This vintage real photo postcard features beautiful German film actress Elga Brink (1905-1985). At the time that this photograph was taken, she was 23 years-old. This photograph is uncommon. The IMDb reports that Brink appeared in sixty-nine films between 1922 and 1951. Brink was blonde and slender. She began her career in silent films. She often played supporting roles. She appeared in comedies, science fiction, drama, and even in a sex education film. She was recognized for her roles in “Comedians of Life” (1924), “Love in Intoxication? (1927), and “Marriage in Trouble” (1929). At some point she was married to director Georg Jacoby. After the second World War she mostly did stage work until her retirement from the entertainment world. She then worked as a clerk in a Hamburg law firm. The logo on the bottom right of the image reveals the name of the postcard’s publisher. Unfortunately, I can not decipher the initials. Print on the reverse of the postcard advertises ‘Union Bromographic”. The firm was located in Milan, Italy. Perhaps the company was a postcard distributor. The card was postmarked in Genoa, Italy and mailed to Venice. The card has an Italian stamp. Everything about this postcard is Italian; except Elga Brink. This photo postcard portrait captures the beauty of Elga Brink. She is very expressive in this photograph. She looks pensive. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard is another member of the Cabinet Card Gallery’s collection of international silent film stars. The beautiful actress featured on this postcard is Italian silent film star Pina Menichelli (1890-1984). She began her career in theater and in a number of small film roles. When she appeared in the lead role of “The Fire” (1916), she became elevated to stardom. For the next nine years, Menichelli appeared in many films and became a global star. She frequently appeared in roles where she played the role of a diva. She also showcased her, what wikipedia calls, her “decadent eroticism”. She retired in 1924 at the ripe old age of 34. Menichelli was born in Sicily to parents who were both touring theater actors. Her three siblings also became actors. She began acting as a child. Her theater travels took her to Argentina in 1908 and she married and relocated there. She returned to Italy in 1912 and acted in 35 films between 1913 and 1915. In 1918, one of her films was banned from theaters by Italian censors because Menichelli was “too fascinating” in the film. The IMDb website credits her with 62 film appearances between 1913 and 1925. A YouTube video biography of Miss Menichelli can be seen below. This postcard was published by Alberto Traldi of Milan, Italy. He was a publisher there beginning 1902, and according to one source, he ended his Milan business in 1918. This postcard was part of a series (no. 408). After World War II he returned to publishing postcards, including pin-up and cinema postcards. (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 