PORTRAIT OF MAC BARNES PLAYING JESUS IN A THEATRICAL PRODUCTION (PHOTO BY MAX PLATZ)

This cabinet card photograph features actor Mac Barnes. He certainly looks like that he is in character to play Jesus in a theatrical production. His long hair, beard, and robe lead me to this hypothesis. An inscription below the image on the cabinet card states “Peace! Sincerely, Mac”. Before seeing this inscription, I thought my generation (Baby Boomers) were the first cohort to use the word “peace” when addressing each other. Mac Barnes (1863-1923) is listed in the IMDb. He was born in Bedford, Indiana, He was a vaudeville, stage, and screen actor. He was known for his roles in “The Food Gamblers” (1917), “The Haunted House” (1917), and  “Experience” (1921), His filmography includes 21 credits from 1909 through 1921. The photographer of this cabinet card photograph is Max Platz (1850-1894) who operated a studio in Chicago Illinois. Platz was born in Germany. His father was a tanner and he moved the family to Racine, Wisconsin when Platz was still a lad. He began his career at age 16 as a “positionist” in his brother-in-laws photographic gallery. His brother-in-law was Henry Rocher, a very talented and well respected photographer. He was Rocher’s primary assistant from 1867 through 1881. In 1881 Platz established his own photography business and encountered immediate success. He was a life long bachelor and clubman and was known for his wit, friendliness, and story-telling. He developed quite a following from members of the theater, German-American society, and the fashion world. His studio was decorated very elaborately. He employed antiques as props, much in the same way as Napoleon Sarony. It is written that his posing style resembled his friend, Benjamin Falk. Platz was an active member of the Chicago Photographic Association in 1893, he played an major role in the Department of Art for the Columbian Exposition. When Platz died in 1894, his studio and negatives went to his friend and fellow Rocher Student Joseph Gehrig and his pupil, James Samuel Windeatt. Wilson’s Photographic Magazine (1904) declares that a photographic session with Platz could be quirky. It seems that he had a habit of disappearing mid-sitting in order to find a quiet place to ponder the best poses he could utilize for his sitter. Platz earned the nickname “The Sarony of the West”. This cabinet card portrait is in very good condition. (see scans).   (SOLD)

Published in: on June 11, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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TRIO OF CUTIES : THREE LITTLE GIRLS POSING ON THE STEPS OF A MUSEUM

The three little girls featured on the vintage real photo postcard are absolutely adorable. I wonder if they are siblings. If so, the youngest two girls are twins. Two of the girls are wearing necklaces and the oldest child is wearing a bracelet. Note the doll clutched by the cutie on the bottom step. Be a voyeur for a moment and look inside the large window behind the girls. You will see a large statue, which may indicate that the girls are standing on the steps of a museum. An alternative hypothesis is that the children are standing in front of a wealthy person’s mansion. An inscription on the reverse of the postcard reveals that this photo was taken in 1928. This postcard is unique. The photo was taken by a private photographer. It was not issued by a postcard company as there are no logos or credits on the card. This vintage photo postcard is in very good condition (see scans).

Buy this original Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping to the US) #2433

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Published in: on June 9, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
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PORTRAIT OF AN ICE SKATER AND HIS FRIEND IN MONROE, MICHIGAN

This vintage photograph features two young men wearing overcoats. The men are wearing gloves and are dressed for winter weather. One of the young men has a pair of ice skates draped over his shoulders. Perhaps his next stop, after having his portrait taken, is to a local frozen lake where he can enjoy some ice skating. This photo was taken at the Beck  studio in Monroe, Michigan. The photograph measures about 5″ x 7″ and is in very good condition (see scans).   (SOLD)

Published in: on June 8, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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PRETTY WOMAN WITH OPEN PAJAMA TOP SMOKING A CIGARETTE

This vintage real photo postcard features a young woman wearing pajamas and slippers. Her pajama top is wide open exposing one of her breasts. She is smoking a cigarette. Her body language exudes confidence, perhaps even sassiness. This risque postcard was published by Leo of Pradot and manufactured by A. Lochard & Co. in Paris, France. This postcard is part of a series (no. 68). The Leo firm operated in the mid 1920’s and published many types of real photo postcards. They were especially noted for producing a large amount of nude postcards. Postcards such as this one were considered art during the time that they were published.   (SOLD)

Published in: on June 7, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A BEAUTIFUL FRENCH FRINGED FLAPPER

This vintage real photo postcard features a pretty young woman wearing unusual attire. She is dressed in clothing that indicates that this photograph was taken during the “flapper” era. Note her interesting hat, knitted fringed shawl, hoop earrings, and high heel shoes. The woman has a beautiful smile. On the floor, next to her chair, is a bouquet of flowers. The previous owner of this photo postcard asserted that it is of French origin. The “AZO” stamp box reveals that the photo on this postcard was taken sometime between 1926 and the 1940’s. This postcard is unique in that it was produced at a private studio, rather than mass produced at a postcard publishing company.  (SOLD)

Published in: on June 6, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PRETTY YOUNG WOMAN WITH CHARISMA IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK (CDV)

A pretty young woman poses for her carte de visite portrait at the Charles S. Rawson Gallery on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, New York. I would estimate that the subject is in her teenage years. Her sparkling eyes and smile give her a very engaging appearance. The photographer, Charles S. Rawson is listed in Brooklyn business directories in at least !870 through 1892. This cdv is in very good condition (see scans)

Buy this original Carte de Visite photograph (includes shipping to the US) #2429

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Published in: on June 5, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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THE FLIGHT ANGELS OF WESTERN AIR EXPRESS (1940)

This vintage photograph features two uniformed stewardesses (modern parlance: flight attendants) at the door of an airplane. Standing beside them is the plane’s pilot. The light haired stewardess appears to be receiving a piece of luggage from an administrator. The luggage appears to be a hat box but may be too large for that purpose. Note the size of the hat worn by the dark haired stewardess. The hat is certainly a pill box hat, or at least, in that style. Printing on the “hat box” reads “Flight Angels”. Perhaps that term was used at the time to describe stewardesses. There was a movie entitled “Flight Angels” (1940) and it starred Virginia Bruce, Dennis Morgan, and Ralph Bellamy. It was an aviation film that described the training and operations of an airline. It showed the daily routine experienced by pilots and stewardesses during the 1940’s. Examination of the photograph reveals that the crew of this plane worked for “Western Air Express”. This airline went through many transitions during its existence. It started as a mail carrier in 1925 and in short time started flying passengers. In 1930 Western Air Express merged with TWA. In 1934 Western Air Express departed from TWA and in 1941, changed it’s name to Western Airlines. Printing on the reverse of this photograph indicates that it was taken in 1940, just a year before the airlines became Western Airlines. The photographer was Herbert Titter who operated a studio in Great Falls, Montana. Titter is known for his photographs of Blackfoot Indians. In fact, the Library of Congress owns at least 15 of his portraits. This vintage photograph measures about 5″ x 8″ and is in excellent condition (see scans). 

SOLD

Published in: on June 4, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  

A MAN AND TWO WOMEN POSE AS HIKERS IN BAD REICHENHALL, GERMANY

This private real photo postcard features a handsome man and two women holding walking sticks. The studio backdrop shows mountains which fits the idea that this adventurous group is planning, or a least feigning, that they are about to go for a hike. Note the contrast between the two women in this photograph. The woman wearing the dark dress is gazing downward and her eyes are only half open. She seems shy and withdrawn. In comparison, the young woman in the white skirt is looking at the camera with confidence. She is gazing upward and not camera-shy. Printing on the reverse of this postcard provides information about the photographer. I have difficulty interpreting the information. I do not know the exact meaning of  “Hotphotograph Fritz”. I assume that the phrase “Hotphotograph Fritz” is the name of the studio. The photo studio was located in Bad Reichenhall, Germany. Bad Reichenhall is a “spa town” in Upper Bavaria, Germany and is located near Salzburg. The town in encircled by the Chiemgau Alps. This photo postcard is in very good condition (see scans).

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Published in: on June 3, 2018 at 3:47 pm  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF A JEWISH COUPLE IN DOBRIESEN, HUNGARY (1927)

An older Jewish couple are featured in this vintage real photo postcard. An ink caption on the bottom front of the postcard states “Debreczen, Hungary, October, 1927).The couple are well dressed. The woman is wearing a double chained locket and the man is wearing a shirt with a wing tipped collar, a tie, and a yarmulke (kippah). A yarmulke is a jewish traditional head covering worn by most Jews in synagogue and worn by Orthodox Jews all the time. The photographer of this photo is Liener Bela, who operated a studio in Debreczen, the second largest city in Hungary (Budapest is the largest city). One can only hope that this Jewish couple left Europe before the Holocaust. In the first few decades of the 1900’s, Jews made up 5% of the Hungarian population. They had managed to achieve great commercial and professional success. In fact, their success was disproportionate to their numbers in the general population. Their accomplishments fostered resentment and the 1920’s were stained with much anti-semitism in Hungary. By 1920, Jewish enrollment in Hungarian universities were restricted by a quota.  Admiral Horthy, the Regent of Hungary, was a self-proclaimed “anti-Semite”. Repressive anti Jewish policies were adapted and fascist groups flourished. Hopefully, this lovely couple survived. This vintage postcard is in very good condition (see scans).

SOLD

Published in: on May 25, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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CUBAN GENTLEMAN WITH A GLORIOUS MUSTACHE IN CIENFUEGOS, CUBA

A handsome Cuban gentleman with a handlebar mustache poses for his portrait at the Mariano, Gonzalez, and Blanco studio in Cienfuegos, Cuba. Cienfuegos is a city on the southern coast of Cuba and is about 160 miles from Havana. The man is well dressed and wears an intensely serious expression. The photo studio belonging to Mariano, Gonzalez, and Blanco exhibited at the Exposition of Pan America (1901) that was held in Buffalo, New York. The exposition was basically a Worlds Fair. The exposition was very much in the news after President William McKinley was shot there at the “Temple of Music”. McKinley died eight days later from effects of his gun shot wound. The assassin was Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist. McKinley was succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt. This photograph measures about 8 1/2″ x 5″ and is in very good condition (see scans).

SOLD

Published in: on May 24, 2018 at 5:25 pm  Leave a Comment  
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