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)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 