This vintage real photo postcard features a photomontage style. The image depicts a man and a woman posed in a romantic embrace. The man is dressed in a formal suit with slicked-back hair, kissing the woman’s temple. The woman, likely a bride, is wearing a glamorous flapper-era wedding outfit, complete with a headpiece and veil, holding a bouquet of flowers (possibly lilies and other blooms). This portion of the photograph appears to represent a wedding or a romantic scene, symbolizing love and commitment. The second scene presents a young woman with styled hair, wearing a delicate lace-trimmed dress and a string of pearls. She is seated, leaning forward slightly, and gazing with a cheerful expression. Her makeup is characteristic of the 1920s or early 1930s, with dark lipstick and thinly styled eyebrows. There is an interesting cryptic message, written in French on the reverse of the postcard. A translation app states that the message reads “I am writing this little song to you because it will make you feel so sorry for me, all my tears. Dear friend, I wish you a happy birthday”. The note is signed “For Life”. This postcard was published by P. C. Paris as part of a series (No.3419). The sepia-toned photograph retains good contrast, with clear details of the subjects’ expressions, clothing, and background elements. SOLD
A frowning baby poses for a portrait at a photographers studio on Fourth Street in Huntingburgh, Indiana. The baby is clad in a long gown and sitting on a fur covered surface. The baby is sitting next to a small dog. Research yielded little information about the photographer. The photographer is Mrs. Jos. Sprauer, clearly an early woman photographer. Research found a pioneering photographer named Alois Sprauer of Jasper, Indiana. He founded a studio which operated for decades and was passed on to his son, Albert Sprauer. Jasper and Huntingburgh are nearby towns in southwestern Indiana. The “American Annual of Photography” mentions a W. J. Sprauer of Huntingburgh. The 1880 census includes a Joseph Sprauer, who was born in 1853 in Indiana. Hopefully, the Cabinet Card Gallery’s research department (made up entirely of the sites visitors); can shed some light on the identity of the photographer who created this image. Please leave a comment with any relevant information. SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard is part of a series named “Les Plus Belles Femmes de France” (The Most Beautiful Women of France). This series is about the Provinces of France, and the model for this image represents Lyonnaise. Note that the woman in this photograph is wearing a pretty smile. This postcard is no.35 in the series. There were a number of different series published. The Province series was one of the more popular series. The models in this series represent different French Provinces and wear traditional clothing from that particular area of the country. This postcard was published by well known photographer Alfred Noyer. The celebrated photographer supervised a large photo studio in Paris. The Noyer Studio operated from 1910 until the 1940’s. Many of the postcards he produced of women were nudes or risque images.The photographer of this postcard portrait is Jean Agelou (1878-1921). Agelou was a French photographer of the 1910’s and 1920’s who is best known for his erotic and nude photographs. He was born in Egypt and not much is known about his private life. Agelou generally used models between the age of 20 and 24 years-old. He had a favorite model. Her name was “Fernande” and in addition to modeling, she was Agelou’s lover. Although the 1900’s was the “golden age” of erotic photograph, photographers who took such risque photos had to use discretion. As a result, Agelou signed his work “JA”. In 1908, nudity in photographs was banned in France and photographers had to cover nude women images with strategically placed undergarments or other materials. Nude images had to circulate on the down low. They were sent in the mail inside of envelopes. Fernande remained popular and her erotic photographs were enjoyed by soldiers on both sides during World War I. Jean Agelou died in 1921; the result of a car accident. His brother George, who managed Jean’s business, also was killed in the crash. SOLD
This black-and-white photograph shows three men sitting at a table wearing striped uniforms. The clothing is prison or POW (prisoner of war) attire. The men are American fliers held captive during the Vietnam War. They are seated around a table with bottles and glasses, possibly in a setting arranged for propaganda purposes. The expressions on their faces vary: one man on the right is smiling, while the other two appear more subdued or wary. The background includes a curtain or window covering, and the setting appears to be indoors. Given the historical context, this image likely originates from the Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison). This type of image was often used for propaganda purposes by the North Vietnamese to show that prisoners were being treated well. However, many POWs later testified that such photographs were staged under coercion. This black-and-white photograph, dated June 29, 1970, was made public by an anti-war group, the Committee of Liaison, which sought to communicate between American POWs and their families. The prisoners are identified as, from left to right: Commander Robert Schweitzer of Lemoore, California, Lieutenant Colonel Edison Miller of Santa Ana, California, and Commander Walter Wilber of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The three American fliers depicted in the photograph were released as prisoners of war (POWs) in 1973, following the Paris Peace Accords. During their captivity, these men were involved in complex interactions with their fellow POWs and captors. Allegations arose that they provided uncoerced antiwar statements to the North Vietnamese, leading to tensions within the POW community. This situation resulted in their relief from certain military authorities during captivity. All three were among a small group of US prisoners who were accused of collaboration with their North Vietnamese captors. It was thought that the three men received less severe treatment than their fellow airmen due to their cooperation with the enemy. There is much written about the issue of collaboration between American POW’s held in Vietnam and their captors. One should not rush to judgement in condemning these men for their “disloyalty”. During their imprisonment, they were under extraordinary stress both physically and psychologically. All three men exhibited courage as combat pilots. SOLD
This vintage tintype photograph features two well dressed men sitting at a table and they appear to be drinking beer. The gentleman sitting on the right is wearing a non military uniform. Does he work for the Railroad? The telegraph company? The man seated on the left has a pin in the front center of his hat. It is a mystery as to what the pin represents. This tintype photograph likely dates back to the peak period of tintype popularity (1850’s through the 1870″s). SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard features French stage and film actress, Huguette Duflos (1887-1982). She was married to actor Raphael Duflose from 1910 through 1928. Her early career was with the Comedie Francaise and she later pursued a film career. In 1931 she was the victim of an assault by a Frenchwoman. Her injuries were treated by noted psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan. The IMDb credits Duflos with 43 film appearances between 1914 and 1962. A 1926 article in the New York Times describes how Duflos, “the sweetest girl on the French stage”, unexpectedly resigned from the Comedie Francaise and pursued other venues. This action violated her contract and she faced the threat of financial punishment for the rest of her career. The article asserts that Duflos was the most popular beauty on France’s stages and in addition, she was also admired by American audiences. This photo of Miss Duflos was taken by the noted photographic Reutlinger studio. This postcard was published by Alfred Noyer and is part of the “Les Vedettes de Cinema” (The Stars of Film) series (No.16). SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard features an unidentified pretty performer. She is posed like a dancer. This is a risque postcard. She is wearing a flesh colored body suit and is posed in a provocative manner. The model on this card was likely a minor player based on the fact that she is not named on the postcard. This photo was taken at the studio of A. Liebert, in Paris, France. The Getty Museum, located in Los Angeles, California, as well as other fine museums, have photographs in their collections by Paris photographer, Alphonse J. Liebert (1827-1913). Many of his Parisian subjects were actresses. Perhaps Miss Lesian is one of those actresses. Mr. Liebert has an interesting story. He was a photographer in Nevada City, California (1857-1862), and later, operated in Paris (1863-1890’s). He was born in France. He became an officer in the French Navy. He left the navy in 1848 to study daguerreotypy. He must have reenlisted in the navy because In 1851, he arrived in San Francisco, as a Lieutenant on a French ship. This was a time when there was much excitement about Gold mining. As a result, there was a mass desertion of the ship’s crew. The sailors joined the rush for gold. Liebert had in mind, his own venture. He and two partners decided to take on the project of refurbishing a steamship. They sought investors and hired workers to transform the ship. However, due to the partners inexperience, the venture failed. Liebert than tried gold mining but met little success. In 1857 he opened a photo gallery in Nevada City. He lost thousands of dollars after a fire in 1858. In 1859 Liebert ridiculed a former photography pupil of his, named Louis Celarie, in the press. This started a bitter professional feud. Soon after, Liebert announced that he had won a medal at the state fair. Unfortunately, there was no evidence to confirm this claim. The competition between Liebert and Celarie was fierce. Each offered special promotions to best the other. By 1861, Liebert triumphed, evidenced by the sale of Celarie’s studio. About a year later, Liebert sold his photo gallery. By 1863, he had returned to France and opened a gallery specializing in tintypes. Liebert closely identified with his photography experience in America, and as a result, he named his Paris gallery “Photographie Americaine”. Liebert began to write photography articles and books, and ultimately, invented a prototype solar camera. In 1867, Liebert had a problem with the law. He was sentenced to two months in prison and levied a fine of 200 francs. He was charged for the intent to distribute banned post mortem photographs. These were not photos of some random person. Instead, they were images of Emperor Maximillian, who had been executed in Mexico. Liebert ultimately did exhibit these photos. Liebert was becoming more and more successful. His photo gallery was so lavish that a reviewer for the British Journal of Photography wrote that it was “worthy of the smiles of the ‘God of Light’, and a repository for some of the best productions of the photographic art”. In 1879, Liebert’s gallery was the first studio to utilize electric light. By 1880, he was considered to have the most impressive photo studio in Paris. . The card was published by Star or Etoille Publishing (Paris). This postcard image was created by a process called “emaillographie”. It is interesting to note that the first five letter of the process are “email”. This postcard was part of the V B C series (No.3063). SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard is part of a series named “Les Plus Belles Femmes de France” (The Most Beautiful Women of France). This series is about the Provinces of France, and the model for this image represents La Basque. Note that the woman in this photograph is wearing a subtle smile. This postcard is no.24 in the series. There were a number of different series published. The Province series was one of the more popular series. The models in this series represent different French Provinces and wear traditional clothing from that particular area of the country. This postcard was published by well known photographer Alfred Noyer. The celebrated photographer supervised a large photo studio in Paris. The Noyer Studio operated from 1910 until the 1940’s. Many of the postcards he produced of women were nudes or risque images. The photographer of this postcard portrait is Jean Agelou (1878-1921). Agelou was a French photographer of the 1910’s and 1920’s who is best known for his erotic and nude photographs. He was born in Egypt and not much is known about his private life. Agelou generally used models between the age of 20 and 24 years-old. He had a favorite model. Her name was “Fernande” and in addition to modeling, she was Agelou’s lover. Although the 1900’s was the “golden age” of erotic photograph, photographers who took such risque photos had to use discretion. As a result, Agelou signed his work “JA”. In 1908, nudity in photographs was banned in France and photographers had to cover nude women images with strategically placed undergarments or other materials. Nude images had to circulate on the down low. They were sent in the mail inside of envelopes. Fernande remained popular and her erotic photographs were enjoyed by soldiers on both sides during World War I. Jean Agelou died in 1921; the result of a car accident. His brother George, who managed Jean’s business, also was killed in the crash. SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard features a pretty young woman posing with her guitar. Her plunging neckline makes this a risque postcard. The card was published by Adolph Engel (Berlin, Germany) and is part of a series (No.2504/4). SOLD
This French vintage nude real photo postcard features a pretty young woman model Her facial expression can be described as alluring. This photograph is meant to titillate. The young woman is scantily dressed. More of her body is exposed than covered. She is wearing bed clothes, a negligee to be exact. This risque photographic portrait was published by celebrated photographer, Jean Agelou (1878-1921), as part of a series (No.D107). Agelou was a French photographer of the 1910’s and 1920’s who is best known for his erotic and nude photographs. He was born in Egypt and not much is known about his private life. Agelou generally used models between the age of 20 and 24 years-old. Although the 1900’s was the “golden age” of erotic photograph, photographers who took such risque photos had to use discretion. As a result, Agelou signed his work “JA”. In 1908, nudity in photographs was banned in France and photographers had to cover nude women images with strategically placed undergarments or other materials. Nude images had to circulate on the down low. They were sent in the mail inside of envelopes. Jean Agelou died in 1921; the result of a car accident. His brother George, who managed Jean’s business, also was killed in the crash. SOLD
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 