33.00 USD

One of two wonderful risque cards we just got in. Great Jean Agelou image of a dancer at the Bal Tabarin, a cabaret and night spot at 36, rue Victor-Massé in the 9th arrondissement, Paris. The Bal Tabarin opened in 1904 and was immediately a very popular night spot. It lasted through two world wars, but closed in '53.
It's not typical to find series by Agelou including a location text as we have here, at least not in our experience, so we're going to draw the conclusion that this young lady was, in addition to being the model in this series, also a dancer at the club. Lots of ruffles, lots of leg, a preoccupied expression and just generally very evocative of early 20th century Parisian nightlife. We love this one.

Jean Agelou is practically notorious for his risque and erotic postcard images of the early 1900s. Born in Alexandria Egypt to French parents in 1878, he was active as a photographer in France from at least the early 1900s. He is best known today for his risque and erotic "french postcards."

He and his brother George produced "legitimate" work as well, and though we've read in a few places that George was not himself the photographer, but only handled the business end of their partnership, we've come across plenty of cards with the identifying logo "G A Paris" (G for George rather than J for Jean) and also a few marked Cliché George Agelou which might suggest that George took a more active role than is sometimes supposed, even striking out on his own for a time.

Jean Agelou and his brother George both died in an automobile accident in 1921.

Lovely card in very nice condition. Please examine our high res scans for detail.

The item you are considering for purchase is, unless otherwise noted, a vintage postcard of approximately 5 and 1/2, by 3 and 1/2 inches. Postage is for fully insured, first class, shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will refund the postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon
codes, links to other related sites, and more!

19.00 USD

Wonderful card published by Croissant of Paris. Great costume, great Art Nouveau decorative work, wonderful headdress...what's not to like here? Well, there is a faint crease in lower left corner and a little spot of ink or paint along the lower edge, not involving the image. We sure love this one :)
Please examine our high res scans for detail.

The item you are considering for purchase is, unless otherwise noted, a vintage postcard of approximately 5 and 1/2, by 3 and 1/2 inches. Postage is for fully-insured, first class shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will not charge for postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

22.00 USD

A very nice stereopticon card of the Eiffel Tower and fair-goers during the 1900 World's Fair. What a glorious time it must have been. Sadly, because of a difficult economy and a poor turnout (or at least a far lower turnout than expected) the fair proved to be a great financial loss for many of the promoters, investors, and all the way down to the concessionaires, who went on strike demanding a refund of their rent payments for their spaces!


Félix Potin (1820-1871) was a 19th century French entrepreneur who opened a factory (later factories), producing and packaging goods under his name brand, and selling them in his shops. He opened his first store in 1844, and his company eventually expanded into a chain of over a thousand stores. Wikipedia, from whom we got the bulk of our info for this listing, suggests that the old Woolworth's five and dime chain based their business model on Potin's.

Great condition on this card, heavy card stock.

Please examine our high res scans for detail.

Postage is for fully-insured, first class shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two paper goods items, we will not charge for postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more paper goods items from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

16.00 USD

Germaine Galloise, Belle Epoque Soprano, Bookmark Sized Postcard, Leopold Reutlinger, circa 1905 Germaine Galloise (1869-1932) was a popular singer of light opera and a cabaret entertainer during la Belle Epoque and into the 1920s. We've found very little history on her other than theatrical listings, but we'll keep looking.

Postcard photo by Leopold Reutlinger of Paris. Circa 1900, this is a little jewel of a postcard.

Often called mignonettes, postcards of this type are the size and shape of bookmarks. This one is less than two inches wide, and a little over 5 and 1/2 inches in length. We're very pleased to have gotten a number of these in the shop this week.

They tend to be uncommon because they never caught on quite like the
standard postcard, and their size and shape probably made them easier to
damage accidentally, or lose in the mails. We found a nice little cache of
them though, and chose these for their beauty and condition.
Because this is an unusual, "sort of" postcard item, we'll list it in our artifacts section.

Another interesting historical aspect to this card is the bit of early commercial
marketing visible on the back side.
Note the bold printed text along the right edge for the candy company Bonbons Barnier of Rouen.

The candy company "Bonbons Suisse" was opened in 1885, Rouen, France, by two brothers, Peter and Marius Barnier.
In 1900, just a short time before our card was printed, the company was purchased by candy wholesaler Eugène Callet, who renamed it "Bonbons Barnier" and probably passed out these mignonette postcards for free with the purchase of a box of candy! The cards might have been purchase incentives, but when mailed off by customers who received them, traveled the land advertizing Bonbons Barnier's candy. That's just good marketing!

Though relatively small by some standards, it seems the company is still a success today in France, its candies exported all over Europe and the UK as well. What we learned about them indicates that they use the same fine ingredients today as they did in 1900, and follow basically the same recipes for some of their original flavors of boiled candy. They can be found online, and their selection of Easter candies is really charming!!

The business is apparently run today by descendants of Raymond Renou, who became a partner of Monsieur Callet's following WWI.

Clearly, we need to purchase some of these original recipe Bonbons Barnier candies to employ as aids in our time traveling experiments! The more senses authentically involved in our awareness of the projected time and place at the moment our time machine engages, the more successful the experiment...but that's another story :)

A very nice card! Please examine our high res scans for detail.

The item you are considering for purchase is a vintage mignonette postcard of approximately 5 and 3/4, by 1 and 3/4 inches. Postage is for fully-insured, first class shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will not charge for postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

16.00 USD

Exquisite Gabrielle Robinne (1886-1980), was made an officer in the French Legion of Honor for her contributions in the Arts.
She was a star of the stage, and also of silent films, and then the talkies as well, her career spanning some sixty years.

Postcard photo by Leopold Reutlinger of Paris. Circa 1900 and beautifully hand-tinted, this is a little jewel of a postcard.

Often called mignonettes, postcards of this type are the size and shape of bookmarks. This one is less than two inches wide, and a little over 5 and 1/2 inches in length. We're very pleased to have gotten a number of these in the shop this week.

They tend to be uncommon because they never caught on quite like the
standard postcard, and their size and shape probably made them easier to
damage accidentally, or lose in the mails. We found a nice little cache of
them though, and chose these for their beauty and condition.
Because this is an unusual, "sort of" postcard item, we'll list it in our artifacts section.

Another interesting historical aspect to this card is the bit of early commercial
marketing visible on the back side.
Note the bold printed text along the right edge for the candy company Bonbons Barnier of Rouen.

The candy company "Bonbons Suisse" was opened in 1885, Rouen, France, by two brothers, Peter and Marius Barnier.
In 1900, just a short time before our card was printed, the company was purchased by candy wholesaler Eugène Callet, who renamed it "Bonbons Barnier" and probably passed out these mignonette postcards for free with the purchase of a box of candy! The cards might have been purchase incentives, but when mailed off by customers who received them, traveled the land advertizing Bonbons Barnier's candy. That's just good marketing!

Though relatively small by some standards, it seems the company is still a success today in France, its candies exported all over Europe and the UK as well. What we learned about them indicates that they use the same fine ingredients today as they did in 1900, and follow basically the same recipes for some of their original flavors of boiled candy. They can be found online, and their selection of Easter candies is really charming!!

The business is apparently run today by descendants of Raymond Renou, who became a partner of Monsieur Callet's following WWI.

Clearly, we need to purchase some of these original recipe Bonbons Barnier candies to employ as aids in our time traveling experiments! The more senses authentically involved in our awareness of the projected time and place at the moment our time machine engages, the more successful the experiment...but that's another story :)

A very nice card! Please examine our high res scans for detail.

The item you are considering for purchase is a vintage mignonette postcard of approximately 5 and 3/4, by 1 and 3/4 inches. Postage is for fully-insured, first class shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will not charge for postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

14.00 USD

This could be an image of a Miss Annie Thompson, a high kicking cabaret dancer who made the rounds in Paris during the Belle Epoque era, but in this photograph she's costumed for a Spanish dance, and we're still researching this one.

Postcard photo by Leopold Reutlinger of Paris. Circa 1900 and beautifully hand-tinted, this is a little jewel of a postcard.

Often called mignonettes, postcards of this type are the size and shape of bookmarks. This one is less than two inches wide, and a little over 5 and 1/2 inches in length. We're very pleased to have gotten a number of these in the shop this week.

They tend to be uncommon because they never caught on quite like the
standard postcard, and their size and shape probably made them easier to
damage accidentally, or lose in the mails. We found a nice little cache of
them though, and chose these for their beauty and condition.
Because this is an unusual, "sort of" postcard item, we'll list it in our artifacts section.

Another interesting historical aspect to this card is the bit of early commercial
marketing visible on the back side.
Note the bold printed text along the right edge for the candy company Bonbons Barnier of Rouen.

The candy company "Bonbons Suisse" was opened in 1885, Rouen, France, by two brothers, Peter and Marius Barnier.
In 1900, just a short time before our card was printed, the company was purchased by candy wholesaler Eugène Callet, who renamed it "Bonbons Barnier" and probably passed out these mignonette postcards for free with the purchase of a box of candy! The cards might have been purchase incentives, but when mailed off by customers who received them, traveled the land advertizing Bonbons Barnier's candy. That's just good marketing!

Though relatively small by some standards, it seems the company is still a success today in France, its candies exported all over Europe and the UK as well. What we learned about them indicates that they use the same fine ingredients today as they did in 1900, and follow basically the same recipes for some of their original flavors of boiled candy. They can be found online, and their selection of Easter candies is really charming!!

The business is apparently run today by descendants of Raymond Renou, who became a partner of Monsieur Callet's following WWI.

Clearly, we need to purchase some of these original recipe Bonbons Barnier candies to employ as aids in our time traveling experiments! The more senses authentically involved in our awareness of the projected time and place at the moment our time machine engages, the more successful the experiment...but that's another story :)

A very nice card! Please examine our high res scans for detail.

The item you are considering for purchase is a vintage mignonette postcard of approximately 5 and 3/4, by 1 and 3/4 inches. Postage is for fully-insured, first class shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will not charge for postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

16.00 USD

The beautiful actress in this image is Marguerite Bresil. Born in 1880, she made her first appearance on the stage of the Theatre Gymnase in Paris, in 1899, and within a few years was a tremendous star.

Postcard photo by Leopold Reutlinger of Paris. Circa 1900 and beautifully hand-tinted, this is a little jewel of a postcard.

Often called mignonettes, postcards of this type are the size and shape of bookmarks. This one is less than two inches wide, and a little over 5 and 1/2 inches in length. We're very pleased to have gotten a number of these in the shop this week.

They tend to be uncommon because they never caught on quite like the
standard postcard, and their size and shape probably made them easier to
damage accidentally, or lose in the mails. We found a nice little cache of
them though, and chose these for their beauty and condition.
Because this is an unusual, "sort of" postcard item, we'll list it in our artifacts section.

Another interesting historical aspect to this card is the bit of early commercial
marketing visible on the back side.
Note the bold printed text along the right edge for the candy company Bonbons Barnier of Rouen.

The candy company "Bonbons Suisse" was opened in 1885, Rouen, France, by two brothers, Peter and Marius Barnier.
In 1900, just a short time before our card was printed, the company was purchased by candy wholesaler Eugène Callet, who renamed it "Bonbons Barnier" and probably passed out these mignonette postcards for free with the purchase of a box of candy! The cards might have been purchase incentives, but when mailed off by customers who received them, traveled the land advertizing Bonbons Barnier's candy. That's just good marketing!

Though relatively small by some standards, it seems the company is still a success today in France, its candies exported all over Europe and the UK as well. What we learned about them indicates that they use the same fine ingredients today as they did in 1900, and follow basically the same recipes for some of their original flavors of boiled candy. They can be found online, and their selection of Easter candies is really charming!!

The business is apparently run today by descendants of Raymond Renou, who became a partner of Monsieur Callet's following WWI.

Clearly, we need to purchase some of these original recipe Bonbons Barnier candies to employ as aids in our time traveling experiments! The more senses authentically involved in our awareness of the projected time and place at the moment our time machine engages, the more successful the experiment...but that's another story :)

A very nice card! Please examine our high res scans for detail.

The item you are considering for purchase is a vintage mignonette postcard of approximately 5 and 3/4, by 1 and 3/4 inches. Postage is for fully-insured, first class shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will not charge for postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

14.00 USD

Marcelle Lender (1862-1926), appears here in a more subdued costume than those we usually find her in. Above, in our listing images and just for fun, you can see a cropped scan of an 1895 painting by French Post-Impressionist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec of Mlle. Lender dancing the Bolero.

Postcard photo is an image by Leopold Reutlinger of Paris. Circa 1900, this is a little jewel of a postcard.

Often called mignonettes, postcards of this type are the size and shape of bookmarks. This one is less than two inches wide, and a little over 5 and 1/2 inches in length. We're very pleased to have gotten a number of these in the shop this week.

They tend to be uncommon because they never caught on quite like the
standard postcard, and their size and shape probably made them easier to
damage accidentally, or lose in the mails. We found a nice little cache of
them though, and chose these for their beauty and condition.
Because this is an unusual, "sort of" postcard item, we'll list it in our artifacts section.

Another interesting historical aspect to this card is the bit of early commercial
marketing visible on the back side.
Note the bold printed text along the right edge for the candy company Bonbons Barnier of Rouen.

"Bonbons Suisse" was opened in 1885, Rouen, France, by two brothers, Peter and Marius Barnier.
In 1900, just a short time before our card was printed, the company was purchased by candy wholesaler Eugène Callet, who renamed it "Bonbons Barnier" and probably passed out these mignonette postcards for free with the purchase of a box of candy! The cards might have been purchase incentives, that when mailed off by customers who received them, traveled the land advertizing his candy. That's just good marketing!

Though relatively small by some standards, it seems the company is still a success today in France, its candies exported all over Europe and the UK as well. What we learned about them indicates that they use the same fine ingredients today as they did in 1900, and follow basically the same recipes for some of their original flavors of boiled candy. They can be found online, and their selection of Easter candies is really charming!!

The business is apparently run today by descendants of Raymond Renou, who became a partner of Monsieur Callet's following WWI.

Clearly, we need to purchase some of these original recipe Bonbons Barnier candies to employ as aids in our time traveling experiments! The more senses authentically involved in our awareness of the projected time and place at the moment our time machine engages, the more successful the experiment...but that's another story :)

A very nice card! Please examine our high res scans for detail.

The item you are considering for purchase is a vintage mignonette postcard of approximately 5 and 3/4, by 1 and 3/4 inches. Postage is for fully-insured, first class shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will not charge for postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

14.00 USD

From most of her readily available images, we'll guess Mlle. Harloff was a Russian opera singer/actress of the Belle Epoque era based in St. Petersburg, but we've not yet found any history on her.

Postcard photo by Leopold Reutlinger of Paris. Circa 1900, this is a little jewel of a postcard.

Often called mignonettes, postcards of this type are the size and shape of bookmarks. This one is less than two inches wide, and a little over 5 and 1/2 inches in length. We're very pleased to have gotten a number of these in the shop this week.

They tend to be uncommon because they never caught on quite like the
standard postcard, and their size and shape probably made them easier to
damage accidentally, or lose in the mails. We found a nice little cache of
them though, and chose these for their beauty and condition.
Because this is an unusual, "sort of" postcard item, we'll list it in our artifacts section.

Another interesting historical aspect to this card is the bit of early commercial
marketing visible on the back side.
Note the bold printed text along the right edge for the candy company Bonbons Barnier of Rouen.

The candy company "Bonbons Suisse" was opened in 1885, Rouen, France, by two brothers, Peter and Marius Barnier.
In 1900, just a short time before our card was printed, the company was purchased by candy wholesaler Eugène Callet, who renamed it "Bonbons Barnier" and probably passed out these mignonette postcards for free with the purchase of a box of candy! The cards might have been purchase incentives, but when mailed off by customers who received them, traveled the land advertizing Bonbons Barnier's candy. That's just good marketing!

Though relatively small by some standards, it seems the company is still a success today in France, its candies exported all over Europe and the UK as well. What we learned about them indicates that they use the same fine ingredients today as they did in 1900, and follow basically the same recipes for some of their original flavors of boiled candy. They can be found online, and their selection of Easter candies is really charming!!

The business is apparently run today by descendants of Raymond Renou, who became a partner of Monsieur Callet's following WWI.

Clearly, we need to purchase some of these original recipe Bonbons Barnier candies to employ as aids in our time traveling experiments! The more senses authentically involved in our awareness of the projected time and place at the moment our time machine engages, the more successful the experiment...but that's another story :)

A very nice card! Please examine our high res scans for detail.

The item you are considering for purchase is a vintage mignonette postcard of approximately 5 and 3/4, by 1 and 3/4 inches. Postage is for fully-insured, first class shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will not charge for postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

16.00 USD

The beautiful actress in this image is Marguerite Bresil. Born in 1880, she made her first appearance on the stage of the Theatre Gymnase in Paris, in 1899, and within a few years was a tremendous star.

Postcard photo by Leopold Reutlinger of Paris. Circa 1900 and beautifully hand-tinted, this is a little jewel of a postcard.

Often called mignonettes, postcards of this type are the size and shape of bookmarks. This one is less than two inches wide, and a little over 5 and 1/2 inches in length. We're very pleased to have gotten a number of these in the shop this week.

They tend to be uncommon because they never caught on quite like the
standard postcard, and their size and shape probably made them easier to
damage accidentally, or lose in the mails. We found a nice little cache of
them though, and chose these for their beauty and condition.
Because this is an unusual, "sort of" postcard item, we'll list it in our artifacts section.

Another interesting historical aspect to this card is the bit of early commercial
marketing visible on the back side.
Note the bold printed text along the right edge for the candy company Bonbons Barnier of Rouen.

The candy company "Bonbons Suisse" was opened in 1885, Rouen, France, by two brothers, Peter and Marius Barnier.
In 1900, just a short time before our card was printed, the company was purchased by candy wholesaler Eugène Callet, who renamed it "Bonbons Barnier" and probably passed out these mignonette postcards for free with the purchase of a box of candy! The cards might have been purchase incentives, but when mailed off by customers who received them, traveled the land advertizing Bonbons Barnier's candy. That's just good marketing!

Though relatively small by some standards, it seems the company is still a success today in France, its candies exported all over Europe and the UK as well. What we learned about them indicates that they use the same fine ingredients today as they did in 1900, and follow basically the same recipes for some of their original flavors of boiled candy. They can be found online, and their selection of Easter candies is really charming!!

The business is apparently run today by descendants of Raymond Renou, who became a partner of Monsieur Callet's following WWI.

Clearly, we need to purchase some of these original recipe Bonbons Barnier candies to employ as aids in our time traveling experiments! The more senses authentically involved in our awareness of the projected time and place at the moment our time machine engages, the more successful the experiment...but that's another story :)

A very nice card! Please examine our high res scans for detail.

The item you are considering for purchase is a vintage mignonette postcard of approximately 5 and 3/4, by 1 and 3/4 inches. Postage is for fully-insured, first class shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will not charge for postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

22.00 USD

Such a charming image! Sisters, possibly, or two close friends. No beaded bandeaus, sultry eyes, or long strands of beads for these two young women, who in 1921, were not yet rushing to join that throng of junior "jazz baby" flappers. This was probably a relief to their parents :) Instead, by their classical attire, they appear to have been following that celestial path opened by Isadora Duncan, or possibly Loie Fuller, whose "Fullerettes" were often photographed similarly garbed for gently choreographed cavorting about in beautifully imagined Elysian fields.

The photographer, Krueger Art Studio, was located in Cleveland Ohio. We searched a high school yearbook from 1921 on the (very) off chance we could research these two, but to no avail.

We also artificially darkened our fifth listing scan so you could more easily make out the girls' names, Mildred and Dorothy, and the year, 1921, written on the back of the photo. *Please note the remnants of album paper and glue at the four corners.*

You might have noticed a light horizontal line in our second scan, near the top edge of the photograph. This is actually the light reflecting off an impressed edge that borders the photograph and the light reflection doesn't exist in a face to face examination. The impressed border is a bit odd, and hard to make out in our scans, but is similar to a press impression on an etching. We really can't say if the studio did this intentionally, or if perhaps years in a tight frame did. The album remnants argue against the framing idea, though.
Please examine our high res scans for detail.

The photograph measures 6 and 1/2 by 4 and 1/2 inches. Though many of our customers have framed some of their postcards to great affect, it's amazing how much more "frameable" that extra inch in length and width make a photo. We'll ship this at the same cost, in the same secure photo mailer, and under the same terms as we ship our postcards.

Postage is for fully-insured, first class shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will not charge for postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

22.00 USD

Vintage Italian postcard by G. B. Falci of Milan promoting the 1929 D.W. Griffith film "La Canzone del Cuore," or Song of the Heart. In the United States it was released as "Lady of the Pavements."

Starring Lupe Velez (1906-1944), a gorgeous, vivacious, actress who had begun her career in Mexican vaudeville, "Lady of the Pavements" was a relatively typical "prince/pauper" class oriented romance that is still very highly spoken of today. It was largely silent, with a limited soundtrack including Miss Velez singing a song by Irving Berlin.

The sun was setting on D.W. Griffith's career, and just rising on Miss Velez, but she was already taking Hollywood by storm. She had the reputation of being a wild gal, a real firecracker, with unquenchable appetites and a temper to match. She had affairs with a number of Hollywood's leading men, a long running affair with Gary Cooper who, according to Wikipedia, "eventually ended the relationship in mid-1931 at the behest of his mother Alice who strongly disapproved of Vélez. By that time, the rocky relationship had taken its toll on Cooper who had lost 45 pounds and was suffering from nervous exhaustion."

The gossip columns loved her, and apparently she encouraged scandal by calling reporters, feeding them tidbits from her personal life. Unfortunately as one might expect, this seems to have resulted in an available history lacking in her "soft side" but citing example after example of scandal. Tragically, she took her own life at the age of 36.

Below, you can follow a link to one of her earliest film appearances, a silent Laurel and Hardy short from 1927 that is credited with giving her a start in Hollywood. Uncredited, she is playing the role of the countess. Hope you enjoy it. We did, though this Youtube offering lacks any soundtrack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hWf9c7jdF0

A very nice card, with great Art Deco highlights, in lovely unposted condition. Please examine our high res scans for detail.

The item you are considering for purchase is, unless otherwise noted, a vintage postcard of approximately 5 and 1/2, by 3 and 1/2 inches. Postage is for fully-insured, first class shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will not charge for postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

196.00 USD

As per convos of October 4th and 5th, 12 cards, five of which are pictured here.

14.00 USD

Semi ironic humorous image of WWI era Belgian Army officers armed with flatware, (or, one might say, "armed to the teeth?" . RPPC of nice quality. Corner and edge wear. Please examine our high res scans for detail.

Postage is for first class shipping in a secure photo mailer, and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will refund the postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of sudden increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

6.00 USD

One of our favorite, and most magical, subgenres of "Lovely Lady" postcards has to be that of the marvelous maenad. These are somewhat idealized, and presumably toned down, versions of those wild maidens of ancient Greece, who in their worship of Dionysus, the god of wine and sensual abandon, got up to all kinds of mischief. The maenad, as an image, was practically the poster girl of La Belle Epoque, expressing that rich, earthy, "joie de vivre," which has come to be seen as so expressive of that era. In our Marvelous Maenad section, we're not all that particular about whether the model is depicted as a woodland sprite, a pagan priestess, or if they're just a couple of Belle Epoque chorus girls unwinding after a tough dress rehearsal. The images we list in this section might have been published anytime between the 1890s and the 1930s. Basically, if they're wearing grapes, grapevines, animal skins, or any of the other accoutrements no self respecting maenad could do without, this is the section they'll end up in. Welcome to the Bacchanal!!! :)

Sazerac of Paris, respected photographer, took this wonderfully hand-colored photograph a la "maenad," published by Monsieur G. Piprot of Paris in the early 1900s. Posted in 1907. Beautiful condition.
Please examine our high res scans for detail.

Postage is for first class shipping in a secure photo mailer, and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will refund the postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of sudden increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

9.00 USD

But say, what is that young French girl doing with a four leafed clover, anyway? Funny thing, that. Although the shamrock is certainly the most widely recognized symbol of the Irish, the harp being probably next down the line, clovers are common throughout Europe and to find the uncommon four leafed one in a passle of the ordinary three leafed clovers, or trefles, as they are called in France is considered good fortune pretty much everywhere.

And although it has been said that St. Patrick taught the nature of the Holy Trinity to the Irish using the shamrock to illustrate the idea of one body manifesting as three persons, it was also taught that as a boy, St. Patrick escaped from slavery to France, where he was eventually made a bishop, before traveling to Ireland to teach the Irish Christianity.

Drowning the shamrock is an interesting ritual we read about today. Apparently after wearing the shamrock on your person throughout the 17th of March (St. Patrick's Day), at the end of the day, you toast St Patrick with a glass of whatever might take your fancy, me Darlin', making sure you've placed the shamrock in the pot before commencing with the toast. Once you've emptied the glass, being careful not to swallow the shamrock, take it out from the bottom of the glass, and toss it over your left shoulder. By the way, please be careful if you do this in a pub, that no one is standing directly behind you as you toss a sopping wet shamrock over your shoulder. Feelings can run pretty high on St. Paddy's day, or so we've heard :)

Well anyway, whatever her reason for clinging to this huge clover, the card, probably a French image printed in Germany, is simply charming, and faith, 'tis certain we hope it may lighten the heart, brighten the eyes, and bring good luck to any and all who may gaze upon it :)

17.00 USD

The photographer of this image was Benjamin "Jake" Falk, the king of American theatrical portraiture, who ascended to that throne following the death of Napoleon Sarony in the late 1890s. One of his studios was located in the Waldorf Astoria hotel, to make it easy for Broadway actors and actresses to sit for him.
At about the same time B.J. Falk was honing his abilities as a photographer on Manhattan Island, another American artist, this one a near neighbor, in Brooklyn, was refining his artistry in stained glass. Louis Comfort Tiffany, among American artists, is probably one of the best known when it comes to the Belle Epoque movement of Art Nouveau. We don't believe we are mistaken in thinking these portrait backgrounds were inspired by Tiffany's work.

It is a lot of fun for us, specializing as we do in French theatrical images of the early 1900s, to be able to showcase a few American images as well. The model for this card was probably a very well known American actress, but having very little experience with American images of this period, it is unlikely we will identify her before the card sells.

This card was published by NPG or the Neue Photographische Gesellschaft, in Berlin. NPG was run by the German, Arthur Schwarz, who, with Benjamin Falk, had developed, in the U.S. a rotary method for the mass printing of silver-bromide photo postcards. Schwarz then took this American patented technology to Germany, where, making use of what were at that time superior industrial and technological resources, he improved upon them, and created what was probably the largest and most successful postcard printing company for quite some time time during this very competitive period. Clearly Schwarz and Falk maintained a good working relationship across the atlantic, since much of Falk's portrait work was reproduced at NPG.

Also, notice that this is a European postcard, bearing none of the marks typical of American cards, but that the actress is unidentified. Was she well enough known in Europe that her name was not needed at the base of the card? Or were portraits of glamorous women, though unknown, enough to sell a postcard? We don't have an answer for those questions yet, but clearly, as far as the postcard industry was concerned, even before the advent of popular radio, television and the internet, it was already a small world.
Card is in fine condition!
Please examine our high res scans for detail.

Postage is for first class shipping in a secure photo mailer, and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will refund the postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of sudden increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

19.00 USD

The photographer of this image was Benjamin "Jake" Falk, the king of American theatrical portraiture, who ascended to that throne following the death of Napoleon Sarony in the late 1890s. One of his studios was located in the Waldorf Astoria hotel, to make it easy for Broadway actors and actresses to sit for him.
At about the same time B.J. Falk was honing his abilities as a photographer on Manhattan Island, another American artist, this one a near neighbor, in Brooklyn, was refining his artistry in stained glass. Louis Comfort Tiffany, among American artists, is probably one of the best known when it comes to the Belle Epoque movement of Art Nouveau. We don't believe we are mistaken in thinking these portrait backgrounds were inspired by Tiffany's work.

It is a lot of fun for us, specializing as we do in French theatrical images of the early 1900s, to be able to showcase a few American images as well. The model for this card was probably a very well known American actress, but having very little experience with American images of this period, it is unlikely we will identify her before the card sells.

This card was published by NPG or the Neue Photographische Gesellschaft, in Berlin. NPG was run by the German, Arthur Schwarz, who, with Benjamin Falk, had developed, in the U.S. a rotary method for the mass printing of silver-bromide photo postcards. Schwarz then took this American patented technology to Germany, where, making use of what were at that time superior industrial and technological resources, he improved upon them, and created what was probably the largest and most successful postcard printing company for quite some time time during this very competitive period. Clearly Schwarz and Falk maintained a good working relationship across the atlantic, since much of Falk's portrait work was reproduced at NPG.

Also, notice that this is a European postcard, bearing none of the marks typical of American cards, but that the actress is unidentified. Was she well enough known in Europe that her name was not needed at the base of the card? Or were portraits of glamorous women, though unknown, enough to sell a postcard? We don't have an answer for those questions yet, but clearly, as far as the postcard industry was concerned, even before the advent of popular radio, television and the internet, it was already a small world.
Card is in fine condition!
Please examine our high res scans for detail.

Postage is for first class shipping in a secure photo mailer, and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will refund the postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of sudden increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

18.00 USD

The photographer of this image was Benjamin "Jake" Falk, the king of American theatrical portraiture, who ascended to that throne following the death of Napoleon Sarony in the late 1890s. One of his studios was located in the Waldorf Astoria hotel, to make it easy for Broadway actors and actresses to sit for him.
At about the same time B.J. Falk was honing his abilities as a photographer on Manhattan Island, another American artist, this one a near neighbor, in Brooklyn, was refining his artistry in stained glass. Louis Comfort Tiffany, among American artists, is probably one of the best known when it comes to the Belle Epoque movement of Art Nouveau. We don't believe we are mistaken in thinking these portrait backgrounds were inspired by Tiffany's work.

It is a lot of fun for us, specializing as we do in French theatrical images of the early 1900s, to be able to showcase a few American images as well. The model for this card was probably a very well known American actress, but having very little experience with American images of this period, it is unlikely we will identify her before the card sells.

This card was published by NPG or the Neue Photographische Gesellschaft, in Berlin. NPG was run by the German, Arthur Schwarz, who, with Benjamin Falk, had developed, in the U.S. a rotary method for the mass printing of silver-bromide photo postcards. Schwarz then took this American patented technology to Germany, where, making use of what were at that time superior industrial and technological resources, he improved upon them, and created what was probably the largest and most successful postcard printing company for quite some time time during this very competitive period. Clearly Schwarz and Falk maintained a good working relationship across the atlantic, since much of Falk's portrait work was reproduced at NPG.

Also, notice that this is a European postcard, bearing none of the marks typical of American cards, but that the actress is unidentified. Was she well enough known in Europe that her name was not needed at the base of the card? Or were portraits of glamorous women, though unknown, enough to sell a postcard? We don't have an answer for those questions yet, but clearly, as far as the postcard industry was concerned, even before the advent of popular radio, television and the internet, it was already a small world.
Card is in fine condition!
Please examine our high res scans for detail.

Postage is for first class shipping in a secure photo mailer, and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will refund the postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of sudden increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!

18.00 USD

Suzanne Mainville was a French music hall performer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who was both a singer and a dancer. Very rarely do we see images of theatrical performers that so wonderfully capture the sense of movement that is seen in this image. Remember that these early photographs typically required that the subject remain still for a number of seconds, or even minutes, so that it required both physical strength and balance as well as great strength of will for a dancer to hold a pose such as this one.

This image is one of a series by Cavaliere Alfredo Pesce. Another image in this series was included in an exhibition of photographic portraits at the National Library of Naples, showing Suzanne in the same dress, but in a much less dramatic stance.

You may be interested to know that Cavaliere, usually abbreviated to Cav., is the Italian honorific for a knight. Cav. Pesce was a well-known and well-respected Naples photographer who photographed such luminaries as Giacomo Puccini and Émile Zola. His studio was located in the lavish Galleria Umberto I in Naples, an amazing structure graced by mosaic floors and a high glass dome that soars 187 feet above the heads of the pedestrians who walk below. Built in the last decades of the 19th century, this elegant precursor to today's malls was designed to combine public with private, filling the lower floors with businesses, shops, and cafes, while locating apartments above, on the third floor.


******

This dramatic card has only minor wear to the edges and corners. Please examine our high res scans for detail.

Postage is for first class shipping in a secure photo mailer, and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, the price is the same as for a single card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, due to the costs of international shipping will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!