PRETTY BRITISH STAGE ACTRESS: MISS ALMA GRIFFITHS

This vintage real photo postcard features pretty British stage actress Miss Alma Griffiths. Catherine Hindson’s book, “London’s West End Actresses and the Origins of Celebrity Charity, 1880-1920” mentions Miss Griffiths. Hindson describes a period of time when theaters became a vehicle for raising money for various charities.  Theaters selected certain matinee performances to donate ticket revenues to charity. Stage performers often did their part to further fill the charity coffers. The author mentions that Alma Griffiths, along with other actresses, including Ethel Warwick and Irene Desmond, sold programs and flowers to the audiences and raised significant funds. The writer of the message on the reverse of this postcard, printed the date (1908) he wrote the postcard below Alma Griffith’s photo.The photo 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. The writer of the message states that the postcard was for the addressee’s collection. The writer adds that Miss Griffiths was a “Cardiff girl”, just like the receiver of the postcard. Cardiff is a port city on the south coast of Wales.   (SOLD)

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Published in: on September 20, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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MISS GLADYS GUY: STAGE ACTRESS APPEARING IN MUSICALS AND PANTOMIMES

This vintage real photo postcard features Miss Gladys Guy (1888-1968) as she appeared in the pantomime, “Dick Whittington” (1909) at the New Theatre, Cardiff, England. The actress is a pretty woman. She has a wonderful smile. She is wearing a terrific hat; the large feather really adds to her appearance. I find her long gloves interesting. Why is there a hole in her glove, just under her thumb. It appears to be part of the design of the glove but I wonder about it’s purpose. Gladys Guy was an English actress and singer. Her father was a violinist. She began her career in about 1905 and between then and 1917 she appeared in a number of successful London musical productions. At times, she served as an understudy to both Gabrielle Ray and Phyllis Dare. In 1912 she married George Augustus Guy (1851-1939), an actor who later joined the Indian Army. He rose in the ranks until he became a lieutenant colonel. Miss Guy’s career ended with the birth of her son. Interestingly, the son followed his parents into acting and became quite well known . His name was Basil Henson. This postcard was published by the Metropole Studios in Cardiff. Cardiff is a port city on the south coast of Wales. The postcard is part of the “Panto Series” (Panto=Pantomime). The photographer was C. Corn.    SOLD

Published in: on September 14, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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MOTHER AND DAUGHTER PORTRAIT (CARDIFF, WALES)

This cabinet card portrait features a mother and her young daughter. The mother is wearing a dark dress while the daughter is dressed in white; creating a nice contrast in this family photograph. This photo was taken at Sargent Brothers studio in Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff is a port city on the coast of South Wales. I found another cabinet card image at an internet site that reveals that the Sargent Brothers also had studios in the cities of Bristol, Newport, and Penarth.  SOLD

Published in: on March 10, 2018 at 12:00 am  Comments (1)  
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