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)


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. SOLD



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. 
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).
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). 
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). 



This vintage photo postcard features two pretty young women sitting on a wooden sled. The women are flashing beautiful smiles. They are dressed for winter and fun in the snow. Note their high boots. Printed on the postcard is the Dutch phrase “Gelukkig Nieuwjaar”. The English translation is “Happy New Year”. The postcard has a Dutch stamp and is addressed to someone living in Liwwadden, Netherlands. Liwwadden is the capital of the States of Friesland and has been inhabited since the tenth century. This postcard was published circa 1930 and is in very good condition (see scans). 


