FAMILY PORTRAIT : ATLANTIC CITY BOARDWALK STUDIO : BEACH : VINTAGE RPPC 1920’s

This vintage real photo postcard (RPPC) captures a striking studio portrait of a family—mother, father, and young daughter—likely taken as a souvenir along the Atlantic City Boardwalk in the 1920s. The woman is dressed in a fashionable dark seaside outfit with lace-up boots, seated on a prop with “ATLANTIC CITY” clearly visible. The young girl, wearing a sailor-style dress with large hair bows, stands between her parents, while the man wears a sleeveless athletic undershirt and shorts, a typical beach attire of the period. The backdrop is painted to resemble the seashore, a hallmark of boardwalk souvenir photography studios. A rough transcription of the message on the reverse of the photograph is as follows: “Dear Florence, We’ve been here for 2 weeks and I have tried to write a few but really I have been too lazy. I cannot write every day. I thought I would go to Florence. Intend to write to all that is a good as it got. I am looking forward to going home as Andrew is going to be married Sept 13 to Em Wm Carrow. He is a retired fireman a brother to Joe Carrow that has the saloon front & back. Love to all from all, Asmy Joseph”. The postcard has an AZO stamp box dating it to approximately 1904-1918.  Atlantic City’s boardwalk photographers were popular during the early 20th century, offering tourists a chance to take home a posed souvenir photo, often with seaside props or painted backdrops. The mix of casual and dressed attire in this card is characteristic of family beach portraits from the era. (SOLD)

Published in: on October 6, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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BATHING BEAUTY : PALACE STUDIOS : ATLANTIC CITY : CYKO : RPPC 1920’s

This delightful real photo postcard features a cheerful young woman seated on a faux rock formation, wearing a charming bathing costume and matching head wrap. Her outfit is a stylish two-piece ensemble made of dark fabric with bold, checked gingham trim on the collar, sleeves, and skirt hem—a classic look from the 1910s to early 1920s. Her lace-up bathing boots and the studio backdrop, which imitates a beach setting, reinforce the seaside theme. The woman’s expression is warm and welcoming; she smiles gently at the camera, her chin resting lightly on her hand in a relaxed pose. There is an engaging sense of playfulness and personality in the portrait—characteristics that make it especially appealing to collectors of early 20th-century beach imagery and character photography. This postcard was produced by The Palace Studios, located at 1235 on the Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey, a popular tourist destination in the early 20th century. Palace Studios specialized in novelty and souvenir portrait photography for beachgoers, offering whimsical props and painted backdrops that gave visitors an idealized memento of their seaside vacation. The reverse of the postcard features a CYKO stamp box, a format used by the CYKO photographic paper brand, which helps to date this postcard to the 1910s–early 1920s. The card has a divided back, which also aligns with that time frame.  SOLD

Published in: on July 13, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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BOARDWALK EMPIRE : PORTRAIT OF FIVE CLASSY CITIZENS FROM THE ELITE STUDIO ON THE BOARDWALK IN ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY

This vintage real photo postcard features five well dressed citizens being photographed by the Elite Studio, located on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The gents and ladies look like they wandered off the set of “Boardwalk Empire”. Note the hats worn by this gathering of older adults. The 1919 Boyd’s Atlantic City Directory reports that the Elite Studio was operated by photographers Erna Hoefle and Ferdinand U. Latimer. Erna is a female name. Women operating photo studios during this era was not very common. This postcard has an Artura stamp box which indicates that the card was published sometime between 1908 and 1924. This vintage postcard is in excellent condition (see scans).

Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #3078

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$31.48

Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes International shipping outside the US) #3078

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$39.98

Published in: on May 20, 2020 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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IT’S ALL ABOUT THE DRESS IN PHILADELPHIA: LAURA DEXTER TELLS COUSIN GUSSIE ABOUT HER ADVENTURES IN FASHION

“Dear Gussie,

Here is a Photo of my self in full dress if you would rather have me in my black lace dress I will exchange this for it. Everyone thinks this is the best I have ever had taken. Recd (received) your letter will answer it tomorrow. I tinted this for you.

With love, Your devoted Cousin,   Laura Decker.”

The above is the inscription found on the reverse of this cabinet card. Laura Decker was definitely fashion conscious and also very excited about her appearance in this photograph. She was also eager to share her joy with her cousin Gussie. Although this is not a particularly flattering image of Laura, the dress certainly photographed well. Laura’s message to her cousin is interesting though while reading it, I felt almost guilty as if I was reading someone else’s mail. That feeling shouldn’t be too surprising because that’s exactly what I was doing. The photographer of this cabinet card was a studio belonging to George F. Chandler & Samuel Scheetz. They operated their business in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One source indicates that the studio was located on Arch Street in Philadelphia between  1880 and 1893. Another source reveals that the two men had a gallery in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1885. The business was located on the Boardwalk at the corner of South Carolina Avenue. To view additional photographs by Chandler & Scheetz, click on the category “Chandler & Scheetz”. Further information about Laura Decker could not be located because there were a number of women in Philadelphia who shared that name.

Published in: on July 31, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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A MAN AND HIS MEDAL IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

This dapper gentleman is wearing a medal and ribbon as he poses for this portrait at the studio of Applegate, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. What does this medal and ribbon represent? Is this gentleman a veteran of the civil war? Is he a member of a fraternal organization or political party? The answer to these questions will be very difficult to obtain but perhaps a visitor to this site may have some ideas to share about the type of medal and ribbon the subject is wearing. The gentleman’s beard is quite interesting. He has no mustache or whiskers immediately under his lower lip. He qualifies for Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of  “Beards (Only The Best). The photographer of this cabinet card led an interesting life. In 1860, James R. Applegate had a photographic studio in Philadelphia that was three floors high. In 1877, a St. Louis photography magazine visited Applegate’s studio and wrote that he “encases 50 portrait faces every minute…. with a bevy of young ladies finishing the same and scores waiting to be set”. In 1884, Applegate opened the first successful amusement pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The boardwalk included one of his photography studios. In 1891, he moved the carousel from the boardwalk to Philadelphia and a year later, the police raided the carousel and arrested him and 200 guests. He was charged with “keeping a disorderly house” and an unnamed more serious offense.

Published in: on February 19, 2010 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
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