GERALDINE FARRAR : PRETTY AMERICAN OPERA SINGER AND SILENT FILM STAR

POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 3 (SOLD)

This vintage real photo, Postcard 1, features Geraldine Farrar (February 28, 1882 – March 11, 1967). She was an American soprano opera singer and film actress. She was one of the most popular singers of the early 20th century and she appeared in several silent films as well as on stage. She was also a successful recording artist and a leading figure in the world of opera. She was known for her beauty, as well as her powerful and expressive voice. She was also known for her striking stage presence and her ability to convey emotion through her singing. Farrar had a particularly successful career at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, where she performed for many years. She also performed in many other major opera houses around the world including La Scala (Milan), The Royal Opera House (London), and the Opera-Comique (Paris). Geraldine Farrar was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, in 1882. She began her career as a singer in vaudeville and later studied voice in Paris. In 1902, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, where she quickly became one of the most popular singers of her time. Farrar retired from the opera stage in 1922 and settled in New York City. She continued to perform in concerts and recitals for several more years. She also appeared in a few films, including a silent film version of Carmen, in which she played the title role. This postcard photo of Geraldine Farrar was taken by Julius Cornelius Schaarwachter (1847-1904). The photographer has five portraits in Britain’s National Portrait Gallery. Farrar is dressed in costume for her performance in the opera “Faust”, by composer, Charles Gounod. SOLD

Postcard 2 is a rare close-up portrait postcard of Miss Farrar. SOLD

Postcard 3 is a rare photo of Geraldine Farrar that was published by Paul Fink (Berlin) as part of a series (No.S26). The postcard was postmarked in 1911. SOLD

Published in: on September 20, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
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PRETTY YOUNG WOMAN : PHOTOGRAPHED BY AIME DUPONT : NEW YORK CITY

This cabinet card features an attractive young woman posed holding a book. The woman is nicely dressed and has a lovely figure. Her great figure is, no doubt, assisted by her tight corset. The book she is holding is entitled “Grifting“. The definition of grifting is “engaging in petty swindling”. What is a nice girl like the girl in this image doing with such a sensational book? The most likely reason she has possession of that particular title is that; it was there in the studio. The book likely belonged to the photographer. The studio that produced this photograph was the Aime Dupont gallery. Dupont (1842-1900) founded his photography business in 1886 in New York City, New York. He was formerly a sculptor and he was of Belgian origin. His American wife, Etta Greer, was also a photographer. She was well respected for he work as a portraitist of opera singers in Paris, France. She was educated in Paris and spent much of her childhood there. She also met and married Dupont in Paris. The couple was very talented and they became very popular as portrait photographers in New York. Among their society and celebrity clients were many singers who were appearing in New York. After Dupont’s death, his wife, and later his son (Albert), operated the studio. His wife kept the name of the studio the same, after the death of her husband. In 1906, the Metropolitan Opera hired its own official  photographer, resulting in diminished portrait work in that sector. The studio went bankrupt in 1920.  A couple of interesting questions about this photograph remain unanswered. Is the subject of this photograph someone famous in society or the performing arts? Who was the photographer, was it Aime Dupont, or his wife, Etta? SOLD

Published in: on February 7, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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ELEANOR ROBSON : JULIET IN ROMEO & JULIET : LIEBLER & CO : CABINET CARD

This cabinet card features English actress, Eleanor Robson (1879-1979). She was also a well known public figure in the US. Robson was born in England. Robson’s father deserted her and her mother when she was just one years old. Her mother was an English born American stage actress and moved her family to the United States while Eleanor was still a child. Robson began her stage career in San Francisco at the age of 17. She worked in stock theater companies around the country. One of these stock companies was at Elitch Theater in Denver. She made her New York stage debut in 1900. She had a ten year career as a leading Broadway actress. She appeared in 17 Broadway plays between 1900 and 1923. These plays included Romeo and Juliet (1903), She Stoops to Conquer (1905), and Salomy Jane (1907).George Bernard Shaw wrote a play for her. Robson was very involved in the Metropolitan Opera association. She was on it’s board and also founded the Metropolitan Opera Guild. An inscription on the reverse of this cabinet card indicates that this photograph was taken during her appearance in “Romeo and Juliet”. She played Juliet and was a member of the Liebler & Co.’s “all-star cast”. She played opposite Kyrle Bellew (Romeo). Liebler & Co. was a play producing organization founded in 1898 by Theodore Liebler, Jr. and George Tyler. It was the leading theatrical production company until 1915. In 1910, Robson married August Belmont Jr and retired from the stage. Belmont was a German American financier, politician, and diplomat. (SOLD)

Published in: on November 4, 2023 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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ALWINA VALLERIA: OPERA STAR

valeria_0001

Alwina Valleria (1848-1925) is seen in full costume in this cabinet photograph by Cooper of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Valleria was the first American-born singer to appear in principal roles with the Metropolitan Opera. She was a soprano.  Born in Baltimore, she attended the Royal Academy of Music in London. She made her operatic debut in St Petersburg in 1871 and sang in Europe until 1879 when she first appeared in America singing Marguerite in Faust with the James Henry Mapleson company. In 1883 she first appeared at the Metropolitan Opera and she was New York City’s first Micaela in Carmen in 1878. She retired from the stage in 1886 and died in France in 1925.

Published in: on December 13, 2008 at 6:41 pm  Leave a Comment  
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