PHOTO 2 (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)
This vintage photograph features a mother pulling her daughter in a wooden wagon. The photograph appears to have been taken during the winter. The child is bundled in a heavy coat and has her hand protected from the cold by a fur muff. She is sitting on a heavy blanket. Mom is also prepared for winter. She is wearing a long dress and is accessorized with a fur scarf and she has fur cuffs on her sleeves. This photographed was purchased from a collector in England. A sticker on the reverse of the photo indicates the photographer’s name. His name is Oscar Hurt, though I am not certain about the accuracy of his last name since the writing is difficult to decipher. This photograph measures about 4 1/2 x 6 1/4. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard features an oval portrait of a pretty older woman wrapped in furs. She looks quite fashionable. She was living in an era when wearing furs was not politically incorrect. Her head covering is a very nice accessory. She looks great. The woman appears to be displaying a pursed lips smile. The postcard’s stamp box indicates that it was published sometime between 1924 and 1949. The woman’s photograph was taken by the Passport Studio in Toronto, Canada.This real photo postcard is in very good condition (see scans) .
This Cabinet Card presents a bit of a mystery. The photograph is by famed French photographer, P. Nadar of Paris. The subject of the photograph is a mystery. The reverse of the card has the name “Ilbert” written in two places. In addition the word “Chanteuse” also appears. Is she an opera singer? Is she a nightclub singer? The woman is very stylish and is wearing a fur and interesting hair clip. Hopefully, a viewer will leave a comment with some identifying information. ADDENDUM: This photograph entered into the cabinet card gallery in 2009. Since then there have been a number of cabinet card gallery visitors that have left comments concerning the identity of the subject of this image. There has been some disagreement, but at least two visitors have identified this performer as being Yvette Guilbert (1867-1944). To follow the discussion about identification, check out the comment section below. Now back to Mlle Guilbert. Born as Emma Laure Esther Guilbert, she began singing as a child but worked at a Paris department store model when she turned sixteen. She also took acting and voice lesson and in 1886 she began working as an actress. She debuted at the Variette Theatre in 1888. She was soon singing at a number of popular clubs before starring in Montmartre at the Moulin Rouge in 1890. Over time she began to sing a lot of monologue “patter songs”. Often the lyrics were risque, even raunchy. Her song frequently featured tragedy and poverty. Guilbert was audacious and audiences ate it up. She was celebrated in France, England and the United States. She was a favorite subject of artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who made many portraits and caricatures of Guilbert. Later in her career, she appeared in silent movies, talkies and made recordings. She also wrote books about the Belle Epoque. It is interesting to note that Nadar, the photographer of the mystery chanteuse also photographed Yvette Guilbert. A Nadar photograph of Mlle Guilbert is part of the collection at the National Library of France. A copy of that image can be found below.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 