NORMA TALMADGE : BEAUTIFUL ACTRESS : PICTUREGOER SERIES : RPPC

This vintage real photo postcard features American silent film actress, Norma Talmadge (1894-1957). She was noted for her dramatic and emotionally intense performances. She was one of the most popular and highly paid actresses of her era. She starred in over 200 films during her career. Raised in a show business family, Norma and her sisters Constance and Natalie Talmadge all became successful actresses. Norma began her acting career on the stage, performing in vaudeville and musical comedies. Initially, Talmadge worked for Vitagraph Studios before signing with D.W. Griffith’s Triangle Film Corporation, where she gained recognition for her talent. In the 1910s and 1920s, Talmadge became a major star, known for her ability to portray a wide range of characters. She excelled in dramatic roles, often playing heroines with complex emotions. Some of her notable films include “The Probation Wife” (1919), Smilin Through (1922), Camille (1926), and “New York Nights” (1929). Norma Talmadge was one of the few silent film stars who successfully made the transition to talkies. However, as the era of sound films emerged, her popularity waned. After her last film in 1930, Talmadge retired from acting and focused on her personal life. She married the film producer Joseph M. Schenck in 1916, and together they founded the Norma Talmadge Film Corporation. The company produced several successful films, contributing to Talmadge’s financial success and status as one of the highest-paid actresses of her time. However, her marriage to Schenck eventually ended in divorce in 1934. After her retirement from acting, Talmadge lived a private life, seldom making public appearances. She remarried in 1946 to Carvel James, a wealthy oil broker, and they remained together until her death. This vintage postcard is part of the “Picturegoer” series (No. 145B).  SOLD

Published in: on December 4, 2025 at 12:05 pm  Comments (1)  
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NAOMI CHILDERS: GLAMOROUS AMERICAN SILENT FILM ACTRESS

This vintage real photo postcard features silent film actress, Naomi Childers (1892-1964). Although she was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, her parents were English. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and was educated in the Maryville convent. She began acting at age three. At age ten, she played the title roles in both “Red Riding Hood” and “Alice in Wonderland” at St. Louis’s Odeon Theater. In 1912 she played roles in “The Great Name” and “Madame X”. Childers had one Broadway appearance which occurred in “The Great Name” ( 1911 ). Childers”s film career began in 1913. For the most part, she was a character actress. She played roles in “The Turn of the Road (1915) and “The Writing on the Wall” (1916). She spent four years working with the Vitagraph company. Her most popular role was in “Womanhood, the Glory of the Nation” in which she played a modern Joan of Arc. She joined the Commonwealth Company in 1917. Although Childers played many dramatic roles, she preferred comedy. The IMDb lists 104 film credits for Miss Childers. She was quite beautiful. She was blonde and had deep blue eyes. She was voted the most beautiful woman in Japan, and many of her fans and critics found her physical appearance very similar to Sarah Bernhardt. She did a great deal of modeling work and her nickname was “the girl with the Grecian face”. Childers was married twice. Her first husband was Harold Darling Shattuck, the head of a major candy company. She was later married to Luther A. Reed, a film writer and director. They were married nine years until their divorce in 1929. In her later years, Childers had significant financial problems. Upon learning of her struggles, Louis B. Mayer awarded her a lifetime contract with MGM. Miss Childers looks very glamorous in this postcard image. She is wearing a fur stole and a large hat. Her jewelry includes a necklace, bracelet and wrist watch. This postcard has an AZO stamp box indicating that it was published between 1904 and 1918.   SOLD

Published in: on October 9, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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EDITH STOREY : AMERICAN SILENT FILM ACTRESS

This vintage real photo postcard features American silent film actress, Edith Storey (1892-1967). She was born in New York City and began acting when she was still a child. Her first film was “The Two Brothers” (1908). By 1913, she had appeared in 75 films and between 1908 and 1921 she performed in nearly 150 films. She performed in many Westerns and was noted for her excellent horseback riding skills. She also did her own stunts. She worked for Vitagraph Studios (New York) for the majority of her career. Storey also acted on stage and was noted for acting in a number of male impersonation roles. She appeared in two Broadway plays. The first was in 1903 and the second was in 1904. She retired at the age of 29 in the year of 1921. During the Spanish Flu Epidemic, Storey drove an ambulance in New York City for the National League for Women’s Service. It is also reported that she worked as a hospital night nurse at the height of the epidemic. After retiring she served almost 30 years as village clerk for Asharoken, Long Island. She died at the age of 75 in Northport, Long Island, New York. Within the message on the this postcard, Daisy (the sender) tells Lucille (the recipient) that Edith Storey is her favorite movie actress. A caption on the front of this card states that Storey has brown eyes and dark brown hair. This postcard was published by Kraus Mfg. Co. of New York.  (SOLD)

Published in: on July 22, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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MARY FULLER : SILENT FILM STAR & SCREEN WRITER : CHRONIC PSYCH PATIENT : RPPC

This vintage real photo postcard features American film actress Mary Fuller (1888-1973). She was born in Washington DC. Her father was an attorney. By 1906, she was working on stage. In 1907, signed with Vitagraph Studios to make films. In 1910, she signed with Edison Film Company. That same year, she appeared in the first film version of “Frankenstein”. By 1914, she was a major film star. After starting her career in theater, she made her film debut in 1908 when the industry was still in its infancy. Her work with the Edison Manufacturing Company helped establish her as a leading actress, and she quickly became one of the most recognized faces of silent film. One of her most famous roles was in “The Last of the Mohicans” (1911). In addition to her film work, Fuller was known for her appearances in short films and serials. Fuller was also a screenwriter. She penned eight films. When the film industry entered the sound era, Fuller’s popularity waned. After making a few sound films, she retired. In 1947, she suffered a nervous breakdown and spent the rest of her life (26 years) in a Washington DC psychiatric hospital. Her mental decompensation was precipitated by a failed affair with a married opera singer and later exacerbated by the death of her mother. The IMDb reports that Fuller appeared in 230 film roles between 1908 and 1917. This postcard was published by Photo-Play Advertising and Specialty Company. The firm was based in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. SOLD

Published in: on January 1, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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FLORENCE VIDOR : SILENT FILM ACTRESS : WIFE OF FILM DIRECTOR KING VIDOR 

POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)

Postcard 1 is a vintage real photo postcard featuring silent film actress Florence Vidor (1895-1977). Florence was born in Houston, Texas. She began working in silent films due to the influence of her husband, King Vidor. He was a film director, film producer, and screenwriter. The pair married in 1915. Her first film contract was with Vitagraph Studios in 1916. She became a well known actress after her appearance in “Hail the Woman” (1921). Florence was noted to be one of early Hollywood’s great beauties. During the 1920’s, she was a major star for Paramount Pictures. She was the leading lady to actors Sessue Hayakawa and “drag star”, Julian Eltinge. She also acted for director Cecil B. DeMille. Sound films brought about the end of her performing career. In fact, she had so much difficulty with sound films, that she retired from acting before finishing the movie in which she was appearing. Florence divorced her husband in 1924. She married the talented and popular classical violinist, Jascha Heifetz in 1928. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1945. This photo portrait postcard can be found in the collection of the National Museum of American History (Smithsonian Institute). This vintage postcard is uncommon. SOLD

Postcard 2 was published by Alfred Noyer as part of a series (No.351). Note the logo for Paramount Films in the bottom right hand corner of the image. SOLD 

POSTCARD 1

POSTCARD 2

Published in: on October 28, 2023 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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FLORENCE TURNER : SILENT FILM STAR : ACTRESS : VITAGRAPH : POSTCARD

This vintage postcard features a portrait of Florence Turner (1885-1946). She was an American silent film actress known as the “Vitagraph Girl”. She was born in New York City. She began performing on the stage at age three, thanks to a zealous stage mom. In 1906 she was signed by Vitagraph studios to a film contract. She made her movie debut in “How to Cure a Cold” (1907). She became the studio’s leading box office draw. As time went by, more actresses became well known throughout the movie industry. Turner’s popularity waned and in 1913 she moved to England and began performing in music halls. Part of her schtick was impersonating celebrities of the day. Apparently, she had much talent as an impersonator. While in England, she set up her own production company (Turner Films). She wrote screenplays and directed films. In 1924 she returned to the US and pursued acting. She was no longer seen as a film star and she played supporting roles during the 1930’s.  Turner has 197 credits to her name, between 1907 and 1943. This postcard was published by the Ess an Ess Photo Company, located in New York City. (SOLD)

Published in: on June 2, 2022 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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