BEAUTIFUL FRENCH ACTRESS : JANE HADING : BY REUTLINGER & BY BOYER : TWO RPPC’S

POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 3 (SOLD)

These color tinted vintage real photo postcards feature French actress and singer, Jane Hading (1859-1941). She was born in Marseille, France and was the illegitimate daughter of an actor there at the Theatre du Gymnase. She made her first stage appearance at three years of age. She trained at the local Conservatoire and in 1873 she was hired to perform at  a theatre in Algiers. She then was engaged to perform in Cairo, Egypt, where she played coquette, soubrette and ingenue roles. Returning to Marseille, she did stage acting and she sang in operettas. Her first appearance in Paris was in 1879 at the Palais Royal. In 1884, she married playwright and theatre manager, Victor Koning but the pair were divorced within three years. In 1888 and 1893, she toured America. Later, she toured South America with a theater company. In around 1892 she joined the Comedie Francaise. By this time, she was an established star in France, America, and England. She was also considered one of the prettiest actresses of her time.

Jane Hading’s portrait on Postcard 1 was taken by Leopold Reutlinger (Paris). This postcard was published by SIP. The card is part of a series (No.170/17). This is an undivided card and dates back to circa 1903. SOLD

Jane Hading’s portrait on Postcard 2 was taken by Paul Boyer.  Paul Boyer was a renowned French photographer born in 1861 and died in 1952. Based in Paris, he gained prominence for his portrait photography, particularly of actors, actresses, and other cultural figures during the Belle Époque. Boyer was known for his use of innovative photographic techniques and artistic lighting, which brought a distinctive elegance to his images. The initials of the firm that published this postcard can be found in the cards lower left corner. The initials PMM likely, but not for sure, belong to postcard publisher, “Maurice Manes”. The company, based in Paris, produced postcards during the golden era of postcards (pre 1939) and distributed them across Europe. The postcard is numbered 5316. This postcard’s reverse serves as an advertisement for the appearance of Jane Hading at the Coronet Theatre W. on the 26th of May, in 1902. SOLD

Postcard 3 This postcard was published by G. Piprot,  of “Etoille” or “Star” publishing in Paris. The card is part of a series (No.758).  SOLD

Published in: on November 22, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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LUCY BERTHET : PRETTY OPERA SOPRANO : BY NADAR : HAND-TINTED : RPPC 1905

This exquisite early 20th-century hand‑tinted portrait postcard features the renowned Belgian‑born opera soprano Lucy Berthet (1866–1941), captured in profile by the eminent French studio Nadar. Gaspard‑Félix Tournachon, known as Nadar, was born 6 April 1820 and died 23 March 1910. His son, Paul Nadar (8 February 1856 – 1 September 1939), took over the studio. It’s believed this card is by Paul Nadar, as he is known to have photographed Lucy Berthet. Lucy trained at the Conservatoire de Paris , where she won the First Prize in opera singing in 1892. She debuted at the Paris Opera (Académie Nationale de Musique) in 1892 as Ophélie in Hamlet. She went on to perform major soprano roles: Juliette in Roméo et Juliette, Gilda in Rigoletto, Elsa in Lohengrin, Ortlinde in a French version of Die Walküre, Marguerite in Faust, Thaïs in Thaïs, and more through 1899. She was renowned as a long‑standing pensionnaire (resident artist) of the Paris Opera during the 1890s. This postcard features Lucy Berthet in a lavish embroidered costume, hand‑tinted with pastel purples and soft yellows, wearing a velvet choker with a jewel‑inset cross and matching headscarf. The publisher of this postcard was G. Piprot. He operated a studio in Paris. This card is part of a series  (N. 769 – Th. 70). This postcard is in very good condition. It offers a crisp vignette with rich coloring. It has minor age toning and mild edge wear. The card was mailed in 1907 from St‑Jean‑de‑Luz (Basses‑Pyrénées, France) to Madame Ch. Boulliez in Paris. The postcard has  a 5c green French stamp and a brief message, “Souvenir affectueux (affectionate remembrance),” The postcard is signed by E. Coutan,”. This card is part of the Belle Époque tradition of theatrical portrait postcards by top photographers. Paul Nadar frequently captured prominent performers—including Lucy Berthet.  (SOLD)

Published in: on November 10, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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FROMENTIN : PRETTY FRENCH PERFORMER : RISQUE : SAZERAC : PIPROT : PARIS : RPPC

This risque vintage real photo postcard features a fashionable performer named Fromentin.  The card is color tinted. She has a string of flowers wrapped around her shoulders and her dress is a flower pattern. The combination is a nice touch. “The Theatre” (1882) states that Fromentin, among others, present grace and beauty difficult to match. Fromentin was photographed by Sazerac. He was a photographer well known for his portraits of the showgirls of Paris. The publisher of this postcard, was Monsieur G. Piprot, of “Etoille” or “Star” publishing in Paris. The card is part of a series (No.854). The postcard has a postmark from 1905.  SOLD

Published in: on January 6, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF STUNNING FRENCH MUSIC HALL STAR MADEMOISELLE DAVRIGNY

This vintage real photo postcard features French cabaret actress Mademoiselle Davrigny. She is truly a stage beauty. Her smile is delightful. Preliminary research yielded no biographical information. This postcard was published by Societe Industrielle de Photograpie (SIP) of Rueil, France and was part of a series (no. 1676). The photographer was Edouard Stebbing who was active in Paris between 1890 and 1910. Stebbing taught at a University in Paris and invented the stebbing camera, and was known for his work with emulsions. It is reported that he was friends with the artist Monet. He died in 1914 and his wife (Celestine) died five years earlier. Stebbing was a prolific photographer during the Belle Epoque Paris. He appears to have been an expatriate from England. He published many articles in British Photographic journals. Stebbing photographed many theatrical stars. A frequent publisher of these postcards was Monsieur G.Piprot, of “Etoille” or “Star” publishing in Paris. The “Photographic Times and American Photographer” (1883) cited Stebbing as “one of the bright lights of the French Photographic Society.   (SOLD)

Published in: on April 2, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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