MABELLE ADAMS: A PRETTY BROADWAY ACTRESS

mabelle

This vintage real photo postcard features actress Mabelle Adams (1880-1935). Mabelle Adams was her stage name but her real name was Mabelle Humberstone. She is known for her stage career but also for being the mother of director Bruce “Lucky” Humberstone whose work included Film noir “I Wake Up Screaming” (1941) as well as some “Charlie Chan” and “Tarzan” films. Interestingly, Mabelle was a niece of Edwin Booth. She was the understudy on Broadway for actress Maude Adams in “Peter Pan”. She was in a number of Broadway productions including occupying a starring role in “Two Orphans” (1933). Adams was an active member of the Stage Women’s War Relief which raised money for medical supplies for Allies wounded in World War I. A brief biography of Adams can be found in “The Stars of Hollywood Forever” (2014), This postcard was published pre 1907 by the Rotograph Company and part of a series (no. B1998). Rotograph was located in New York City.  (SOLD)

mabelle 1

Published in: on December 26, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  

WINIFRED GARDNER TREIPP AND HER POLKA DOT DRESS

polka dot

This vintage photograph features a pretty young woman wearing a loud polka dot dress accented with ruffles and satin. I think she looks terrific and I appreciate the variation from the typical conservative dark dresses we typically see in photographs from this post cabinet card era. I believe a woman who decides to wear a dress such as this one, must have confidence that she can “pull it off” and not look silly. I also think that she must welcome attention and not be particularly inhibited. Note her relaxed pose. An inscription on the reverse of the photograph identifies this fashionista as “Winifred Gardner Treipp” or possibly “Winifred Gardner Treiff”. I did a search for biographical information about Winifred, using both spellings of her last name. Unfortunately, I found no information and no leads. Perhaps one of the Cabinet Card Gallery’s visitor’s can discover some facts about this fashionable lady.

polka dot 1

polka dot 2

Published in: on December 25, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
Tags: , ,

CUTE LITTLE GIRL SITTING BESIDE HER DOLL IN IN A TOY STROLLER (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

stool

This is an unusual vintage real photo postcard featuring a young girl and her doll. The relatively unique aspect of this portrait is that the doll is sitting in a toy stroller. The child in this photograph is well dressed and well coiffed but appears either fatigued or none to happy to have a camera aimed at her. She holds the handle of the cart-like stroller in one hand and steadies the stroller with her other hand. Note the design of the stool that she is sitting on. This postcard has an AZO stamp box which indicates that it was produced sometime between 1918 and 1930.

stool 1

Published in: on December 24, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
Tags: , ,

MOTHER AND SON POSE FOR THEIR PORTRAIT IN PORTO, PORTUGAL (MOM IN TRADITIONAL CLOTHING)- VINTAGE PHOTO

belleza 1

A mother and her son pose for their portrait at Belleza studio in Porto, Portugal. Porto is a coastal city in northwest Portugal. Mom is wearing beautiful  traditional folk clothing. She has dressed her darling little boy in fine clothing for his picture taking day. Note his incredibly large hat that he is holding in his right hand. It seems to me that if he were to wear the hat it would cover his whole head and he would be unable to see. At first, I thought the hat might belong to his mother; but she is already wearing a hat. Perhaps the boy is an aspiring magician and a family of rabbits reside inside the hat. There is an inscription on the reverse of the photograph. I believe it is written in Portuguese. The previous owner of this photograph asserted that the inscription was some sort of dedication to an uncle. Hopefully, a cabinet card gallery visitor can translate the inscription for the rest of us. The inscription was written in 1922. The photograph measures 8″ x 5 3/4″.

belleza

 

belleza 2

Published in: on December 23, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
Tags: , ,

TWO DANDIES IN BOWLER HATS…. ONE WITH ATTITUDE

BOGGS

This cabinet card portrait features two young men posing for their portrait at the Boggs & Jefferson studio in Marion, Indiana. This photograph of a pair of well dressed young men sitting in chairs is a study in contrast. The gent on the right sits in a stiff position and he appears a bit intimidated by the camera. Note his rigidity and the position of his hands. Compare him to his companion. The second gentleman sits back in his chair in a relaxed fashion and cooly stares at the camera. Note the lack of tension in his open left hand. Judging by his expression, this guy has attitude. Preliminary research did not uncover information about photographers Boggs and Jefferson.  SOLD

Published in: on December 21, 2015 at 12:32 pm  Comments (4)  
Tags: , ,

A COCONUT SELLER PEDDLES HIS WARES IN INDIA (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

cocanut

This vintage real photo postcard features an Indian man selling coconuts out of a basket at a market in India. He is holding a coconut on his knee while he intensely stares at the camera. The postcard was published by Thacker & Company which was located in  Bombay, India. The card is part of a series (No. 57) and was manufactured in Great Britain. To learn more about Thacker & Co. and to view more of their Indian postcards, search for “Thacker” in the cabinet card gallery’s search box.

cocanut 4

Published in: on December 20, 2015 at 2:22 pm  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , ,

PRETTY FASHIONISTA IN PALYMYRA, NEW YORK

palmyra

A pretty young fashionable lady poses for her portrait at the Hopkins studio in Palmyra, New York. She has a large spray of flowers pinned to her lovely dress. She is wearing a ring on each hand and a pleasant half-smile on her face. The photographer of this wonderful fashion image is Alfred C. Hopkins (1852-1940). He listed in the “Village of Palmyra Residents Directory” (1901-1902) which lists his gallery address as 81 Main Street. He provides a testimonial for Eastman’s Solio Photographic Paper (made by Eastman Kodak) in “Pacific Coast Photographer” (1894). Hopkins was born in England. He was married to H. Clara Hopkins and was widowed and retired by the time of the 1930 census. Interestingly, the first reference to Hopkins as a photographer was found in an 1869 city directory. He was only about 19 years old and was clearly a pioneer in the field. Hopkins died in 1940 and is buried in the Palmyra Cemetery.   SOLD

Published in: on December 17, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , ,

GISELLA POZZI: BEAUTIFUL SILENT FILM ACTRESS WEARING A BUTTERFLY DRESS

gizella2

One thing is for certain is that Gisella Pozzi is a very pretty woman. However, my knowledge about the details of her life is very uncertain. Preliminary research indicates that she was an Italian silent film actress. Some sources report that she was also a theater actress. I have just written everything I know about Gisella Pozzi. More research is needed. What do you think of her dress and hat? I think she looks terrific. I especially like the butterfly on front of her dress. This vintage real photo postcard was made in Italy and produced by Fotocelere. Fotocelere was active between 1915 and 1942 and published postcards across a wide range of genres. The company must have decided it would be attractive to include her faux autograph across her image. I respectfully disagree.

gizella3

Published in: on December 16, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
Tags: , , ,

PORTRAIT OF A PRETTY PHILADELPHIA FASHIONISTA

newman

The pretty woman in this cabinet card photograph certainly knew how to dress fashionably. To accentuate her beauty her hair is carefully styled and she is wearing jewelry. She has a solemn expression as she intensely stares at the photographer. The photographer of this wonderful portrait was A. Newman of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To learn more about him and to view more of his photographs,  click on the category “Photographer: Newman”.   SOLD

Published in: on December 10, 2015 at 10:19 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: ,

YOUNG BAREFOOT BOY IN INDIA WORKING AS STREET VENDOR (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

oakeys

This is a very interesting vintage real photo postcard that gives us a look at a young boy selling his wares on a street somewhere in India. Note that the lad is barefoot on a stone paved street. Ouch! The young entrepreneur is selling Wellington knife polish. He also has a hanger holding some type of material. I can not identify the item and hopefully a cabinet card gallery visitor can shed some light on the matter. I can tell you a little bit about the knife polish that is for sale on this Indian street. John Oakey (1813-1887) was an inventor and he established a company (John Oakey & Sons Ltd) which manufactured sandpaper and other polishing materials. Oakey began his interest in sandpaper while working as a piano maker. He then set up a manufacturing business in London in 1833. He later moved the business to Wellington Mill. Among his products was Wellington Knife Polish. See second scan below for a photograph of an antique can of Oakey’s knife polish. Advertising for this product was commonly seen on buses and trams in the early 1900’s. His sons took over the company after his death and took it public in 1893. This postcard was published by Thacker & Company of Bombay, India and manufactured in Great Britain. . It was part of a series (#122). Thacker, Spink, & Company (1853-1960) was a major Indian book publisher of literature guides, history and almanacs. They were also an early publisher of photo postcards. They had a distribution office in London, England.

oakeys b

1rlcipr_t7c_m

Published in: on December 8, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
Tags: , , , , ,
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »