CLAIRE ROMMER : FILM ACTRESS :SAVED FROM NAZIS BY ARISTEDES De SOUSA MENDES

POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)
POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 3 (SOLD)

These vintage real photo postcards feature German film actress, Claire Rommer (1904-1996). Her filmography on IMDb credits her with 49 film appearances between 1922 and 1934. She made her film debut at the age of eighteen. She also began her career as a soubrette appearing in operettas and comedies on the Berlin stage. However, her fame came from her film work. She played both leading and supportive roles. She played in silent films and made a successful transition to sound films. She even sang in some of her talkies. She was married to a prosperous Jewih man, named Adolf Strenger. Because of her marriage, in 1938 she was banned from any participation in the German film industry. It was thought that she was probably not Aryan like her husband. The rise of the Nazis forced the couple to leave Germany and emigrate to the United States via Portugal.The pair left Europe with the assistance of Aristedes de Sousa Mendes. He was a Portuguese Consular stationed in France. Mendes defied orders from his government and issued thousands of visas to Jews, allowing them to escape with their families and their lives. He was a hero for his work as a Holocaust rescuer. Ultimately, Mendes was severely punished for his defiance. After leaving Germany, Rommer’s film career ended. In the US, she divorced her husband and married a meat industry multi-millionaire.

Postcard 1 was published by Ross Verlag as part of a series (No.1933/1). Claire Rommer’s photo portrait was taken by celebrity photographer, Alexander Binder. This vintage photo postcard is in excellent condition (see scans). (SOLD)

Postcard 2 was published by Ross Verlag as part of a series (No.1933/2). Claire Rommer’s photo portrait was taken by celebrity photographer, Alexander Binder. This vintage photo postcard is in very good condition (see scans). (SOLD)

Postcard 3 was published by Ross Verlag as part of a series (no.3010/1). Miss Rommer’s portrait was taken by famed celebrity photographer Alex Binder, who operated his studio in Berlin. The postcard was postmarked in 1928. (SOLD)

EIGHT PORTRAITS OF PRETTY EUROPEAN STAGE ACTRESS LIANE HAID

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      POSTCARD 3  (SOLD) 

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POSTCARD 4   (SOLD)

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POSTCARD 5

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POSTCARD 6  (SOLD)

POSTCARD 7  (SOLD)

POSTCARD 8 (SOLD)

These vintage real photo postcards features European film star Liane Haid (1895-2000). In the top postcard she poses holding a tennis racket and wearing a hair band to keep her hair out of her eyes. She is quite beautiful but how can we interpret her facial expression. To me, it looks like she is rolling her eyes as if she is bothered by something. Who is Liane Haid? She was born in Vienna, Austria and received training in both dance and singing. She gained the nickname of “Sweet Viennese Girl”. Haid was a prima ballerina, dancer, singer and stage actress. She worked in Budapest and Vienna as a dancer. Her stage career was mostly in Berlin and Vienna. She became a popular pin-up star through the 1920’s and 1930’s. Her first movie role was in a World War I propaganda film. She was employed by UFA and appeared in a number of comedy films  alongside other movie stars including Willi Forst, Bruno Kastner, and Georg Alexander. UFA was a major German Film producer and distributor that operated between 1917 through the end of World War II. Liane Haid refused a number of Hollywood offers but in 1942, she escaped Nazi Germany and went to Switzerland according to Wikipedia, “because of the regime, because everything was bombed, and because all the good directors had left”. Soon thereafter she got married and retired from films. She was married three times. The IMDB web site states that she has 92 film credits from 1915 through 1953. Notable films include “Lady Hamilton” (1921), “Lucrezia Borgia” (1926), and “The Song is Ended” (1930). The photographer of this terrific image was Alexander Binder (1888-1929). He had the largest photo studio in Europe during the late 1920’s and the 1930’s. Many of his entertainment star portraits appear on Ross Verlag postards. It is thought that Binder was of Swiss origin. He was of the Jewish faith. He studied engineering but did not complete his studies. From 1908 to 1910 he studied photography at a school in Munich, Germany. After the completion of his photography studies, he went to Berlin and in 1913 opened his first photography studio. Before long, he became one of the premier photographers in Berlin.  He primarily focussed on fashion and celebrity photography. Since Berlin was the capital of the European film industry, Binder photographed all the stars of the European film industry including, Lilian Harvey, Conrad Veidt, and Lya De Putti. Many of his images were used in popular film portrait postcards. His photographs could be seen in postcards published by Ross Verlag and Photochemie. Binder died in 1929 but new photo cards bearing his signature continued to be published until 1937. It is thought that the real photographer of these new postcards was Hubs Floeter (1910-1974) who was employed at the studio as an operator. The studio continued to be owned by Binder’s widow, Mrs. Binder Alleman and their two daughters. The studio was managed by the Jewish Elisabeth Baroness Vonhedlis Stengel who was later deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. In 1938 the Nazi’s closed Binder’s studio and it was later taken over by an Aryan photographer, Karl Ludwig Haenchen . Haenchen continued to produce celebrity portraits for postcards. His publishers included Film-Foto-Verlag. After World War II the studio was taken over by the Hasse und Wiese company.               

 The second vintage postcard portrait of Miss Haid was also the work of Alexander Binder. The actress looks beautiful in her art deco lace headdress. Her eyes can be described as spell binding. The postcard was published by Germany’s Ross Verlag and is part of a series (no. 544/4). Also credited for this photograph is “Micco Film”. Before working for Micco Film, Haid was employed by Kunstfilm. She was very successful working for the company but in 1920 she sued the company for physically exploiting her (placing her in dangerous situations) and for making her financially responsible for her own makeup and costuming. Haid’s husband, industrialist Fritz  von Haymerle, built her a studio (Micco-Film) in Vienna to further promote her career.                         

 The third real photo postcard, seen above, was produced by publisher Ross Verlag (Berlin). Once again, Liane Haid appears beautiful in her portrait. The photograph was taken by the Ring studio in Vienna, Austria. A logo for Micco-Film appears in the lower right hand corner of the postcard.  SOLD                                                                                      

Postcard 4 is a vintage real photo postcard featuring  a young and long haired Liane Haid. She is flashing a very sweet smile. The postcard was published by Ross Verlag of Berlin, Germany. It is part of a series (No. 528/2). Miss Haid was photographed by Frieda Riess (1890-1955?), a female Berlin photographer. One of her photographs can be found in Great Britain’s National Portrait Gallery. The postcard has the logo for Micco-Film in the bottom right hand corner and is postmarked 1929. The card was mailed from Denmark to Estonia.  SOLD   

Postcard 5 features a vintage real photo of Miss Haid. As usual, she looks quite pretty. The actress is flashing a lovely smile. She is wearing a string of pearls and a hair band. This photograph was taken by the talented and prolific celebrity photographer, Alexander Binder. The postcard was published by Ross Verlag (Berlin) as part of a series (no. 545/1). The logo for Micco-Film can be seen on the bottom right hand corner of the postcard. The card was postmarked in 1925 and is in very good condition (see scans).                  

 Postcard 6 offers another view of Miss Haid. She looks beautiful as always. This photograph was taken by the Becker & Maas studio. The firm was located in Berlin Germany. The publisher of the card was Ross Verlag. The postcard is part of a series (No.4190/1).   (SOLD)

Postcard 7 features Miss Haid as photographed by Frieda Riess (1890-1955?), a female photographer located in Berlin, Germany. The publisher of the card was Ross Verlag. The postcard is part of a series (No.462/2). (SOLD)

Postcard 8 was published by Ross Verlag. The postcard is part of a series (No.1732/3). Note the logo for UFA, a German film company.  (SOLD)

MIA MAY : PRETTY AUSTRIAN SILENT FILM ACTRESS

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POSTCARD 3

These vintage real photo postcards feature pretty Austrian actress Mia May (1884-1980). She was born in Vienna, the daughter of a baker. Her older sister was Mitzi Telmont (1879-1958), also an actress. Mia’s stage debut was when she was five years old. She played child roles until reaching age fourteen. As a teenager she appeared as Herma Angelot and performed as an actress and singer. While a high school student, she took ballet lessons. At age 18, she married Austrian, Julius Otto Mandl. The couple’s baby (Eva Maria Mandl) was born seven weeks later. Mia’s husband changed his name to Joe May, upon his entry into the film business. He became a successful film producer and director. This is how Eva adopted her performer name. She appeared in 44 films between 1912 and 1924. Mia’s daughter, Eva May, also became an actress. In 1912, Joe, Mia, and Eva moved to Berlin, where Joe worked as a film director. In 1912 he directed Mia in a film that launched her acting career. By 1914, little Eva May made her screen debut. Joe began his own film company, May-Film Gmb, in 1915. Mia took the position of Managing Director. In 1918, Mia wrote a screen play for “Your Big Secret”. Her movie career flourished in the 1910’s and early 1920’s. From 1919 to 1920 she was the star of an eight part film series (serial) called “Mistress of the World”. Mia reached a level of popularity equivalant to Asta Nielsen, Pola Negri, and Henny Porten. In 1923, she appeared in a film with a young Marlene Dietrich. Mia stated that Marlene Dietrich was “funny and engaging, attractive and original.” She added, “no man could resist her”. Mia May’s last film appearance was in “The Love Letters of Baroness S” (1924). She retired that same year after her daughter Eva committed suicide. In 1933, after seeing the Nazis gaining power, Mia and Joe May fled to America. The couple opened a restaurant (Blue Danube) in Los Angeles but it failed.

The photo portrait of Eva May seen Postcard 1 was taken by Alexander Binder.  The photographer of this terrific image was Alexander Binder (1888-1929). He had the largest photo studio in Europe during the late 1920’s and the 1930’s. Many of his entertainment star portraits appear on Ross Verlag postards. It is thought that Binder was of Swiss origin. He was of the Jewish faith. He studied engineering but did not complete his studies. From 1908 to 1910 he studied photography at a school in Munich, Germany. After the completion of his photography studies, he went to Berlin and in 1913 opened his first photography studio. Before long, he became one of the premier photographers in Berlin.  He primarily focused on fashion and celebrity photography. Since Berlin was the capital of the European film industry, Binder photographed all the stars of the European film industry including, Lilian Harvey, Conrad Veidt, and Lya De Putti. Many of his images were used in popular film portrait postcards. His photographs could be seen in postcards published by Ross Verlag and Photochemie. Binder died in 1929 but new photo cards bearing his signature continued to be published until 1937. It is thought that the real photographer of these new postcards was Hubs Floeter (1910-1974) who was employed at the studio as an operator. The studio continued to be owned by Binder’s widow, Mrs. Binder Alleman and their two daughters. The studio was managed by the Jewish Elisabeth Baroness Vonhedlis Stengel who was later deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. In 1938 the Nazi’s closed Binder’s studio and it was later taken over by an Aryan photographer, Karl Ludwig Haenchen . The postcard was published by Ross Verlag (Berlin) as part of a series (no533/3). Note the “May” logo in the lower right corner of the image. Miss May was working for May-Film at the time this photograph was taken. The stamp box seen on the reverse of this postcard has an interesting story attached to it. “NBC” (Neue Bromsilber Convention) was a price cartel established in 1909 that continued until the 1930’s. The purpose of the cartel was to ensure that the minimum price charged for postcards was kept at a sufficiently profitable level. A number of postcard publishing companies joined the cartel in an effort to stave off the effect of competition on the pricing of postcards. This vintage real photo portrait postcard has excellent clarity and is in very good condition (see scans).

Postcard 2 was also published by Ross Verlag. Once again, the photographer is Alex Binder. The postcard is part of the same series (533/2) as Postcard 1. The “May” logo can be seen on the bottom left corner of the image. This unposted postcard is in good condition (see scans).

Postcard 3 was published by Ross Verlag (Berlin) as part of a series (no230/3). Note the “May” logo in the lower right corner of the image. Miss May was working for May-Film at the time this photograph was taken. This vintage real photo portrait postcard has excellent clarity.  The postcard has small stains in it’s top right corner. Overall, the postcard is in Good Condition  (see scans)

Buy this original Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #3356

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Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #3715

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Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #5113

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POSTCARD 1
POSTCARD 2

POSTCARD 3

PRETTY ITALIAN ACTRESS AND WRITER MARCELLA ALBANI

Postcard 1 (Sold)

POSTCARD 2  (SOLD)

albani                   POSTCARD 3  (SOLD)

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     POSTCARD 4  (SOLD)                      

Marcella Albani (1899-1959) was an Italian film actress that appeared in 50 films between 1919 and 1936. Albani was “discovered” by writer/director Guido Parish (Schamberg) when she was twenty years old. They became a very successful film couple until 1924 when they parted ways. Their movies were predominately tear jerkers and adventure stories. The actress also worked with other famous directors such as Joe May, Friedrich Zelnik, and Wilhelm Dieterle. Albani was a major star in the European cinema in the late 1920’s. Her films were made in five different European countries. Many of Albani’s roles were portraying elegant Latin beauties. At the advent of sound movies, Miss Albani turned to writing. One of her several novels was turned into a movie. She continued to act until 1936. Albani was married to director Mario Franchini in 1931.

Albani certainly looks elegant, sensual, and beautiful in this Postcard 1 portrait. She is dressed exquisitely. The postcard image is a bit risque for it’s era. This postcard was published by Ross Verlag of Berlin, Germany. The postcard is part of a series (no. 538/1). This portrait of Miss Albani was taken by celebrity photographer, Alexander Binder.   (SOLD)

In the photograph seen on Postcard 2, Albani again looks elegant, and beautiful. Her hat is a fashion statement in itself. The card is of German origin and published by Ross Verlag of Berlin. The postcard is part of a series (no. 1521/1). The photo is by Aafa film. According to one reliable source, the postcard was issued sometime between 1927 and 1928.  (SOLD)

Postcard 3 features a beautiful risque portrait of Miss Albani. The publisher of this postcard is also Ross Verlag of Berlin, Germany. The postcard is part of a series (no. 596/3). Printed on the postcard is the name “Albani Film”. The company was a film production and distribution firm and was active in 1934.  (SOLD)

Postcard 4 accentuates the beauty of Miss Albani. The portrait is artistic and risque. This postcard was published by Ross Verlag as part of a series (no.596/4). Print in the bottom right hand corner of the image states “Albani Film”.  (SOLD)

                                                        Postcard 2

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ERNA MORENA : PRETTY AND SUCCESSFUL GERMAN FILM ACTRESS

POSTCARD 1
POSTCARD 1 (CLOSE-UP)

This vintage real photo postcard (Postcard 1) features pretty German film actress, Erna Morena (1885-1962). In addition to being a performer, she was also  a film producer and screen writer during the silent era. The IMDb reports that Morena appeared in 122 films between 1913 and 1951. Morena grew up in a middle-class family in Bavaria. At age 17, she attended applied art school in Munich. In 1909, after a short stint in Paris, she moved to Berlin where she worked as a nurse. She became a student at the German Theater’s drama school and in 1910 was hired as an actress by Max Reinhardt, Austrian-born theater and film director. She played a number of small theater roles and in 1913, Morena made her film debut in “The Sphinx”, produced by Leteraria Film. She was a “big time” actress. She worked under many well known directors and with some of the most well known actors in German film. Morena made a bid to become a film producer and formed her own film company which produced films in 1918 and in 1920. By the mid 1920’s, she was considered one of the biggest stars in German films. With the advent of talkies, her career declined. However, she did appear in supporting roles during the 1930’s.  Between 1915 and 1921, Morena was married to the German writer, Wilhelm Herzog. He was a historian of literature and culture, a dramatist, the author of an encyclopedia, and a well known pacifist. Their marriage ended in divorce. Morena appeared in the 1940 film “Jud SuB”. The movie was a Nazi Germany historical drama propaganda film. The film was produced on the order of Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi politician and trusted aide to Adolph Hitler. The movie is considered one of the most anti-semitic films of all time. Postcard 1 was published by Ross Verlag and is part of a series (no.1752/1). The company was located in Berlin, Germany. Morena was photographed by the German photographer, Ernst Schneider. Research about Mr Schneider yielded a great deal of information. He was considered to be one of the most celebrated studio photographers in Berlin during three decades (1900’s, 1910’s, 1920’s. He photographed many celebrities from the world of theater, opera, circuses, and film. He was also one of the most prominent fashion photographers in Berlin. In addition, he was well known for his nude photography and he published books showcasing his work in this domain. Sometime around 1908 Schneider began working with postcard publishers “Rotophot” and “Neue Photographische Gesellschaft” (NPG). In 1919 he began working with Ross Verlag. This postcard, a former resident of a postcard album, is in very good condition (see scans below).            

Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #3173

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$25.50

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Postcard 2
POSTCARD 2 (CLOSE-UP)

Postcard 2 also features the lovely Miss Morena. This postcard was published by Photochemie, located in Berlin, Germany. The card is part of a series (no.k149). Photochemie published postcards of only German film stars or European performers performing in German films. The postcards were published between 1914 and 1919. The firm also produced postcards of other subjects. The photographer of this terrific image was Alexander Binder (1888-1929). He had the largest photo studio in Europe during the late 1920’s and the 1930’s. Many of his entertainment star portraits appear on Ross Verlag postards. It is thought that Binder was of Swiss origin. He was of the Jewish faith. He studied engineering but did not complete his studies. From 1908 to 1910 he studied photography at a school in Munich, Germany. After the completion of his photography studies, he went to Berlin and in 1913 opened his first photography studio. Before long, he became one of the premier photographers in Berlin.  He primarily focussed on fashion and celebrity photography. Since Berlin was the capital of the European film industry, Binder photographed all the stars of the European film industry including, Lilian Harvey, Conrad Veidt, and Lya De Putti. Many of his images were used in popular film portrait postcards. His photographs could be seen in postcards published by Ross Verlag and Photochemie. Binder died in 1929 but new photo cards bearing his signature continued to be published until 1937. It is thought that the real photographer of these new postcards was Hubs Floeter (1910-1974) who was employed at the studio as an operator. The studio continued to be owned by Binder’s widow, Mrs. Binder Alleman and their two daughters. The studio was managed by the Jewish Elisabeth Baroness Vonhedlis Stengel who was later deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. In 1938 the Nazi’s closed Binder’s studio and it was later taken over by an Aryan photographer, Karl Ludwig Haenchen . Haenchen continued to produce celebrity portraits for postcards. His publishers included Film-Foto-Verlag. After World War II the studio was taken over by the Hasse und Wiese company. This postcard has a Hamburg, Germany postmark and is dated 1918. The postcard is in very good condition (see scans)

Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #3253

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$19.50

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$28.00

POSTCARD 2