GABY DESLYS: BEAUTIFUL AND TALENTED ACTRESS, DANCER AND SINGER

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POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 3 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 4 (SOLD)

Vintage real photo Postcard 1 features a portrait of the multi talented actress, dancer, and singer, Gaby Deslys (1881-1920). Miss Deslys performed at the beginning of the twentieth century in both Europe and the United States. She was extremely popular worldwide. In fact, she was able to earn four thousand dollars a week when performing in the United States. She performed several times on Broadway. She had a dance named after her, “The Gaby Glide” (1911). You can find the sheet music, with Gaby on the cover, elsewhere on ebay. Her love life was the topic of much public gossip. She probably added to the sensationalism surrounding her by posing in a number of risque postcards. She was courted by many wealthy and powerful men, including the King of Portugal. Her life was cut short by the “Spanish” influenza. Postcard 1 is not at all common. It was published by E. A. Schwerdtfeger Company of London and printed in Berlin (no. 0291/1). The company also had an office in New York (opened in 1910). This publishing house printed many different types of real photo postcards but was known for its hand-colored real photo postcards of actresses and fashionable women in exotic costumes. The photographer was the Talbot studio. The creator of Miss Deslys’s hat is also credited (Lewis). This particular real photo postcard stands out because it offers a colorized and very clear view of this beautiful and talented performer.  SOLD

Postcard 2 was photographed by Edouard Stebbing. He was active in Paris between 1890 and 1910. Stebbing taught at a University in Paris and invented the stebbing camera, and was known for his work with emulsions. It is reported that he was friends with the artist Monet. He died in 1914 and his wife (Celestine) died five years earlier. Stebbing was a prolific photographer during the Belle Epoque Paris. He appears to have been an expatriate from England. He published many articles in British Photographic journals. Stebbing photographed many theatrical stars. A frequent publisher of these postcards was Monsieur G.Piprot, of “Etoille” or “Star” publishing in Paris. The “Photographic Times and American Photographer” (1883) cited Stebbing as “one of the bright lights of the French Photographic Society. The card has a 1908 postmark.  SOLD

Postcard 3 is not common. It was published by Rotary Photo of Great Britain as part of a series (no.11843 A). This postcard portrait was taken by the Foulsham & Banfield studio. Gaby Deslys was certainly a beautiful and talented performer.  SOLD

Postcard 4 was published by Rapid Photo of Great Britain as part of a series (no.4245). The company was active between 1901 and 1910. The firm specialized in taking theatrical portraits and was located in London. This postcard portrait was taken by the Bassano studio.  SOLD

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POSTCARD 3 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 4 (SOLD)

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Published in: on June 8, 2023 at 7:33 am  Leave a Comment  
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ROSE EDWARDS : ACTRESS, SINGER, OR BOXER : RESEARCH RESULTED IN BUBKAS

This postcard features a portrait of a pretty young woman named Rose Edwards. I have been unable to learn anything about her. This card is rare. My research could not locate another postcard featuring Miss Edwards. This card was published by Rotary Photo as part of their “Rotary Photographic Series” (No.1924A). Edwards photo portrait was taken by Alexander Bassano (1829-1913), a leading royal and high society photographer in Victorian London. Given the identity of the publisher and photographer, my best hypothesis is that Miss Edwards was a relatively minor actress, dancer, or singer. However, there is a competing theory. Although improbable, the Rose Edwards featured in this postcard portrait, may be female boxer, Mrs. Rose Edwards. The Library of Congress possesses a photograph of a Mrs Rose Edwards fighting Frl. Kussin in a 1912 boxing match. Miss Rose Edwards, seen on this postcard, does not give the appearance of a boxer. In reality, old female boxing photos reveal that many of the woman who fought in boxing contests were quite pretty and relatively slender, They were not “built” like stereotypical boxers. This vintage postcard has some cornerwear and is in overall good condition (see scans).

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Published in: on February 28, 2023 at 10:51 pm  Leave a Comment  
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DORA BARTON : ENGLISH FILM ACTRESS : TWO PORTRAITS : RPPC

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Image 1 - DORA BARTON : FILM ACTRESS : ROTARY PHOTO : RPPC (1904)Postcard 2  (SOLD)

 

This wonderful vintage real photo postcard (Postcard 1) captures actor Mr. Charles Garry and actress Dora Barton (1880-1966) in a dramatic scene from the play “Ivanhoe”. Ivanhoe was a dramatization by William Palmer of Walter Scott’s novel.Dora Barton plays Rebecca while Charles Garry plays the role of Isaac of York. Both actors later had film careers. This photograph does an incredible job of capturing the performers emotions. The photographer of this image was well known for his talent and family ties. Alexander Percy Guttenberg (1870-?) came from a family that produced a number of photographers. His father, Marcus Guttenberg (1828-1891) began as a daguerreotypist in Hungary, Prussia, Poland and Germany before starting a photography business in England (1851). One source reports that he established 24 studios in England but settled in the Manchester area. Percy, like his father, was also very successful. In fact, there are fourteen of his photographs in England’s National Portrait Gallery. Percy was famous for his work photographing actors and actresses. The image above was photographed at his Queen’s Theater studio in Manchester as part of a “Revival Series”. The postcard has been mailed and is postmarked in Sunderland in the year 1909. Sunderland is in the northeast of England.

Postcard 2 features a portrait of Dora Barton. Barton, an English actress, appeared in films between 1916 and 1938. Her mother and her sister were also actresses. The IMDb reports that Barton appeared in 12 films. She also appeared in a Broadway show in 1902. This postcard was published by Rotary Photo as part of a series (No.1654C). Barton’s photo portrait was done by Alexander Bassano. Bassano (1829 –1913) was a leading royal and high society photographer in Victorian London. The postcard has a 1904 postmark.  (SOLD)

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Published in: on August 12, 2022 at 12:00 pm  Comments (4)  
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THREE PORTRAITS OF BEAUTIFUL STAGE ACTRESS NINA SEVENING (1905 & 1907 & 1911)

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 Postcard 1 features a portrait of beautiful English stage actress Nina Sevening (1885-1958). She was 22 years old at the time of this photo. Miss Sevening began her stage career as a child in 1894. She became a major theater actress, singer, and light comedienne. Some of her credits include “Three Little Maids” (1903), “The Merry Widow” (1907), and Peter Pan (1913). Nina Sevening retired from the stage in 1917. The postcard image of Miss Sevening, seen in Postcard 1 is uncommon. It was produced by London’s Philco Publishing Company as part of a series (no. 3390A). The message on the postcard is timeless. The writer, who was on vacation, apologizes for not writing sooner. The postcard was postmarked in Coventry, England in 1907.  SOLD

Postcard 2 features another beautiful image of the 20 year-old Miss Sevening. She is wearing a large hat which can be best described as “busy”. Once again, Philco is the publisher and the card is part of a series (no. 3050 B). The photographer is Bassano  (1829 –1913). He was a leading royal and high society photographer in Victorian London. The postmark on the postcard is from Burton on Trent and is dated 1905. The writer of Postcard 2 starts the message with a thank you for a “pretty postcard” that was received from the addressee (Gladys). The writer also reports on the condition of someone who was fighting “bronchial pneumonia”.  SOLD

Postcard 3 was published by Raphael Tuck & Sons as part of the “Celebrities of the Stage” series (No.T 1300). Raphael Tuck and his wife started their photography business in 1866 in London. Their store sold pictures, greeting cards, and in time, postcards. Their success came from the sale of postcards during the late 1890’s and early 1900’s.Three of Tuck’s four sons participated in the business. Miss Sevening’s photograph was taken by the Dover Street Studios. The studio was active between circa 1906 and circa 1912. The gallery specialized in taking theatrical portraits and was located in London, England. This postcard is received its postmark in 1911.  SOLD

         

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Published in: on October 22, 2021 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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PEGGY RUSH : PORTRAIT OF A BRITISH AMERICAN CHIGAGOAN STAGE AND FILM ACTRESS

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This vintage real photo postcard features pretty stage and film actress Peggy Rush. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, in around 1898. Her parents relocated to England when she was just three months old. Miss Rush began her stage career playing in musical comedy choruses.  In 1915 she played such a role in New York. She was a member of the company that appeared in “Quinneys” at the Maxine Elliott theatre. The Green Book magazine (1916) reported that for for the first three seasons Rush appeared on stage, she was a chorus girl for the first year, and she was a leading lady for the final two seasons. A reviewer in “The Theatre” magazine described Rush as “fascinatingly girlish”. The New York Times (1916) reported her engagement to to the Honorable George St. John Brodrick, the eldest son of Viscount Middleton and heir to the peerage (definition – those holding title).  George St John Brodrick, 2nd Earl of Midleton (1888 –1979) was an English aristocrat, landowner and soldier. It was not unusual for actresses or chorus girls to meet and marry titled individuals. Some of these men were “stage door Johnnies”. A photograph by the Bassano studio (1923) can be found in Britain’s National Portrait Gallery. I also found a notice of Rush’s divorce from her titled husband. I uncovered a 1924 press photo of Peggy Rush. The caption of the image discloses that the Viscountess Dunsford (Formerly Peggy Rush) was suing her husband, the count, for divorce. He went on to marry two more actresses. Miss Rush had a sense of humor. She once said that she never knew whether to refer to herself as American or English. She quipped that she felt safest calling herself a Chicagoan. This photo postcard was published by Rotary Photo as part of a series (no.A171-2).The card is “hand painted” and part of the “British Beauty” series. The postcard was written and postmarked in 1917. This real photo postcard is in very good condition.

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Published in: on May 27, 2020 at 7:30 pm  Comments (1)  
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MISS MARJORIE VILLIS : RISQUE PORTRAIT OF A STRIKINGLY PRETTY BRITISH ACTRESS

This vintage real photo postcard portrait feature British silent film actress, Marjorie Villis (1891-1981). Miss Villis is quite pretty and has a wonderful smile. This photograph captures her in a risque pose and a risque costume. What an amazing elaborate and busy costume. When I first saw this image, I immediately became motivated to find information about this provocative actress. I met little success in learning about Marjorie Villis. Photographs of her appear to be uncommon, and I could not find the postcard above anywhere online. I did learn that she sat for seven postcard portraits that can be found in the UK’s National Portrait Gallery, All of the portraits were taken by celebrated photographer, Alexander Bassano. The IMDb credits Villis with 15 film roles between 1915 and 1922. Villis was most noted for her roles in “The Rugged Path (1918), “A Romany Lass (1918)”, and  “Brenda of the Barge (1920). She had a relatively short career. I wonder why her career ended so abruptly? The first talkie feature film did not get released until 1927, so we know that, unlike many other silent film stars, Villis was not shut out of the film industry because of an unsuitable voice or foreign accent. This postcard was published by J. Beagles & Company (London)  as part of a series (no.142 J). The wonderful portrait of Miss Villis was taken by S. Ward. This vintage postcard is in very good condition (see scans)

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Published in: on July 30, 2019 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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FIVE PORTRAITS OF BEAUTIFUL STAGE ACTRESS ALICE CRAWFORD (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARDS)

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These vintage real photo postcards feature a beautiful actress named Alice Crawford (1882-1931). Miss Crawford was born in Bendigo, Australia. Her sister, Ruby Crawford was also an actress. Miss Crawford came to England with actor Wilson Barret in 1902 after appearing with him in Australia. Her London debut was in 1902 in in the play “The Christian”.  She was in the revival of the play in 1907. Other stage credits include “Antony and Cleopatra (1906), Matt of Merrymount (1908), and “The Passing of the Third Floor, Back” (1908). The New York Times (1909) announced her arrival in New York to perform in “These Are My People”. She is credited with film roles in “False Ambition” (1918) and Glorious Adventure (1922). There are fifteen portraits of Alice Crawford in the National Portrait Gallery, eight of which are by the photographer of the top photo postcard (Alexander Bassano}. Bassano  (1829 –1913) was a leading royal and high society photographer in Victorian London. Crawford was married to George Valentine Williams. He was wounded twice in WW I and was awarded the Military Cross. He later worked as a journalist, mostly in trouble spots. During WW2 he conducted “confidential work” for the British Government. He is best known as an author of Detective Fiction. He died in 1946. This postcard captures Miss Crawford in costume for her role as “Diantha Frothingham” in “Matt of Merrymount” (1908). Alice Crawford certainly qualifies as a “stage beauty” and she has an amazingly engaging smile. Bassano photographed the actress for Rotary Photo’s, Rotary Photographic Series (no.1852 R).                                      

The second photo postcard features Miss Crawford looking quite beautiful. Her hair is long and flowing and she has a flower hair band. Her eyes are beautiful and she appears to be holding back a smile. Like the first postcard, this card is also published by Rotary Photo and was part of a series (no. 1852 K). In fact both postcards seen here are part of the same series.  The postcard’s photograph was taken by the Dover Street Studio.  The studio was active between circa 1906 and circa 1912. The gallery specialized in taking theatrical portraits and was located in London, England. They were the successors to the Biograph Studios as well Adart (a studio that took advertising photos). Examination of the reverse of this postcard (see second postcard below) reveals that it was postmarked in 1907. The message on the back of the postcard is quite interesting because it contains comments about the photo on the postcard. The writer reports that she was charmed by a postcard from the addressee and she asks her how she likes “this one”. The writer also states that she was planning to go see “The Thief” at the St. James Theater. Billboard (1907) contains a review of the musical and describes it as an English version of Henry Bernstein’s “Le Voleur”.  The play was produced by Mr George Alexander and it’s cast included Mr. Alexander, Irene Vanbrugh, and Lillian Braithwaite. 

The third photo postcard portrait of Miss Crawford was produced by Rotary Photo and photographed by Dover Studios. The postcard was part of the Rotary Photographic Series (no.1852 P) and was printed in England. This photograph captures Alice Crawford appearing quite dismayed.

The fourth real photo postcard in this collection features a close-up portrait of Miss Crawford. This image confirms that Alice Crawford was certainly a stage beauty. The photograph is very similar to the second postcard in this group and the two images were likely taken during the same photo session at the Dover Street Studio. This postcard was published by Raphael Tuck and Sons and is part of the “Celebrities of the Stage” series (no. T 1148). Raphael Tuck and his wife started their photography business in 1866 in London. Their store sold pictures, greeting cards, and in time, postcards. Their success came from the sale of postcards during the late 1890’s and early 1900’s. In the early 1900’s the firm conducted postcard competitions for collectors of Tuck postcards. These competitions offered cash prizes and they were very popular. The winner of one of these competitions had a collection consisting of over twenty-five thousand cards. Three of Tuck’s four sons participated in the business. The company was devastated by German bombing during World War II. In 1959 the company merged with two other printing companies. This postcard was written and postmarked in 1908. It was postmarked at Bradninch, England. The message on the card is a “Happy Birthday” wish.

The fifth photo postcard features a close-up view of Miss Crawford. She looks pretty with her rolled curl hair and her engaging eyes. This postcard was published by Raphael Tuck and Sons. It is part of the “Celebrities of the Stage”  series (no. T 1202).

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Published in: on September 8, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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MISS VIOLET ESSEX: A FORGOTTEN OPERA STAR

 The pretty subject of this vintage real photo postcard is actress and opera singer, Violet Essex (1893-1941). The English born Miss Essex appears in a web site entitled “Forgotten Opera Singers” which is written by Ashot Arakelyan. Essex sang during World War I when there was a demand for “lighter music”. Essex, a soprano, fulfilled that need. She recorded under her own name as well as under “Vera Desmond”. Miss Essex was known for her performances in Gilbert and Sullivan’s operas. She starred in the comic opera “Chu Chin Chow” during its five and a half year run in London. She was married to Charles Tucker, an English theatrical producer. She died just six months after moving with her family to Beverly Hills, California. This postcard portrait shows Miss Essex as Emmeline in the Edwardian musical comedy “The Sunshine Girl”. The show was first produced by George Edwardes at London’s Gaiety Theatre. The musical opened in 1912 and ran for 336 performances. The show introduced the tango to British audiences. Violet  Essex was in the original cast. The play also had a Broadway run in 1913 at the Knickerbocker Theatre. The photographer who took this photograph of Miss Essex is Alexander Bassano (1829-1913). He was a leading royal and high society London photographer and more of his images can be seen by clicking on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category “Photographer: Bassano”. This postcard was produced around 1912 and is part of a series (41243 8). To hear a recorded performance (Dear Heart) by Violet Essex, click on the link below. 

 

 

 

Published in: on April 14, 2017 at 6:50 pm  Comments (1)  
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BEAUTIFUL STAGE ACTRESS DENISE ORME (THREE VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARDS)

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The top vintage real photo postcard features stage actress Miss Denise Orme. She is very attractive and beautifully dressed. She is wearing a fur stole and and fur muffs. She has a lovely hat and wonderful smile. Miss Orme’s given name was Jessie Smither, and was later known as Duchess of Leinster. Denise Orme (1885-1960) was an English music hall singer, actress and musician who was a regular performeer at the Alhambra and Gaiety Theatres in London during the early years of the twentieth century. Her mother was a professor of music. She trained for her theatrical career at the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music. Her stage debut was in 1906 in the chorus at Daly’s Theatre in London. Later that same year she appeared in the title role of “See See” at the Prince of Wales Theatre. In 1906 she participated in gramophone recordings of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado”. Her marital history reveals that she had a predilection to choosing husbands that were “rich and famous”. She was married to an English Baron, A Danish millionaire, and an Irish duke. She was the maternal grandmother of Aga Khan IV.who is the current Imam of Nizari Ismailism which is a denomination of of Ismailism within Shia Islam with 15 million adherents. He is also a British business magnate. Miss Orme’s photographic portrait was taken by the Foulsham and Banfield Studio. Foulsham & Banfield were well known celebrity photographers. Frank Foulsham and A. C. Banfield operated a studio in the 1900’s through the 1920’s. The postcard was published by Rotary Photo and is part of the Rotary Photographic Series (#4098 Q). The postcard has a postmark from London, England, and dated 1907. The postmark date reveals that this portrait of Miss Orme was taken at the beginning of her stage career. In the message section of the postcard, the sender asks the receiver, “What do you think of Denise?”. In addition, the sender asserts on the front of the postcard “Nice hat, isn’t it?”. I have to agree; not only is Miss Orme lovely, so is her hat…….  The second postcard shows the beautiful and well dressed Miss Orme peeking out from behind a curtain. The photographer is Alexander Bassano (1829-1913) who was a leading royal and high society photographer located in London. This postcard, like the first was published by Rotary Photo and is part of the Rotary Photographic Series (no. 1933 I)……. The third photo postcard portrait of Miss Orme presents a close-up profile view of this stunningly pretty young actress. Like the first two photo postcards, this one is also published by the Rotary Photo company and is part of the Rotary Photographic Series (no. 4098 M). The photograph was taken by “Play Pictorial” which was an English theatre magazine published in London between 1902 and 1939. The publication provided a pictorial presentation of West End theatrical productions with each issue focusing on just one play.

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REVERSE OF FIRST POSTCARD

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REVERSE OF SECOND POSTCARD

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REVERSE OF THIRD POSTCARD

Published in: on October 3, 2016 at 11:56 am  Comments (2)  
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