14.00 USD

Here at Red Poulaine, we have a special place in our hearts for the Italian actress images of the early 1900s and into the 1920s. The quality of the portrait photography and subsequent postcard publication was particularly rich, with a flair for the dramatic and mysterious. Many of our favorites, like Anna Fougez and Nella Regini, began their careers as sciantose, a variation on the French term chanteuse, meaning female singer, but bringing to it other meanings, and implying a dark, mysterious, exotic quality that appealed to the theater going public at the time, and certainly appeals to us :) Naturally we love all of our images or we probably wouldn't purchase them for our shop, and feel an almost filial affection for the performers onto whom we project imagined personalities and traits (is that weird? :), but there is something about what seems to have been at the time a very Italian penchant for carrying the illusion of the stage and screen out into the public venue, a tendency to make even larger, the already "larger than life" persona of the theatrical personality, that we really love. So we have decided to open a new section devoted exclusively to these Italian artistes. We call it "La Bella Donna," and yes it is a bit of a play on words, given the tendency in many of these cards to focus on qualities of a "femme Fatale" type. We hope you will enjoy these images as much as we do.

In the late 1910s and 20s, Andreina Rossi performed on both the stage and screen. We have come across many wonderful images of her, but not a lot of history. Magnificent image by Vettori of Bologna, circa 1920s.
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

She's so saucy. :) Mlle. Miette was a headliner at the Cigale. Still looking for more information on her, so this is a bit of a mystery card, but what a card, yeah? The hand coloration is marvelous. We do know that Mlle. Miette performed not only with the guitar, but with the banjo, as well.
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!

***Dear International Customers: We have recently begun purchasing our postage through Etsy, and although we have found it necessary to charge a six dollar shipping fee on international orders, shipping costs may fluctuate, and any portion of that fee remaining beyond what we are actually charged for shipping will be refunded to you.
We will continue to ship our cards, first class, in a rigid photo mailer for their protection, and on larger orders, to insure your purchase.
The added expense of the rigid photo mailer, and insurance on your purchase when applicable, has never been added into your International shipping fee, which is simply the cost of shipping your parcel, first class, and with no added fees whatsoever.***

12.00 USD

Great Reutlinger image of one of our favorite Belle Epoque dancers, Mlle. Lucy. Clearly a previous owner of this card was an enthusiastic fan, and decided to add a few Art Nouveau style decorations with gold paint. We have to say that their own personal touches do not detract, but add to the charm of this image.
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

Welcome to our "Am I Bleu" section, in which we celebrate the dramatically colored, blue-tinted French postcard of the 1920s. To get you in the mood, follow the link below to enjoy a Youtube clip of Hoagy Carmichael and Lauren Bacall performing the 1929 hit "Am I Blue," in the 1944 hit movie, "To Have and Have Not," starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C1vJ2Z8aI0

The back of the card reads, A lovely and happy party to my dear Sis, Marie. We love it. Never encountered the word Soeurette before, the diminutive of sister. Language is so great....how in some of them, the diminutive is longer than the word itself!
Anyway, perfectly brilliant card. One of our favorite sort. Just love this kind of coloration, and though we do love the Bleuet cards, Noyer is simply incomparable. Fine condition too.


Great Reutlinger image of one of our favorite Belle Epoque dancers, Mlle. Lucy. Clearly a previous owner of this card was an enthusiastic fan, and decided to add a few Art Nouveau style decorations with gold paint. We have to say that their own personal touches do not detract, but add to the charm of this image.
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!

16.00 USD

What eyes you have! :) And such a charming pageboy cut! Miss Livingston (1895-1984) was practically the most fatale of all the silent femmes (most respectful apologies to Miss Bara:), though unlike Theda Bara, she didn't find herself typecast, and also managed a successful transition to the talkies. Still, after marrying the very successful bandleader Paul Whiteman in the early 30's, she retired from film work. If you've never seen her play the part of the city woman in Murnau's "Sunrise," please do. She destroys the poor man in a most devastating way. The film is so heartbreaking, it almost stops being entertainment, but it certainly does Murnau (maker of "Nosferatu"), and all involved, considerable credit. Thanks to Wikipedia!

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!

4.00 USD

Mignon is an opéra comique (a genre of French opera featuring both spoken dialogue, and arias) written by Ambroise Thomas and first performed in Paris, in 1866. The opera was hugely popular, and its main character, a tragic Gypsy girl, set the public's imagination on fire. With the advent of the picture postcard, images of Mignon flooded the European and UK markets. You will find Mignon with horses, toddler Mignons, infant Mignons, and one of our favorites, the Esquimaux Cat Mignon (yep, this one actually does dress a little kitty up in an Eskimo costume, and equip it with Mignon accoutrements! :). Often, whole sets of several cards depicting scenes from the story were published.

In this woodland image, Mignon appears to be standing on one leg, with the other tucked under or behind her, while she plucks her mandolin. We speculate that in the process of hand-tinting, her "missing" leg was hidden by a slightly heavy-handed application of shadow.

******

This card has minor wear to edges and corners. A message in violet ink has been written on the reverse. 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!

9.00 USD

This happy model just may have been the first spokesperson ever for a Reading is ... er, Enjoyable campaign. Such a wonderful image, with such a great message.

The photographer was Professor Edward (often called Édouard) Stebbing (18??-1915), a prolific photographer, inventor, and writer of wonderful articles full of technical details about photographic techniques. Although Wikipedia does not have a page for him, their disambiguation note states that he was "active in Paris between 1890 and 1910."

Professor Stebbing was an extremely prolific portraitist, who operated a studio out of Boulevard des Italiens et 30 Rue Grammont, Paris, France and had a talent for toying with the development and printing processes in a way that particularly lent itself to brilliant coloration. He is a bit of a mystery man, as we have found quite a number of references to him pertaining to photography of the period, but no biography as of yet. We don't know what he was a professor of, but it is clear from references in the photographic journals of his time that he was well respected by the community of photographers.

Presumably because of his studio address, he is often called a French photographer, but we do know that Stebbing is a common enough English name, that in the 1870s he was a regular contributor to the British Journal of Photography (in fact, he was that magazine's "Paris correspondent" for a time), and he made regular trips to England. Also, in writing about him and quoting him, the journal referred to him as "Professor" and not "Professeur," we suspect he was an expatriate Englishman who made his home in Paris. We also know from articles in the British journal that he was an active participant in meetings of the Photographic Society of France.

Also, like so many of those early photographers, Stebbing was an inventor. In those days, many photographers, those who were more than dabblers, were inventors out of necessity, as it was only through experimentation with the vast number of chemicals and broad (and constantly "newfangled") varieties of equipment, that advances in their art were accomplished. Stebbing was actually the inventor of the first "roll film" camera in 1883, which by 1887 was retailing for about twelve dollars. Below, there is a link to the George Eastman House Technology Archive where you can learn more about that camera and enjoy an image of it as well.

http://www.geh.org/fm/brownie2/htmlsrc/mS810500001_ful.html

******

This fun and sexy card was postmarked in November of 1905, but as the back was undivided had probably been published no later than 1904. Some very minor wear on 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!

9.00 USD

Very nice Mignon image. We're pleased to add this one to the other Mignons in our shop. Very nice 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!

17.00 USD

Beautiful Carmen de Villers in flesh-toned body stocking and sheer veil. Delicately hand-tinted image by Professor Edward Stebbing..

Corners show old-style album storage impressions.

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!

12.00 USD

Early 1900s, possibly late 1890s RPPC of Famous Edwardian Actress Madge Lessing doffing her hat. Gorgeous smile and great costume.

Gorgeous and provocative Madge Lessing (1866-1937) was a London born actress who made it big on the American stage, and later on the screen in silent films produced in Germany. Her origins, according to one reviewer, were shrouded in mystery. In her film career, she appeared in silent movies produced by the prodigious Max Mack. An odd thing about Miss Lessing's appearances in these German films was that her film career in Germany began in 1913. Apparently she continued to make films there in 1914, '15, and '16. The point is, WWI was well underway by this time, and it's a little strange that a British born actress would be shooting films in Germany during that period. Our guess is that since she first hit the big time in New York at the turn of the century, she was probably known primarily as an American actress. She was also known, early on, as someone who liked to keep her past very private, so it seems reasonable that her British origin might have been unknown in Germany at this time. Also, since she left Germany in 1916, this fits our theory well, as it was in 1916 that the US became involved in WWI, and at that point she would have been viewed by the Germans as an enemy alien and been forced to leave that country.
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!

12.00 USD

Amazing curls! Particularly charming image of Reta Walter, who was probably best known for her performances with the Berlin Comische Opera Company in the title role of the hugely popular opera, Mignon, the tale of a tragic Gypsy girl that captured and held the collective imagination of Europe for some decades.
Mlle. Walter, though any real biographical material is very difficult to come across, was apparently the victim of very real tragedy herself.
The story we've found on a number of blog sites, though we've yet to find one offering citations, is that Reta was involved in a long term romance with one Karl Hesse, a wealthy man who at some point lost his fortune and to whom she gave financial support.
Apparently in the year 1906, the relationship turned sour, Reta fell in love with a Spanish singer, and Mr. Hesse, in a fit of rage, shot her to death and then turned the gun on himself.
We'll no doubt run across more of her history in the future, and update her biography in future listings.
Card is in nice, posted, condition, with some very minor creasing in upper right corner.
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!

14.00 USD

Lovely Camilla Horn (1903-1996) was trained, as a young girl, for a career as a dressmaker, but longed to be an actress. In the mid 1920s she found work, as an extra, in the silent film "Madame Doesn't Want Any Children." Also working as an extra on that film was a young Marlene Dietrich!
In 1926, Fraulein Horn got her career making break, when she replaced Lillian Gish as Gretchen, in F.W. Murnau's Expressionist Masterpiece "Faust."

Soon after this, she traveled to the U.S., where she made a few films (starring opposite John Barrymore in "Tempest" to name one), but returned to Europe at about the same time sound arrived on the scene. It wasn't the advent of sound that was the problem, though, as she continued to make talkies in Europe, had a very nice singing voice, and was quite successful, but we will guess it was the language barrier that was the obstacle to her success in Hollywood.

***One of the great things about the silent era, we think, was the ability of fine actors and actresses to make films in countries far from their own, with language never being a great obstacle. An excellent example of this would be Sessue Hayakawa, a Japanese actor who, early on, with a very heavy accent, and not a lot of English, was a popular leading man in silent film, cast romantically opposite actresses of European descent. His skilled dramatic performances, dark good looks, and moody, brooding expressiveness broke many hearts in an era when ethnocentricity and predjudice against difference of any sort was rampant, so really, silent film was bridging that gap, but once sound displaced it, that bridge all but collapsed for decades.***

Camilla Horn's unwillingness to toe the political line during the 1930s in Germany, made her unpopular with the Nazis, but she waited them out, and her popularity as an actress continued into the 1950s.

Below is a link to a Youtube clip of a short, very early, ballad by the Boss (Bruce Springsteen), called Camilla Horn. We thought you might find that fun, and another Youtube link to a clip from the Murnau film "Faust," with the focus on Fraulein Horn's character, Gretchen.

Springsteen link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfZ4RyReDXI

Murnau link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIrn-BxfAYI

Thanks as always, Wikipedia, for all the info, and to Youtube, where we so often find pertinent and wonderful clips! Verily, admits this antique seller of olde tyme curiosities, this series of tubes, this interwebs, is a most remarkable invention! :)

A very nice, unposted card, with some rounding of the 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, 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!

24.00 USD

"We're five yankee doodle dandies,

Yankee doodle, do or die.

We're five proud nieces of our Uncle Sam,

Sweet as our mom's apple pie..."

(Apologies to Mr. George M. Cohan :)

Absolutely stupendous group image, of what appears to be a song and dance quintet (though the cut of their costumes also suggests that they could be circus/vaudeville acrobats or gymnasts), called the Five Yankee Kids. Unfortunately, we can find no history on them.The second one from the right is wearing a striped costume we're guessing was probably red, white and blue (hence the George M. Cohan reference). Very nice, unposted 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!

16.00 USD

Jaqueline Logan (1901-1983), Hailed from Corsicana Texas.Her father was an architect of some renown, and her mother enjoyed a brief stint as an opera singer, but neither of them had the stage in mind when it came to their baby, so it was that while still a youngster, Jaqueline went to Chicago, and then to New York, not exactly running away, but under false pretenses, and after getting a few small roles in stage productions, managed to get in with Flo Ziegfeld, and parlayed that into an eventual screen test and broke into film. She enjoyed success as a silent film actress in the 1920s, and made the transition into the talkies. One incident of note was her presence on W.R. Hearst's yacht, the Oneida, in 1924, when Thomas Ince died. Quite a scandal arose from this incident, and although it is pretty much accepted that film maker Ince died of natural causes, it was for quite some time believed that he had been killed by Hearst over a woman. The hubbub probably did Miss Logan's career no harm at all, as she was not directly connected to any unpleasantness.
This is really quite a "wow" image, and we're sure the costume will be greatly appreciated. A very nice print, published by Alfred Noyer, of Paris. Very nice condition. Please examine our high res scans for detail.

Many thanks to Wikipedia, for much of our biographical info!

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!

29.00 USD

Miss Constance Drever (1880-1948) was born in Madras, India, into a military family. She debuted with the D'Oyly Carte Opera company in 1903. in their production of "A Princess of Kensington" which bears the distinction of being the last of their productions to appear at the Savoy theater of London, the theater where they performed so many of the Gilbert and Sullivan Musicals since the late 1870s. The company would, by the time Miss Drever joined it, have been run by Richard D'Oyly Carte's widow, Helen Lenoir.
Miss Drever went on from there to appear in a number of other musicals with great success, and also to appear regularly on the music hall circuit.
Here, she is pictured in "costume orientale" as the Princess Amāsis, from the successful 1906 comic opera "Amāsis; or An Egyptian Princess," by Faraday and Fenn. The card is dedicated and signed by Miss Drever. A really wonderful item.
We have come across a couple of other cards signed by this performer, valued at upwards of 900 dollars! Well, we cannot say how the sellers arrived at those values, and we certainly aren't going to argue with them. perhaps we are letting this card go at a ridiculously low price. In fact, from a strictly "marketing perspective," we think we'd be fools not to mention it, so we have :)
Anyhow, a really lovely autographed image, in very nice 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!

7.00 USD

Happy Valentines Day!

19.00 USD

So pleased to have this card to share with you. We have, for some time, wanted to bring some of this series into our shop, but they are, all too often, priced out of reach. "A Travers Les Coulisses" translates as "In the Wings," or "Behind the Scenes." It was a series of cards published in the 1910s, and perhaps into the 20s, by Paris sur Scene, or "On the Paris Scene."

Although the images in this series are posed images, they are clearly impromptu, and lacking a trompe l'oeil background or polished studio setting. The makeup and costumes of the theatrical performers (sometimes an application of rouge that could be appreciated from the 7th row, balcony)--the ways in which they are posed--the quality of lighting--these are simply not up to the standards of images typically produced by publishers like S.I.P., or Etoile, or Noyer, nor by photographers like Reutlinger, Walery, or Manuel, and of course, we adore those fine, artfully produced, images, but the radical different-ness of this series, makes it very special indeed!

Often the photographs are shot backstage, or in dressing rooms amidst a tangle of disused props, framed pictures, and carelessly strewn articles of clothing. Sometimes the dressers and seamstresses are present. Often we see chorus girls and line dancers--almost always half dressed (in so naively gratuitous a fashion as to bring to mind the phrase "naughty bits" a la Monty Python :), and the images are a goldmine for the fashion historian, because these young ladies were on the cutting edge of the coming flapper rage. These were very much the supporting cast of characters, so often invisible to us, of the Paris music hall tradition--but one of the images in this series is apparently of Mata Hari, so the photographers did sometimes capture relatively candid images of some of the big names.
While researching this series, we came across one of them housed in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery of London. My, but we are in good company now! See how one of the artistes applies her lipstick, using the soldier's polished helmet for her mirror?

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw206183/A-Travers-Les-Coulisses

But why is that simple French postcard placed in so elevated a position? Not because the photographer was well known (anonymous), and the girls were, as far as we know, relative nobodies. We can only imagine it is there because the image captures so exquisitely a time and place in history. Of course we'll continue to look for more cards in this series. This is only one of many, we hope.

So here we have Louis Espinoza, and assorted cast, in a dress (or maybe not so much!), rehearsal for a production called Le Ballet des Nymphes. Posed, but oh so candid. There is moderate wear to corners, edges, and surface on this card, enough that we might not ordinarily have purchased it for the shop, but the image insisted :)
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!

24.00 USD

"We're five yankee doodle dandies,

Yankee doodle, do or die.

We're five proud nieces of our Uncle Sam,

Sweet as our mom's apple pie..."

(Apologies to Mr. George M. Cohan :)

Absolutely stupendous group image, of what appears to be a song and dance quintet (though the cut of their costumes also suggests that they could be circus/vaudeville acrobats or gymnasts), called the Five Yankee Kids. Unfortunately, we can find no history on them.The second one from the right is wearing a striped costume we're guessing was probably red, white and blue (hence the George M. Cohan reference). Very nice, unposted 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

Magical!
Dunno about you, but as far back as I can remember, I was always trying for a ride on the rabbit, elephant, lion, or others of the more unusual carousel creatures on visits to the fair. You too?

This card has problems all over the place, particularly with a patch of discoloration perfectly centered on the boy and rabbit. This is really unfortunate, but we are hoping one of our customers will see past these faults and love this card as is!

In any case, the image was way too marvelous for us to pass up, and being an RPPC, is probably very close to being a one of a kind.

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 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!

18.00 USD

Beautiful hand-tinting on this card by Parisian photographer Camus. We have asked ourselves what clown character had their hair done in a pointy tuft, and found no answers in our research, but thinking about the way so many clowns classically wore a pointy hat, realized that if one wears a pointed hat, and upon removing it uncovers a dramatic tuft of pointed hair....well....that is just funny, after all :)
Wonderful card in very nice condition. 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 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!