GERTRUDE QUINLAN AS ANNETTE IN “KING DODO” : STAGE ACTRESS : CHICAGO : 1906

This scarce and evocative antique theatrical portrait photograph, measures 5 x 7 inches, and depicts actress Gertrude Quinlan in her role as Annette from the musical comedy King Dodo, as performed at Daly’s Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. The photograph was taken by the Gibson Art Galleries of Chicago, a prominent studio known for producing high-quality portraits of stage performers and society sitters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this portrait, Quinlan is presented in a softly lit, pictorialist style, wearing a flowing costume and an elaborate floral headpiece that frames her face. Her pose—head gently inclined, hand raised thoughtfully toward her chin—reflects the refined, expressive aesthetic favored in Edwardian theatrical portraiture, designed to emphasize character, mood, and feminine grace rather than strict realism. The image would have served both as a promotional likeness and as a collectible souvenir for theatergoers. Gertrude Quinlan was an early 20th-century American stage actress active during the height of musical comedy and light operetta in the United States. She sang in over 125 operas. While not a headlining star of the era, she was part of the important working class of professional actresses who sustained touring companies and long theatrical runs in major cities such as Chicago. Performers like Quinlan frequently appeared in chorus and featured roles, and their images were commonly commissioned by studios like Gibson Art Galleries for publicity and personal distribution. Her appearance as Annette in King Dodo places her squarely within the lively theatrical culture of Chicago in the first decade of the 1900s, when the city rivaled New York as a major center for touring Broadway and London productions. King Dodo is a musical comedy that originated in London in 1906, produced by George Edwardes, with music by Walter Slaughter and a libretto by Harry B. Smith. The show was quickly brought to the United States, where it enjoyed considerable success on tour. The production appeared in Chicago at Daly’s Theatre during the 1906–1907 season, part of the American run that followed its London popularity. King Dodo is a lighthearted romantic farce centered on a fictional European kingdom where a young king—nicknamed “King Dodo” due to his naïveté—navigates court intrigue, romantic entanglements, and mistaken identities. The character Annette is typically portrayed as a charming and sympathetic young woman whose relationships and choices help drive the comedic and romantic elements of the story. Like many Edwardian musical comedies, the play emphasized humor, romance, and spectacle over realism. This vintage photograph is in good antique condition. The photo has edge and corner wear, mild surface toning, and handling marks consistent with age. Note the surface issue on the mount near the top right corner. The image itself remains strong, with pleasing tonal range and soft focus characteristic of early 20th-century theatrical portraiture (see scans). ADDENDUM: A fellow collector offers a correction to my item description. The helpful individual asserts that  “King Dodo” was an American operetta by the team of Pixley and Luders, premiering in 1902.”

This cabinet card is available for purchase at my store, The History Peddler, for $45.00 or best offer.

Interested collectors may view the listing here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/236552620239

Published in: on December 26, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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CHILDREN POSE FOR DUTCH PHOTOGRAPHER IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

This Cabinet Card features two young children posing for their photograph at the studio of H. R. Koopman, in Roseland, Illinois. The photographer is Henry Ralph Koopman II and his father emigrated from Holland and was a well known minister in the community. The photographers brother, George, joined him in the photography studio business. The Chicago Historical Society’s magazine published an article about Koopman; “The Life and Times of a Neighborhood Photographer”. Roseland is a neighborhood located in the south side of Chicago. This cabinet card has a slight curve and is in overall very good condition. (See Scans) 

This cabinet card is available for purchase at The History Peddler for $32.00 or Best Offer.   

Interested collectors may view the listing here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/336358151173

Published in: on December 12, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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TWO WOMEN, TWO DAUGHTERS, AND THREE WILD HATS IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Two young woman and two children pose for their portrait at the studio of Nicklas & Co. in Chicago, Illinois. The women and oldest child are wearing very complicated decorative hats. One woman is holding a fan on her lap and the oldest child is holding a basket of flowers. Wild hats were clearly the rage during the time of this photograph.  SOLD

Published in: on November 20, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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THE GIRLS OF SUMMER: WOMENS SOFTBALL TEAM (1934 VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH)

softball

This vintage photograph features a women’s softball team. Judging by their smiles, the ladies were in a happy mood at the time this photograph was taken. The image was produced in the year 1934 which the text on the photo indicates celebrates “a century of progress”. Two of the players are wearing baseball caps but no baseball equipment or team logo is visible in the photograph. At that time in softball history, many leagues required the players not to use gloves.  It is also notable that this team photo includes eleven players rather than the expected baseball nine. Women’s softball teams of that era employed ten players on the field with the tenth player occupying the position of short centerfield. Perhaps the eleventh player in the photo is the coach/manager or possibly a substitute. It is also interesting to note that “A Century of Progress” was the slogan for the 1933 World’s Fair.The exposition was held along the lakefront of Chicago, Illinois. The fair was operated from June 1-November 1, 1933, and May 26-October 31, 1934. It is a safe assumption that this image was taken at the Chicago Worlds Fair grounds. Softball was one of the few team sports available to women during the 1930’s, 1940’s,and 1950’s. During the 1930’s, softball was a very popular sport around the United States. In 1933 the newly established Amateur Softball Association sponsored the first national fast pitch softball tournament for women. The association tied the tournament to the Chicago Worlds Fair. In the initial competition, eight women’s teams competed against each other. It is worth mentioning that some sources report that the games were actually sponsored by a duo comprised of a sports writer and a sporting goods salesman. This wonderful memento of softball history measures 3″ x 4 3/4″ and based on the black paper residue on it’s reverse, once found it’s home in someone’s photo album.  SOLD

softball 1

Published in: on September 7, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Comments (5)  
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FIFTEEN YEAR OLD DAGMAR WEARING PRETTY DRESS IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS : CABINET CARD

This cabinet card features a teenage girl posing at the studio of photographer Anton Rohde of Chicago, Illinois. She is wearing a pretty wheat stalk print dress. Advertising on the bottom of the image indicates Rohde had wonf awards for some of his photographs. One of the displayed awards was received in 1888, and the other award was from the Photographers Association of America. The reverse of the photograph has an inscription which states “To Gini” and lists the subjects name as “Dagmar” and her age as fifteen years and eight months. Anton Rohde was once partners in a photography firm called Rohde & Schutz which was located at the same address that produced this photograph. He also was once  located at 88 West Ohio Street. He is listed in the 1892 and 1900 Chicago business directories. Research located his obituary which indicates that he died in 1917 at the age of fifty-five. He was survived by his wife, Augusta Rohde. SOLD

Published in: on July 31, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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MATTIE OLESON : 18 YEARS-OLD : KERSTING STUDIO : CHICAGO, ILLINOIS : CABINET CARD

This antique cabinet card photograph features a young woman identified on the reverse inscription as Mattie Oleson, aged 18. She is posed in a traditional 1890s studio portrait style, seated and gazing slightly to the side with a composed and serene expression. Her face is oval-shaped with soft features and clear eyes, conveying a quiet dignity. Her hair is neatly pulled back and arranged in a modest style, typical of the time. Mattie is dressed in a high-collared dress of dark fabric, possibly wool or a heavy cotton, reflecting everyday or Sunday-best attire from the late Victorian period. The dress features leg-of-mutton sleeves, a popular fashion during the 1890s, which puff dramatically at the shoulders before tapering tightly down the arms. At the base of her collar, she wears a small round brooch or collar pin, possibly gold or brass, that adds a delicate decorative touch to her ensemble. The brooch is decorated with a portrait of a man and woman. Perhaps the portrait is of her parents or grandparents. The cabinet card was produced by the Kersting studio, located at 730 Milwaukee Avenue, in Chicago, Illinois. The studio imprint is elegantly embossed on the card’s bottom front, accompanied by a decorative border design that was typical for quality studios of the era. The photographer was known as H. C. Kersting.  Henry C. Kersting was a notable photographer in late 19th-century Chicago. He operated his studio from approximately 1883 to 1892.  On the reverse of the card is a handwritten inscription in period script: “Mattie Oleson, 18 years old.” This personal note adds historical and emotional value and creates an opportunity for genealogical research to learn more about Miss Oleson.  (SOLD)


Published in: on June 3, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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LOVELY COUPLE IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

The Kosciuszko Photo Art Company of Chicago, Illinois, produced this photographic portrait of a lovely couple. Both the man and the woman are well dressed. She is wearing a pin, necklace, and earrings. He is wearing a vest and his jacket has a lapel pin. The couple are identified by an inscription on the reverse of the photograph. Meet Mr and Mrs Ned Kitterer. No further information could be learned about the Kitterers or the Kosciuszko Photo Art Company. SOLD

Published in: on February 10, 2025 at 1:01 pm  Leave a Comment  
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STUNNING WOMAN : CHICAGO, ILLINOIS : FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER : MRS. GARRITY : CABINET CARD

An attractive woman poses for her portrait at the studio of Misses Garrity in Chicago, Illinois. She is wearing a terrific hat, a fur collared coat, gloves, as well as ribbons, cameo collar pin and earrings. She is a stunning woman and is wearing the best finery of the day. Mrs Garrity’s studio was located at the corner of Clark and Elm Streets. Sallie E. Garrity was one of a number of outstanding early female photographers whose marriage stifled a successful career. She opened her first public studio in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1886. She later opened a large and successful photography business in Chicago. In 1893, while working at the Chicago Exposition, she met a man who “wooed her away from Chicago and Photography to Los Angeles and matrimony”. To view other photographs by Miss Garrity, click on the category “Photographer: Garrity”.  SOLD

Published in: on January 14, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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ADORABLE FASHIONABLE CHILD : FANTASTIC CARD BACK : CHICAGO : CABINET CARD

This cabinet card portrait features an adorable and fashionable child. The child is very poised and is bright eyed and is flashing a half smile. This photograph was produced by the Hartley Studio. Edward Hartley operated his studio in Chicago, Illinois (309 Madison Street). The studio was the” largest and finest equipped photographic gallery in the world”, and was “alive with the best photographic talent possible to procure”. These accolades are attributable to Hartley. The self promoting statements were printed on the reverse of the photograph. The artwork on the reverse of the card is very well done. SOLD

Published in: on December 26, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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MAY DE SOUSA : ACTRESS/SINGER :TRAGIC DESCENT FROM STAR TO SCRUB WOMAN : RPPC 1907

POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)

Postcard 1 features American stage actress, and singer, May de Sousa (1884-1948). She had many successes, but she lived a tragic life. Her father was a Chicago police detective. She became famous in 1898, I at about 14 years of age, when she sang “Dear Midnight of Love”. This song was a ballad by bathhouse John Coughlin. He was a Chicago politician and would-be songwriter.  In 1901 she was hired by Frank Perley as one of the principles for his touring company. Next, she became the understudy for Alice Nielson in a San Francisco production. In 1902 she was invited to go to London with the cast of that show, but she turned down the opportunity because she was afraid of the sea voyage. She then joined the cast of the highly successful operatic fantasy, “The Storks”. In 1904 she joined the cast of the Wizard of Oz. That same year, she became part of the cast of “Babes in Toyland”. At this point, she had become a very popular actress. She then went to London to star in a production of Cinderella. She followed that up with other stage successes in London. Although she had much success in light operatic roles, she wanted to display her talent as a dramatic actress. In 1908 she was one of the first American actresses to perform at the Moulin Rouge. While in Paris she was reported missing because she did not contact friends or family for over five weeks. She returned without explanation. She was now a star in both the United States and England. In 1910, her mother was discovered dead in a room filled with gas. It was unknown whether her mother’s death was accidental or by suicide. In 1910, May married a stockbroker. Their marriage was very troubled from its beginning. Her husband had lied about his finances, and the financial burden fell on the De Sousa. In addition, her husband frequently physically, abused her. After two years of marriage, she divorced him on the grounds of cruelty and financial desertion. De Sousa continued her career in both America and Europe. De Sousa appeared in 8 Broadway plays between 1905 and 1915.  She was performing in France shortly before the start of World War I and barely escaped Germany’s invasion of France. In 1913, she was forced to declare bankruptcy. In 1918, she toured Australia with a theatrical company. While there, in about 1919, she married a local doctor and the pair moved to Shanghai. She performed there with amateur companies. In 1941 her husband died, and in around 1943 she was imprisoned for seven months as a civilian intern by the Japanese. When she returned to Chicago, she worked as a scrub woman in a public school. Her health was very much compromised by her internment,  she soon was forced to quit her job due to not being healthy enough to perform her tasks. She became malnourished and died in poverty and alone. She was a charity case in the county hospital when she died in 1948. May DeSosa had risen to become the toast of Europe and America, but died isolated and forgrotten. She was buried in a pauper’s grave. This vintage postcard was published by Philco as part of a series (No.3206B). The card was postmarked in 1907. (SOLD)

Postcard 2 was published by Rotary Photo as part of a series (No.1993I). De Sousa is shown in costume for “The Girls of Gottenberg”. (SOLD)

Published in: on September 6, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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