ACTRESS IVY CLOSE: IN 1908 SHE WAS RATED THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD

POSTCARD 1  (SOLD)

ACTRESS IVY CLOSE: RATED THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD IN 1908 : E NEAME - Picture 1 of 3POSTCARD 2  (SOLD)

These vintage real photo postcards feature British film actress Ivy Close (1890-1968). Miss Close acted in 44 films between 1912 and 1929.  Ivy Close was born in, and died in, England. Her first husband was a well known photographer and film maker. His name was Elwin Neame (1885-1923) and he and Close established “Ivy Close Films” in 1914. The couple had two sons and both went into the movie business. Close was married a second time in 1938. Her second husband was Curly Batson, an Australian stuntman and make-up artist. If you think that she is quite beautiful, join the club. In 1908, she was named the “World’s Most Beautiful Woman” by Britain’s Daily Mirror. She beat over 1500 competitors for the title of Britain’s beauty queen. In 1916, the actress came to the US and made twelve films for the Kalem Company in New York. Close had some interesting hobbies. She motorcycled, golfed, served as an advertising model, and sang in English music halls. Upon the arrival of “talkies”, Close’s acting career came to a screeching halt. It was decided by higher-ups that her English accent was unacceptable to American audiences.

Postcard 1 was printed in Britain and was part of the Lilywhite Photographic Series (no. C M 404D). The publisher, Lilywhite Ltd, Halifax (L.L.H.), was founded by Arthur Frederick Sergeant. He also was the founder of Halifax Photographic Company which was based in Halifax, England. Lilywhite began publishing postcards in 1910; and in the 1920’s, the company took over Arrow Series Postcards. The company then published postcards under both the Arrow and Lilywhite names.  (SOLD)

Postcard 2 was published by C. W. Faulkner & Co. The postcard publishing company was headquartered in London. (SOLD)

POSTCARD 1

POSTCARD 2

SUSY VINING : BEAUTIFUL ACTRESS AND FASHIONISTA (EXTRAORDINARY CABINET CARD BY BENJAMIN FALK); AND TWO RPPC’S :

PHOTO 1 (SOLD)

PHOTO 2 (SOLD)

PHOTO 3 (SOLD)

I am not prone to hyperbole. Without exaggeration, I find this cabinet card portrait (photo 1) quite extraordinary. The pretty woman in this photograph is beautifully dressed. She deserves the moniker of “fashionista”. If she walked into a noisy crowded room, I’m quite sure all activity would cease, and she would become the center of attention. I wish I knew the identity of this fabulous lady. She is probably an actress, which I assume by her appearance, and by the fact that she was photographed by celebrity photographer, Benjamin Falk. An inscription on the reverse of this photograph identifies her as “E Vinning”. I could not find any information about any performer with that name. However, my research did discover an actress named “Susy Vining”. Photographs of Susy Vining show a person who looks similar to the woman in this cabinet card photo. Note the real photo postcard image of Susy Vining below. Do you think “E Vinning” and “Susy Vining” are one and the same person? Just a few more words about this cabinet card. The subject is holding a fur stole and umbrella in one hand, and a top hat in the other. Considering that she is already wearing a head covering, I would love to know the story behind the top hat. This cabinet card image is not on regular cabinet card stock paper. This photograph is printed on thinner than usual stock paper. The card is gold beveled. There is a bar code sticker on the reverse of the photograph. It is very possible that this image is a REPRODUCTION, rather than an original photograph. (SOLD)

Photograph 2 is a vintage real photo postcard of actress Susie Vining. Her bare shoulder dress makes this photograph a bit risque. The actress is holding a cute small dog. The dog looks like a Yorkshire Terrier. This photograph was taken by the Foulsham & Banfield studio as part of a series (no.1946 A). Foulsham & Banfield were well known celebrity photographers. Frank Foulsham and A. C. Banfield operated a studio from the 1900’s through the 1920’s. The postcard was published by Rotary Photo. (SOLD)

Photograph 3 was published by C. W. Faulkner & Co. as part of a series (no.483A). The postcard’s message was written in 1905. The writer tells the addressee that “our Meg has got a place at Fisherrow School”. The postmark is also from 1905. The card was postmarked in Kirkcaldy, Scotland and addressed to Musselburgh, Scotland. (SOLD)

PHOTO 1
PHOTO 2
POSTCARD 3