, is in very good condition (see scans). (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 