THREE EGYPTIAN SHOESHINE BOYS : EGYPTOLOGY : ETHNOGRAPHY : RPPC

This photogravure vintage postcard features a portrait of three Egyptian shoeshine boys resting. The children have their shoeblack kits in front of them. The wood boxes hold the tools of their trade. The postcard was published by the celebrated ethnographic photography firm, Lehnert & Landrock as part of a series (No.7085). The company was located in Cairo Egypt. Rudolf Franz Lehnert (1878-1948) & Ernst Heinrich Landrock (1878-1966) were the principals of the firm. Lehnert was of German origin, while Landrock was from Bohemia. The pair met in Switzerland and decided to go into business together. Lehnert was the photographer and Landrock was the administrator. Landrock organized trips, managed the photo studio and photo production, and marketed the photographs and prints. They were photographers in Tunis and in Egypt, They also opened studios in Munich (Germany) and Leipzig (Germany).  They produced many photographs from Egypt and Tunisia. Their first studio was in Tunis. They photographed monuments and sites in those countries, but were most known for their erotic images of Arab women, often posing in harem themes. Sometimes the photographers seemed more concerned about producing erotic photographs rather than documenting everyday life in these Middle Eastern countries. Lehnert and Landrock were well acclaimed for their work and the duo have images in a number of museums, including Philadelphia’s Penn Museum an the Musee de l’elysee in Lausanne, Switzerland.  SOLD

Published in: on March 2, 2024 at 12:30 pm  Leave a Comment  
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CECILIA LOFTUS : BROADWAY AND FILM ACTRESS : SHAKESPEARE : STAGE BEAUTY : RPPC

This vintage real photo postcard features a stage beauty named Cecilia Loftus (1876-1943). She was a Scottish actress, singer, mimic, vaudevillian, and music hall performer. Her career spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was a product of parents who were performers. Her father was a member of a successful variety group and her mother was an actress, music hall performer, and burlesque star. At age seventeen, Cecilia (Cissy) made her debut at the Oxford Music Hall in London. She began her career in Music Halls and then appered in musical comedy at the Gaiety Theatre. In 1894, she appeared in Vaudeville at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City. She joined the Ada Rehan Company, and then the Augustin Daly Company. In 1898, she began to appear in legitimate theatre. She toured with actor Sir Henry Irving. In 1905 she had success appearing in Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”. Later that same year, she received much acclaim for her portrayal of Peter Pan. Loftus had a successful career in burlesque as well as on Broadway. The IBDb credits Loftus with appearing in 39 different Broadway productions between 1900 and 1941. Many of her roles were in Shakespeare plays. She also appeared in 14 films from the 1910’s to the 1940’s. Cecilia had a tumultous personal life. She eloped at 17 with an Irish writer, twice her age. The marriage failed. In 1908 she married an American doctor. Within six years, her marriage and health were in bad shape. She divorced her husband. Healthwise, she became dependent on alcohol and pain killers. In 1922, she was arrested for possession of morphine. She received probation from an English court and in 1923, she permanantly left Great Britain and returned to New York City to pursue her career on Broadway and in Hollywood.  The message on this postcard is very interesting. It is a note from a daughter to her mother. Although it is only a hypothesis, the daughter appears to be at the Good Shepherd Convent, in Cork, Ireland. This vintage postcard was published by the Rotary Photo Company as part of a series (no.235 E).  SOLD

Published in: on March 1, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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TWO YOUNG BROTHERS : ROCKING HORSE : TOYS : RPPC

This vintage real photo postcard features two well dressed and adorable siblings and their rocking horse. The youngest child is sitting in the saddle. Note the detail of the horse. The toy horse also has a harness and reins. This likely one-of-a-kind photo postcard was made by a private studio.  SOLD

Published in: on February 29, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF AN ADORABLE LITTLE GIRL : TWO LARGE DOLLS : GIANT EGG : RPPC

This vintage real photo postcard features an adorable little girl accompanied by her two large and well dressed dolls. The little girl has a nice smile. This postcard was published by C.L.C. (Charles L’Hopital et Cie”)  a firm founded in Paris. The company used it’s initials for credit and also had an anchor logo. The firm operated between 1905 and 1909.  SOLD

Published in: on February 28, 2024 at 12:01 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A LITTLE GIRL AND HER DOG ON A BRICK WALL : RETRIEVER : PLAYMATES : RPPC : 1920

This vintage real photo postcard features an adorable little girl sitting on a high brick wall. Her dog has its front paws on the wall and its back feet on top of a dog house. The dog has a long metal chain. I believe the dog is some sort of Retriever. The caption below the image says “Playmates”. Indeed, they were. This postcard was published by W & K of London, England. It is part of a series (No.253). The card has a British stamp and a postmark from 1920. SOLD

Published in: on February 27, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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PRETTY TEENAGE GIRL : LONG HAIR : CHECKERED BLOUSE AND COLLAR PIN : CYKO : RPPC

This vintage real photo postcard features a pretty young teenage woman posing for her portrait. The teenager is beautifully dressed. She is wearing a checkered blouse with a collar pin. There is black fabric under the pin. Is she in mourning? The color of her blouse blends in perfectly with the color of the background of the photograph. This card has a Cyko stamp box indicating that the postcard  was made by a private studio sometime between 1904 and 1920.  SOLD

Published in: on February 26, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN : SLAVE OR FORMER SLAVE OR FREE WOMAN : CARTE DE VISITE

This carte de visite portrait features an African American woman. The woman is either a slave, former slave, or a free woman at the time of this photograph. The cdv image was taken sometime between the pre civil war period and shortly after the conclusion of the civil war. Her hat indicates that she is wearing her Sunday best but she is also wearing an apron. Was she “kitchen help”? This photograph is an excellent remnant of American and African American history. The image brings up thoughts about one of America’s most shameful periods in it’s history. (SOLD)

Published in: on February 25, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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CAROL OHMART : FILM AND TELEVISION ACTRESS : THE NEXT MARILYN MONROE : RPPC

This vintage real photo postcard features American actress and model, Carol Ohmart (1927-2002). She appeared in many films and television shows from the early 1950’s until the 1970’s.  She appeared in a number of well known horror films. She was born to a Mormon family in Utah. In 1946 she competed for and won the title of Miss Utah. She placed fourth in the Miss America contest. She then launched a modelling career. Paramount Pictures signed her in 1955 and promoted her as “the next Marilyn Monroe”. This postcard portrait, produced for Paramount in 1956, clearly is an example of Paramount’s attempt to market Ohmart’s resemblance to Marilyn Monroe. She made her film debut in “The Scarlet Hour” (1956). She then began appearing in television shows and in several horror films including “House on Haunted Hill” (1959). Her last film appearance was in 1974. In 1973, while filming for “Barnaby Jones”, she was attacked on the street by three men. She sustained significant injuries for which she was prescribed painkillers. This led to a several year struggle with addiction to prescription drugs. After acting, she studied New Age philosophy and spiritualism, and wrote poetry and short stories. Ohmart was married three times. She was married for only two years in both her first and second marriages. Her third marriage had a duration of 22 years and ended upon her death. This postcard was published by Kores, a French company. The card is part of a series (#786). The series is comprised of 100 postcard portraits. (SOLD)

Published in: on February 24, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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TWO YOUNG MEN AND THEIR AUTOMOBILE : SAN ANTONIO : FOX PHOTO : (1947)

This vintage photograph features two young men standing next to their automobile. One of the men has a hand on his hip and he is appearing very confident and comfortable in front of the camera. This photo was purchased with a group of photos that were purchased in the Texas Hill Country. Some of the photos in the group were definitely taken in Texas. It is likely that this photograph was taken in Texas too. This image was developed by Foxco in San Antonio in 1947. The company has an interesting history.  The Fox Photo Studio was opened by Arthur C. Fox in 1906 in San Antonio, Texas. Fox sold the studio for seven hundred dollars to Carl D. Newton in 1909. Newton was a clever entrepreneur. One of his gimmicks was to offer a free camera to anyone buying three rolls of film and prepaying developing and printing fees. His successor to the business was Carl D Newton II.  By the mid 1930’s Fox advertised itself as the world’s largest Kodak finishers. Their processing plant was in operation around the clock. The company expanded and opened facilities in Dallas, Houston, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The company grew and grew and ultimately reached 12,000 dealers nationwide. In 1986, the company was sold to Kodak. Carl D Newton III kept the retail division of the business, calling it Fox Photo. Later, the business changed hands a number of times until it faded into history.  SOLD

Published in: on February 23, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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CHRYSIS IN THE OPERA “APHRODITE” : PHOTO BY REUTLINGER : UNION POSTAL UNIVERSELLE

This vintage real photo postcard features an actress playing the role of “Chrysis” in the opera “Aphrodite”. The opera is based on the French novel, “Aphrodite : Ancient Morals”, by Pierre Louys. The story is set in Alexandria and tells the story of Chrysis, a courtesan, and the sculptor Demetrios. Chrysis is beautiful and she knows it. She uses her beauty and skill to win the devotion and subservience of men. All the women in town worship Demetrios. He actually preferred his statue of the goddess Aphrodite, over his lover and the other women in town. There is only one woman in town who is not interested in Demetrios. The story goes on from there. The photograph of Chrysis seen on this postcard, was taken by the celebrated photographer, Leopold Reutlinger. He photographed many actresses and beautiful models. The Reutlinger studio was located in Paris, and was highly esteemed. Printed near the top of the postcard are the words “Union Postale Universelle”. The Universal Postal Union was established by the Treaty of Bern (1874) and it’s mission was to coordinates postal policies between member nations. The Union still exists today and is a specialized agency of the United Nations. This postcard is color tinted and is part of a series (no.2239). SOLD

Published in: on February 21, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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