This vintage real photo postcard (Postcard 1) features a portrait of beautiful stage and film actress, and businesswoman, Maxine Elliott (1868-1940). Her photograph was taken by celebrity photographer Benjamin Falk at his New York City studio. Elliott was more than a stage actress. She managed her own theater and experimented with silent films in the 1910’s. Elliott was an extremely popular actress. Apparently she was popular with the men too. It is thought that she had affairs with famous people including King Edward VII and J. P. Morgan. It is also reported that she dated baseball hall of famer, John Montgomery Ward and heavyweight champion Gentleman James Corbett. During World War I she was very involved with the cause for Belgian relief. Elliott was born in Rockland, Maine. Her father was a sea captain. She had at least three siblings including her sister Gertrude Elliott, who also became a successful actress. When Maxine was 15, she was seduced and impregnated by a 25 year-old man. She may or may not have married the man but it is known that she lost the baby. In 1890 she made her first stage appearance. Her big break came in 1895 when she was hired by Augustin Daly to be the supporting actress for the highly acclaimed actress, Ada Rehan. In 1898, after divorcing husband number one, she married comedian Nat C. Goodwin. The two starred together in a number of productions including “Nathan Hale” and “The Cowboy and the Lady”. In 1903, Maxine appeared in the Broadway production of “Her Own Way” (1903). The play launched Maxine into stardom. In 1905, the play went to London where King Edward VII requested an introduction to the pretty actress. They met and then rumors started about the pair having an intimate relationship. In 1908, Goodwin obtained a divorce from Elliott. This is about the time she met 70 year-old J. P. Morgan. They became friends and rumors of their romantic involvement were never confirmed. Financial advice from Morgan helped her become a wealthy woman. The same year as her divorce, she opened her own theater, “The Maxine Elliott” in New York City. She was both the owner and the manager. In fact, she was the only woman in the US, at the time, managing her own theater. In regard to acting on Broadway, Elliott had an extensive resume. She appeared in 22 Broadway productions between 1894 and 1920. In 1913, she began acting in silent films. The IMDb reports that she was in five films including “From Dusk to Dawn” (1913), “Fighting Odds” (1917), and “The Eternal Magdalene” (1919). In 1913, Elliott went to England and started dating tennis star Anthony Wilding, fifteen years her junior. According to one source, the pair planned to marry, but he was killed in action in World War I. As a result, Elliott became obsessed with the war and moved to Belgium where she volunteered her money and time toward Belgian relief. It is reported that she also nursed wounded soldiers. Belgium recognized her by awarding her the Belgian Order of the Crown. Elliott retired from the stage in 1920. She stated that she “wished to grow middle-aged gracefully”. This postcard portrait features a young and beautiful Maxine Elliott. This image is a beautiful remnant of turn of the century theater history. This postcard was published by the Rotograph Company which was based in New York City. The postcard is part of a series (No.B888). SOLD
Postcard 2 features a photograph taken by female celebrity photographer, Lizzie Caswall Smith. Lizzie Caswall Smith (1870-1958) was a British photographer who operated in the early 1900’s. She specialized in photographing members of society and celebrities. Many of her photographs were used for postcards. She was involved in the Women’s Suffrage movement and photographed many of the leading suffragettes. She also photographed many actors including Billie Burke and Maude Fealy. She operated the Gainsborough Studio from 1907 through 1920 (309 Oxford Street) and moved to a new location (90 Great Russell Street) where she remained until she retired in 1930 at the age of 60 years-old. Her most famous photograph is a portrait of Florence Nightingale taken in 1910. It was auctioned in 1908 and sold for 5500 pounds which is an equivalent today of nearly 8,000 dollars. The National Portrait Gallery has 84 portraits associated with Lizzie Caswall Smith. This postcard was published by the Rotograph Company which was based in New York City. The postcard is part of a series (No.B636). SOLD
Postcard 3 features a nice portrait of Maxine Elliott. This image, taken by William Morrison (Chicago, Illinois) is a beautiful remnant of turn of the century theater history. This postcard was published by the Rotograph Company, which was based in New York City. The postcard is part of a series (No.B636). (SOLD)
Postcard 4 features Miss Elliott’s portrait by Ernest Walter Histed (1862-1947). Histed was born in England but achieved his success as a photographer in Chicago, and later, in Pittsburgh. He then returned to England and opened a photography studio there. His subjects there included Clara Butt (Opera Star) Pope Pius X, and the Empress of Germany. Histed returned to the US and opened a studio on Fifth Avenue in New York City. He later moved to Palm Beach, Florida and continued his profession until 1934. The Museum of the City of New York has a large collection of his work. The National Portrait Gallery (England) has 32 of his photographs in their collection. This postcard was published by London’s J. Beagles & Co. as part of a series (No. G386).The company was started by John Beagles (1844-1909). The company produced a variety of postcards including an extensive catalog of celebrity (stage and screen) portrait postcards. After Beagle’s death, the business continued as J. Beagles & Co. until it closed in 1939. (SOLD)
Postcard 5 comes from the studio of celebrity photographer, William McKenzie Morrison of Chicago, Illinois. Morrison’s studio was in the Haymarket theater building. This postcard was published by the Rotograph Company which was based in New York City. The postcard is part of a series (No.B658). (SOLD)
Postcard 6 features a pretty portrait of Miss Elliott taken by R. W. Thomas. It is likely that he is the same man that authored “The Modern Practice of Photography” (1927).This postcard was published by London’s Davidson Bros. as part of a series (No.1200). The message from the sender of this card introduced me to a new word. The writer asks “Isn’t this a beauteous maiden?”. I looked up the word “beauteous” to see if it existed. I learned that the word exists and means “beautiful”. I also learned that “Beauteous” is a word that is customarily used in literature and not conversation. (SOLD)
Postcard 7 Elliott photrographed in costume for her role as Gipsy in “Under the Greenwood Tree”. Her photograph was taken by famed celebrity female photographer, Lizzie Caswall Smith. This image is a beautiful remnant of turn of the century theater history. This postcard was published by Rotary Photo as part of a series (No.187E). (SOLD)
Postcard 8 was published by London’s Ralph Dunn & Co. as part of a series (No. A342). (SOLD)
It is not infrequent that a cabinet card presents an interesting mystery. This cabinet card, by celebrity photographer Napoleon Sarony of New York City, conjures up some fascinating questions. Is the woman in this photograph a member of one of America’s most famous political families? It is likely that the pretty woman with the dreamy gaze seen in this photo is a Roosevelt. Let me tell you a little about Kate Shippen Roosevelt (1855-1925). In 1883, Kate Shippen Roosevelt (1855-1925) was married to Hilborne Roosevelt who was a world famous organ maker. He had factories in New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. His company made some of the finest and largest pipe organs in the world. He designed the first electric organ and he was a first cousin to President Theodore Roosevelt. Kate was the daughter of William W. Shippen who was the president of the Hoboken Land and Improvement Company and Hoboken Ferry Company. It is not a surprise that their wedding was called by the New York Times (1883) the event of the season. An article in Town Topic Journal of Society (1883) announces that Kate Shippen Roosevelt would be performing a monologue and that she was one of the “best amateurs” engaged in such performances. Kate was also a well known women’s suffrage critic. She called suffragettes “soapbox militants”. Hillborne Roosevelt died in 1886 at age 37. He left his widow and three year-old daughter quite wealthy and they continued to be part of high society in New York City. I believe that that the woman in this image is Kate Shippen Roosevelt because 1) the inscription on the reverse of the image is supportive (see below), 2) Mrs. Roosevelt was a member of society and Sarony was a society photographer, and 3) My research was unsuccessful to find another celebrity sharing the name “Kate Shippen”. Unfortunately, I could not find a photo to confirm or disconfirm that the subject of this cabinet card portrait was Mrs. Roosevelt. The bottom image is the gravestone of Kate Shippen Roosevelt which is located at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. SOLD
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 