SENORITA CHRISTIANA: A BEAUTIFUL BRAZILIAN STAGE STAR IN PARIS, FRANCE

This is an opportunity to meet Christiana. One unsourced writer asserts that she was a Brazilian stage star.  I was unable to confirm that assertion. However, I can confirm that Christiana was quite beautiful. This vintage real photo postcard features a profile view of the stage star. She is dressed in a pretty flower patterned dress and is wearing flowers in her long flowing hair. Senorita Christiana’s portrait is by the Walery Studio which was located in Paris, France. The hand tinted postcard was published by the Parisian firm  “ELD” (E. Le Delay) and was part of a series (no. 2002). The postcard advertises the Casino de Paris which was one of the better known music halls in Paris. Christiana clearly performed there. Lucien Walery was a celebrated Paris photographer known for his portraits of artists and cabaret dancers from the city’s music halls. He is very well known for his portraits of Mata Hari and Josephine Baker. Walery did a lot of work in the genre of nude/erotic photography. He photographed the beautiful women of Paris between the early 1900’s and the 1920’s. You can view other images by this talented photographer by clicking on the category “Photographer: Walery”.

Published in: on March 27, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A PRETTY TEENAGE GIRL IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (PHOTOGRAPH BY J. K. STEVENS)

chicago teeen

This cabinet card portrait of a pretty teenage girl is by esteemed Chicago photographer John Kimball Stevens. A number of photographs by Stevens can be viewed in the cabinet card gallery by clicking on the category “Photographer: Stevens”. Stevens operated his gallery out of the McVicker’s Theatre building. The young woman in this photograph is bright eyed and has a terrific pleasant expression. She is clearly holding back a smile. She apparently liked jewelry as evidenced by her interesting necklace, collar pin, and earrings.

A visitor to the Cabinet Card Gallery, named Jon, left a comment indicating that he had found a cabinet card image at a flea market that appeared to be the same woman as the one pictured above.He was kind enough to send a copy of the image that he found (see the image below). I definitely see the similarity in appearance that Jon is referring to. However, the woman in the top cabinet card has a rounded face and springy curls while the woman below has an oval face with thick tight curly hair. In addition, their eyes and smiles are vastly different. Both photographs were taken by the Stevens Gallery which was quite prolific. It is no surprise that they likely had many instances of photographing people that had similar appearance. Thank you Jon for sharing the photograph and your observations.
Reader photo sent Stevens

Published in: on March 26, 2017 at 7:15 am  Comments (9)  
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TWO PRETTY TEENAGE GIRLS READING “THE LETTER” (CIRCA 1911 REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

This vintage real photo postcard features two pretty teenage girls reading a letter together. One wonders about the content of “the letter”. It certainly has put smiles on these girl’s faces. Both girls are well dressed and wearing necklaces and hair accessories. The girl holding the letter is also wearing a bracelet and a ring. This postcard was published by AZO sometime between 1904 and 1918.

Published in: on March 25, 2017 at 5:11 pm  Leave a Comment  
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TWO YOUNG DANDIES AND AN OPEN BOOK

This vintage real photo postcard features two young dandies viewing an open book. They are exquisitely dressed and look like perfect gentlemen. A script of their dialog is printed below the image. Bacarel states to Paul, “A superb point of view”. Paul responds “What an enchanting landscape”. The men are seated on outdoor furniture. The fabric of the chairs present a nice checkered pattern. In the distance are snowy mountain caps. This postcard image is from a studio, yet creates a pretty scene. The postcard is addressed to a central French town named Mezieres en Brenne. The postcard was published by “AS”. I have no exact  identification of this company. Possibilities include “Alfred Schweizer” (Hamburg, Germany), Arthur Schurer & Company (Schoneberg, Germany), or A. Scheers (Brussels, Belgium). The postcard is part of a series (no. 747,  no. 3228).

ADDENDUM : A viewer from New Zealand has provided more information about this postcard. He has advised me that this image is a scene from the operetta “Miss Helyett”. He adds that the ‘point de vue’ is the heroine fell over a cliff and displayed ‘what only a husband should see’.

Published in: on March 24, 2017 at 7:09 pm  Comments (2)  
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TINTYPE PORTRAIT OF TWO WELL DRESSED PRETTY WOMEN

This tintype portrait features two well dressed young women wearing fancy hats. The ladies are quite pretty. They are well adorned with jewelry. They seem unusually relaxed while having their photograph taken. I would love to know their story. This image is the second tintype to appear in the Cabinet Card Gallery. A tintype, also known as ferrotype, is a photograph made on a thin sheet of metal coated with a dark lacquer or enamel. They were very popular during the 1860’s and 1870’s.

Published in: on March 23, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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YOUNG UKRAINIAN MAN WEARING A LEATHER JACKET AND CAP

 

This cabinet card image is highly unusual. I have seen few photographs from this era where the sitter is wearing a leather jacket. This young man is wearing a leather jacket and a cap. The way he is dressed suggests that he may have been a member of the military or the police. However, he is wearing no insignias or badges. The previous owner of this photograph reported that the image was purchased in the Ukraine. The cabinet card is of Russian origin but I can not confirm it is Ukrainian. If one looks at the reverse of the cabinet card inside the egg shaped oval design, one can see the word “Mockba”. This Russian word means Moscow and it is my hypothesis that the mount was produced there.

Published in: on March 22, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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UNUSUAL POST MORTEM PHOTOGRAPH FROM SCHWABACH, GERMANY

This post mortem cabinet card image features an older bearded man partially covered with flowers. The card on the bottom right hand corner of the image likely has the words of a prayer or a religious reading. The image has amazing clarity. The deceased gentleman is lying at an unusual angle. The photographer of this cabinet card image is the Kandel studio which was located in Schwabach, Germany. The town is near Nuremberg and in the center of the Franconia region in North Bavaria. Hopefully, visitors to the Cabinet Card Gallery will not find this image offensive. Photographs of deceased family members were commonplace during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in America and Europe. The images helped surviving loved ones through the grieving process. In addition, sometimes the post mortem photographs were the only images possessed by the deceased’s family. (SOLD)

Published in: on March 13, 2017 at 7:18 pm  Comments (4)  
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PORTRAIT OF A LAPLANDER SAMI FAMILY

This vintage real photo postcard falls into the ethnographic category. This interesting image features a family in Lapland. The area of  Lapland is located in Finland’s northernmost region. It is sparsely populated and is the homeland of the indigenous Sami people. The Sami’s pursue coastal fishing, fur trapping, and sheep herding. However, they are most known for their work as semi-nomadic reindeer herders. The reindeer are utilized for meat, fur, and transportation. The family seen in this photograph is part of the Sami people. There is much to note in this photograph. Take a look at the family’s clothing. Perusing the picture one can also see the family dog, animal skins, reindeer antlers and fur covered shoes. Be sure not to miss viewing the baby in a papoose like bed. This postcard was published by Enerett Mittet & Company and is part of a series (no. 1/98). The residue on the back side of this vintage postcard reveals that it once was a resident of a photo album.

ADDENDUM: An informed visitor left a comment (seen below) that offers a correction to my description of this postcard. She states “Enerett is not the publisher’s given name. Enerett, and you can translate this online from Norwegian – is “All rights reserved.” The Norwegian publisher Mittet & Co. was started by Ingebrigt Mittet (1875 – 1950) and carried on and expanded by his sons Knut and Søren.” I am very appreciative of this visitor’s willingness to share her knowledge on this blog.   SOLD

Published in: on March 12, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (6)  
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POTRAIT OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY STANDING IN FRONT OF THEIR HOUSE IN THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY

This vintage photograph offers a glimpse into Texas history and African American history in the Lone Star state. The image features an African American family posing for the camera while standing in front of their house. I found this photograph in Fredericksburg, Texas. The town is located in the Texas hill country and is very close to Johnson City, Texas, the boyhood home of former President Lyndon Baines Johnson. A tour of the area reveals similar houses still standing today. This photograph was very likely taken in that locale. The family seen in this image is composed of a father and mother, and their two sons. All four family members are dressed in their sunday best clothing and wearing hats. The family’s dog is included in the picture and even their cat makes a cameo appearance as it walks away from the front porch. This is truly an interesting and historic photograph.   (SOLD)

Published in: on March 11, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF GERTRUDE BONNETTE: PRETTY FRENCH STAGE ACTRESS

This vintage real photo postcard features French stage actress Gertrude Bonnette. Initial research revealed no information about this pretty theater actress. Bonnette was photographed by the well known celebrity photographer Jacob Schloss (1856-1938) of New York City. Schloss was will known for his portraits of beautiful woman. He was also known as a photographer activist for working hard to gain certain rights for photographers. This photo postcard is published by Societe Industrielle de Photograpie (SIP) of Rueil, France and is part of a series (76 Serie no. 15).

Published in: on March 10, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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