CARMEL MYERS : JEWISH AMERICAN FILM ACTRESS : BEN HUR : RPPC

POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)

BLOTTER 1 (SOLD)

This vintage real photo postcard features American silent and sound film actress, Carmel Myers (1899-1980). Carmel Myers was an extraordinary actress who captivated audiences during the early years of Hollywood. She had striking beauty, magnetic screen presence, and versatile talent. Myers was born in San Francisco to Jewish immigrants. Her father was a Rabbi from Russian and her mother was from Austria-Hungary. She grew up in a theatrical household and was exposed to the performing arts from a young age. She participated in both school plays and local theater productions. At the age of 16, Carmel Myers made her professional debut on stage, impressing both critics and audiences with her natural talent. It wasn’t long before she gained the attention of film producers. In 1916 she made her screen debut in the silent film “The House of Mystery”. This was the start of a more than twenty year career in the film business. During the silent film era, Carmel Myers became one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood. Known for her expressive eyes, graceful movements, and remarkable versatility, she effortlessly transitioned between comedic and dramatic roles. Her notable films during this period include “Ben-Hur” (1925), where she portrayed the seductive courtesan Iras. Many of her early roles were playing a “vamp”. Carmel Myers was also an early advocate for actors’ rights and was instrumental in establishing the Motion Picture Artists Association. She fought for fair wages, better working conditions, and creative control for performers, contributing to the formation of movie industry unions. With the advent of sound in films, Carmel Myers smoothly made the transition from silent movies to “talkies.” Her resonant voice and impeccable timing added another dimension to her performances. She starred in a range of films throughout the 1930s, including comedies, dramas, and musicals, collaborating with renowned directors and actors of the time. her most popular sound films were “Svengali” (1931) and “The Mad Genius” (1931). Her final film appearance was in the 1945 production of “Blonde Ransom,” marking the end of her illustrious acting career. However, Myers remained involved with both radio and television. Carmel Myers lived a private life outside of the spotlight, rarely divulging details about her personal affairs. She was married three times, first to an attorney and song writer in 1919, in 1929, she married a second attorney, and thirdly, she married a Paramount Pictures executive in 1951. Her first two marriages ended in divorce, and her third marriage ended with her husband’s death. After her husband’s death, she wrote a book about handling grief effectively. After retiring from acting, Carmel Myers devoted herself to philanthropy and community work. She supported various charitable organizations and advocated for social causes.

Postcard 1 was published by A. Noyer and is of French origin. The card has the MGM logo on it’s front. (SOLD)

Blotter 1 is a vintage ink blotter that advertises the Frog Switch & Manufacturing Company, located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The blotter has a calendar for January, 1923. The blotter also features a photograph (litho) of Carmel Myers. (SOLD)

POSTCARD 1

BLOTTER 1

PRETTY YOUNG WOMAN IN SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA

This cabinet card photograph captures a pretty young woman with an” interesting look”.  Her hair is styled  in a somewhat unusual manner. The photograph was taken by an unidentified photographer in Scranton, Pennsylvania.  SOLD

Published in: on October 6, 2023 at 1:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A WOMAN AND DRAMATIC LIGHTING : GREENVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA : CABINET CARD

This cabinet card features a portrait of a blonde woman photographed by Smith of Greenville, Pennsylvania. A remarkable feature of this card is Smith’s use of dramatic lighting to present a crisp and clear image of the woman sitting for the portrait. The photographer is likely E. C. Smith who is noted in a number of photography magazines, from the late 1890’s, as an award winning photographer from Greenvile, Pennsylvania. This cabin card portrait has excellent clarity and is in good condition (see scans).          

Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #5408

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$28.00

Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes International shipping outside the US) #5408

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$38.00

Published in: on August 21, 2023 at 1:13 pm  Comments (2)  
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A LADY AND HER VIOLIN IN ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA (PORTRAIT BY THE ARTIST ARLINGTON NELSON LINDENMUTH)

A woman poses for her portrait at the Lindenmuth Studio in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She likely viewed her self as foremost, a musician. She chose to pose herself, or approved the photographers instructions, to pose sitting and holding her violin and bow. The photographer, Arlington Nelson Lindenmuth (1856-1950) is a noted American landscape and portrait painter. He worked in Allentown which is located in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania. He was a member of the Baum Circle which was a group of artists who were influenced by the work of Pennsylvania impressionist painter Walter Emerson Baum. Lindenmuth studied painting under Peter Alfred Gross and also in Europe. His paintings were exhibited in Philadelphia and New York City. He also painted a number of murals which still can be seen in a number of Allentown’s buildings. Lindenmuth is also known as one of the pioneer photographers in the Lehigh Valley. He operated a photography studio in Allentown for a number of decades. Interestingly, in addition to running a photography business, Lindenmuth taught art from his photography studio. In 1882 he worked for the Eastman Kodak Company as a traveling salesman. He was a great advocate of art appreciation. He was a proponent for the Allentown Art Museum. One of his sons, Raphael Tod Lindenmuth, had much success as an artist. Below is an example of a painting by Arlington Nelson Lindenmuth. To view other photographs by Lindenmuth, click on the category “Photographer: Lindenmuth”.  This cabinet card portrait is in excellent condition (see scans).

 

Buy this Vintage Original Cabinet Card (includes shipping within the US) #5313

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$78.00

Buy this Vintage Original Cabinet Card (includes International shipping outside the US) #5313

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$88.00

THE POLKA DOT LADY : BELLEFONTE, PENNSYLVANIA : CABINET CARD

This cabinet card image features a shapely woman in a polka dot dress with a black jacket and apron. Although the shape of the dots are more like a leaf or star, than a dot, the dress has a polka dot appearance. The fashion statement made by this woman is reminiscent of the latter day song about the girl in the “itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini”. The woman in this photograph, judging by her outfit, clearly is not adverse to attracting attention. The photograph was produced by an unidentified studio in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Interestingly, Bellefonte proclaims itself to be “Central Pennsylavnia’s Victorian Secret”. According to various sources, the town has many  lovely Victorian homes. Bellefonte is located about twelve miles from State College, the home of Penn State.

Buy this Vintage Original Cabinet Card (includes shipping within the US) #5309

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$31.00

Buy this Vintage Original Cabinet Card (includes International shipping outside the US) #5309

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$42.00

Published in: on May 27, 2023 at 12:00 pm  Comments (4)  
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FIVE MEN, DERBIES AND DOGS IN KUTZTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA

The boys gather together at Snyder’s Studio in Kutztown, Pennsylvania for a group portrait. Suits and derby hats seem to be the order of the day. Someone brought their two large hounds to the gathering. The dogs appear to be hunting dogs. Examination of this cabinet card image brings up the question, “How are these men connected to each other?”.  Are they good friends?  Are they co-workers? The answer to these questions are unobtainable and we are left with only hypotheses.What do we know about the photographer? The 1880 U. S. census reveals that Charles Wanner Snyder (1852-1927) was married to Sallie A. Jackson (1858-1900) and the pair had a daughter named Lydia (born 1879). Charles Snyder was born, and later died, in Kutztown. At the time of the census, Snyder was employed as a boot and shoe maker, but he appears to have had a tendency to switch careers over time. After tiring of boots and shoes,  he worked two years as a harness maker. He learned photographic and freehand crayon work and then, became a photographer. Research reveals that he had a reputation for being an excellent scenic artist and sign painter. He also was a very civic minded man. He was credited as saving a grove from woodsmen, and establishing the Kutztown Park with the rescued property. He served six years on the Kutztown council and five years as President of the council. In 1880 he entered the bicycle business. He added a Sphinx automobile dealership to his bicycle shop in 1915. What in the world is a Sphinx automobile? The Sphinx was produced by the Sphinx Motor Car Company which was located in York, Pennsylvania. The company produced cars in 1915 and 1916. The Sphinx was a light touring car. Automobile Industries (1914) reported that the car was expected to  have an initial selling price of six hundred and ninety-five dollars.  SOLD

Published in: on April 12, 2023 at 12:01 pm  Comments (2)  
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SAD CHILD IN READING, PENNSYLVANIA

A sad child poses for a portrait at the studio of J. S. Fritz, in Reading, Pennsylvania. The frowning child is standing on a bench and wearing a fancy outfit. Note the large bow and the unattractive hat. The name of the child, “Jemil Arman”,  is penciled on the reverse of the cabinet card. Research yielded no information about Jemil Arman or photographer, J. S. Fritz. It is possible that a legibility problem may have resulted in an incorrect interpretation of the subject’s name.  ADDENDUM  Additional research resulted in discovering information about photographer, John S. Fritz. He was born on his father’s Pennsylvania farm in 1861. He left home at 15 to work in Philadelphia and while there, learned photography. He then worked with his brother in law as a traveling photographer. He left the business to pursue other occupations and he worked in both Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. He returned to photography and at some point operated a photography studio located at 852 Penn Street in Reading. He was married to Elizabeth Apffel  and had at least three children. (SOLD)

Published in: on December 22, 2022 at 3:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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SALLIE HINTON : STAGE ACTRESS : PERRTZ STUDIO : YORK, PENNSYLVANIA

This cabinet card features Miss Sallie Hinton who was presumably a stage actress, singer or dancer. Research yielded little information about Miss Hinton. The book “Music and Drama” (1882) announces Miss Hinton’s appearance in the “Female Detective” at a Philadelphia theater. The photographer of this image was Perrtz of York, Pennsylvania. This theatrical cabinet card portrait has two pencil marks (one is very light) in it’s lower border beneath the image. The photograph is in overall good condition (see scans)

Buy this Cabinet Card (includes shipping within the US) #3868

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$28.45

Buy this Cabinet Card (includes International shipping outside the United States) 3868

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$37.69

Published in: on April 1, 2022 at 12:01 pm  Leave a Comment  
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DARK EYED GIRL IN NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA

This cabinet card portrait features a well dressed young dark eyed girl. Her hair is styled in long ringlets. She is wearing earrings and an interesting necklace. The photographer is S. H. Cope of Norristown, Pennsylvania. Norristown is six miles northwest of Philadelphia. The town was named for Isaac Norris, a member of the colonial Pennsylvania legislature. Norris ordered the casting of the state house bell that later became known as the Liberty Bell. This cabinet card photograph is in very good condition (see scans).

Buy this Cabinet Card (includes shipping within the US) #3821

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$25.50

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$35.00

Published in: on January 14, 2022 at 12:01 pm  Comments (1)  
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FIVE SALVATION ARMY WOMEN AND THREE GUITARS IN MORRIS RUN, PENNSYLVANIA

Five women pose for their photographic portrait at the O’Donnell studio in Morris Run, Pennsylvania. The women are all dressed in a uniform that appears to be consistent with the garb of the Salvation Army. However, none of the women seem to be wearing the customary badge that members of the organization usually wear. Comments in regard to whether their band is part to the Salvation Army, would be welcomed. Three of the ladies are holding guitars. The other two may be singers but one  would expect that they would be holding tambourines as is the style in many music themed salvation army cabinet cards. The photographer is likely Stewart J. O’Donnell who is listed in the 1899  Hamilton Township business directory. O’Donnell’s studio was located in Morris Run, which is part of Hamilton Township and Tioga County. The area was known for its coal mining.  (SOLD) 

Published in: on October 1, 2021 at 12:01 pm  Comments (4)  
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