PORTRAIT OF ACTRESS MISS ETHEL ERSKINE APPEARING IN “GIPSY LOVE” (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

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This vintage real photo postcard features theater actress Miss Ethel Erskine as she appeared in the role of Ilona in the production of “Gipsy Love”. Miss Erskine was a beautiful woman with dazzling and engaging eyes. Preliminary research discovered little about her biographical history. However, some information was found about the production of “Gipsy Love”. The show was a romantic operetta in three acts. The production played at the Carltheater in Vienna (1910), the Globe Theatre on Broadway (1911), and Daly’s Theatre in London (1912). This postcard was printed in Britain and produced by Rotary Photo as part of a series (11476 D).  SOLD

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A PHOTO BOOTH PHOTOGRAPH OF A MIDDLE AGED AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN

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This photo booth photograph features a middle age African American man. He is wearing a white knit sweater and a driving cap. He is flashing what appears to be a pained smile at the camera. This photograph was part of a collection of African American images from San Antonio, Texas. Here is some history about photo booths. The first automated photo booth was patented by William Pope and Edward Poole of Baltim0re, Maryland. The first working model was exhibited at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1889. The first commercially successful photo machine was called the “Bosco” and it was patented in 1890. The modern concept of the photo booth was introduced by Anatol Josepho, a Russian immigrant who entered the US in 1923. The first photo booth was introduced on Broadway in New York City in 1925. Twenty-five cents would buy eight photos and the process took ten minutes. After six months time, the booth was used by 280,000 people. In 1927 a company paid Josepho one million dollars plus royalties for use of his invention nationwide.

 

 

 

Published in: on October 22, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  

PORTRAIT OF AN ANGELIC LITTLE GIRL IN HOUNSLOW, ENGLAND

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A young girl with blonde hair poses for her portrait at Wards studio in Hounslow, England. Her simple dress and her eyes gazing upward gives her an angelic appearance. Hounslow is a suburban district in Greater London. Wards studio receives mention in the British Journal of Photography (1908). I have been made aware by a vintage photography enthusiast that the photographer is Lorraine Ward and she operated her business from the Stainesroad address from 1896 to 1922. The studio continued it’s existence under other ownership until 1937.

 

 

Published in: on October 21, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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VINTAGE THREE PANEL PHOTOGRAPH OF A YOUNG AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

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This three panel vintage photograph features a young African American man. He appears to be in his late teens and is nicely dressed in a suit and tie. Note his derby hat. Subject and photographer are not identified. The image was purchased in Austin, Texas and was part of a group of photographs described as the “San Antonio Collection”. The reverse of the photograph has residue that indicates it once resided in a scrap book or photo album.  SOLD

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Published in: on October 20, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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“LITTLE MAY SABRINI”: PORTRAIT OF A CHILD ACTRESS IN ESCANABA, MICHIGAN

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This cabinet card portrait features a poised little girl posing behind a chair. She appears to be wearing a costume and is standing on a prop to gain some extra height. She appears to be an actress and an inscription on the reverse of the photograph supports that hypotheses. The inscription states “Little May Sabrini as Eva” and lists the girl’s age as 7 years old. The Stewart & Lokke (Oscar) studio produced this photograph and The Directory of Early Michigan Photographers lists the pair as conducting their photography business in Escanaba in 1890. The town of Escanaba was involved in some pretty interesting protective business practices focused on helping local photographers. The Bulletin of Photography (1913) reports on an interesting law passed by the city council in Escanaba. The politicians decided to charge itinerant photographers for coming to town and conducting business. Traveling photographers who took pictures in the town’s street were charged 1 dollar for their first days work and fifty cents each day thereafter. Photographers who used tents or temporary quarters were charged two dollars for the first day and a dollar for each successive day. If a traveling photographer used flash photography, a fee of five dollars for the first day and two dollars for each day thereafter was required. Any photographer that did not comply with the law would be subject to at least a hundred dollar fine or up to sixty days in the county jail. I wonder what it cost the local photographers to encourage city council to pass such an unfair trade law to discourage visits from itinerant photographers.

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Published in: on October 19, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF AN ADORABLE THREE YEAR-OLD BOY ON HIS BIRTHDAY

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This vintage real photo postcard features a portrait of an adorable little boy. The darling child is sitting with his ankles crossed on a wooden chair. The chair has a silver comb on one arm. He is wearing knickers, button boots, and a ribbon tie. This photograph was taken by an unidentified studio photographer. The AZO stamp box on the reverse of the postcard indicates that it was published sometime between 1904 and 1918. Writing on the verso reveals that the photograph was taken on boy’s third birthday and that this postcard was given to “Uncle Eddie and Aunt Alice”.

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Published in: on October 18, 2016 at 11:31 am  Leave a Comment  

PORTRAIT OF A NICELY DRESSED AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

black-manThis vintage real photo postcard features a well dressed African American man. He is wearing a ring and a nice hat. He is looking directly at the photographer. The reverse of the postcard has an inscription which includes his name as well as his wife’s name. The gentleman’s name is John Anderson and he inscribed the card to his wife, Inez Anderson. He humorously wrote that she knew that he was the “pretty man” in the photo. The postcard has an AZO stamp box which indicates that it was produced between 1904 and 1918. The lower portion of the postcard has eight tack holes which indicates that the postcard may have traveled a bit and been tacked to a number of walls. There is also residue evidence that the postcard once resided in a photo album.  SOLD

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Published in: on October 16, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A PRETTY PRINCESS: ROYALTY IN GARRETTSVILLE, OHIO

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This intriguing cabinet card portrait features a finely dressed beautiful young woman. She is absolutely charming. I wish I knew her story. She appears to be ethnic, perhaps Hispanic. She looks like royalty but what is she doing in Garrettsville, Ohio. Her dress is very unusual and special. I believe she is wearing a cape. Her hair treatment is very pretty. The photographer of this image is Crosby Marell French (1850-1932). He operated a studio in Garrettsville. Langdon Road, an online photographer directory, reports that he was in business in the 1880’s and 1890’s. French’s name is included in the 1870 directory of Hiram College. The school was located in Hiram, Ohio and a former student and teacher there, became President of the United States (James Garfield, elected 1880). In 1874, French married his wife Hannah (1852-1932). A photograph of Hannah can be seen below. The photograph was taken by her husband. French’s name appeared regularly in photographic journals including The Photographic Times (1883)The Photographic Times and American Photographer (1884), and Photographic Mosaics (1884). He wrote an article entitled “The Attractive Properties of  Photograph” which appeared in Photographic Mosaics. French is listed in US census data. In 1870 he worked as a clerk in a store. In 1880, The US census indicates that French lived in Garrettsville with his wife Hannah and worked as a photographer. In 1900, he was living with his wife in Binghamton, New York and still pursuing his career as a photographer. The same information appeared in the 1910 and 1920 census. By 1920, French was joined in his studio by his daughter Alice E. French. The 1930 US census revealed that C. M. French had retired. A photograph of Crosby French can be found below. The photo was taken by the Holcomb and French studio.  (SOLD)

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 C. M. French                            Hannah French

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Published in: on October 15, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
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BEAUTIFUL STAGE ACTRESS: JULIA JAMES

julia-jamesThis vintage real photo postcard features Julia James (1890-1964), a beautiful stage actress. She sat in 76 portraits that are part of England’s National Portrait Gallery. She is considered by one theatrical writer to be among the top fifteen most beautiful actresses of the 1900’s Edwardian era. She was born in London, England and began her career as a chorus girl at the Aldwych Theatre under Seymour Hicks. She played in “Blue Belle” in 1905. She appeared in productions at the Gaiety Theatre. These plays included “The Girls of Gottenburg”, “Havana”, and  “Our Miss Gibbs”. She performed in Paris in “The Arcadians” (1913). This “Rotophot” postcard was printed in Berlin, Germany. It was published by Giesen Brothers of London. It is postmarked in Cathorpe in 1907. The village is located beside the Avon River in Leicestershire, England. The postcard is part of a series (no. 0858). The photographer of this image is the fabulous celebrity photographer, Rita Martin. She is considered one of the best British photographers of her time.Her studio was in an exclusive neighborhood  She was born Margareta Weir Martin in Ireland.  Margareta “Rita” Martin started her career in photography in 1897 by assisting her elder sister Lallie Charles in running her studio. In 1906 Rita opened her own studio.  Rita had a specialty in photographing actresses including Lily Elsie and Lily Brayton. She was also well known for her child studies which often involved children of well known actresses. Lily’s sister, Lallie Charles was more known as an excellent society photographer.

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AN ADORABLE YOUNG CHILD IN WOOL COAT AND STOCKING CAP

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This vintage real photo postcard features a young child ready for winter. The child is wearing a long wool coat and a stocking cap and is standing on a wicker chair. This coat may have belonged to an older sibling because it clearly does not fit the child in the photograph. The coat hangs very low but the real give-away is that the coat’s sleeves hang well below the child’s hands. The unused “fashion statement” postcard has a “Cyko” stamp box indicating that it dates sometime between 1904 and the 1920’s.

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Published in: on October 13, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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