16.00 USD

Welcome to "Idols of the 1920s," where we hope to provide a special, cozy place for those of you who long to linger among the stars of the early silver screen, the hoofers and songbirds of dear old vaudeville's fading hours, a few diva's of the grand opera, and of the operetta too, flappers, flappers, more flappers, and of course, and perhaps especially, those femmes fatales who with one smoldering glance can melt a heart, or break it in two. Have fun!

Born Fernanda Primavera in 1898, La Signorina began her career in 1918 as a soprano singing light opera. She remained primarily a very popular theatrical performer until the 1940s when, having retired from the stage, she began appearing regularly in film, and quite successfully too! She passed away in 1995 at the age of 97. Here, she poses in a big blonde wig! We love Nanda. She reminds us both of Fellini's wife, Giuliana Messina, who starred with Anthony Quinn and Richard Basehart in La Strada.
A very nice unposted card published by A. Traldi of Milan.
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!

11.00 USD

This extraordinarily charming image is a bit of a puzzler. It is postcard sized, but blank backed and unidentified. We might think it was a trimmed down photo, but there is a slight border along the upper edge. We are guessing it was a photograph, duplicated on postcard sized stock by a family member for sharing through the mails with friends and relatives. We are also guessing 1920s. Children costumed in this way for a party, or a small (family or church) theatrical production, was not all that uncommon a sight before the advent of television, videos, and certainly, the internet. Even Red can remember such goings on :) These costumes are precious! 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!

19.00 USD

Welcome to "Idols of the 1920s," where we hope to provide a special, cozy place for those of you who long to linger among the stars of the early silver screen, the hoofers and songbirds of dear old vaudeville's fading hours, a few divas of the grand opera, and of the operetta too, flappers, flappers, more flappers, and of course, and perhaps especially, those femmes fatales who with one smoldering glance can melt a heart, or break it in two. Have fun!

Dated 1922 on the reverse, though looking considerably older to us, is this magical "harem" image. Of course the blue tint does add to the magic. Simply wonderful.
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!

32.00 USD

Pauline Polaire (1874-1939) was born Emilie Marie Bouchard, in Agha, Algeria (what was then the French colonial territory of Algiers).

She was a café singer by age 15. It should be noted that what we, in the US think of as a café (often a cozy little street front dining establishment with a limited continental menu, free refills, a glass pie display case on the counter, and an aproned waitress named Ivy who sports a collossal beehive hairdo) but we date ourselves, yeah? :) is NOT the sort of establishment where Polaire began her show business career.

The café, or café-concert, was a place where one could find a good cup of coffee, yes, but also wine, cocktails Americaine, dancing, perhaps a stage with a floor show, etc. In Paris, the sky was the limit, one which comes immediately to mind is La Scala on Boul' de Strasbourg, an establishment that sat 1400 guests, had elaborate indoor gardens, a removeable glass dome for inclement weather, and performances by all the biggest names in showbusiness at that time.

Algiers had been occupied by France for a good 50 years by the time Polaire began performing, with hundreds of thousands of European immigrants having flooded what is still the largest country in Africa, so it is likely that there were some pretty posh, Parisian style cafés around at that time.

Emilie made the move to France in the 1890s, took the name Polaire, and was immortalized in a drawing by Toulouse Lautrec (not doing her career a bit of harm :)

She grew famous, one might even say infamous, for her scintillating performances, lavish mode of dress, attention getting antics, her many lovers, apparently making no distinction between genders in that regard, and her tiny, tiny waist, the result of tight-lacing with a corset (her waist was rumored to have been as narrow as 14 inches, some say 16, made even more dramatic in contrast to her bust which was, apparently 38").

Mlle. Polaire also made a number of silent films in the early days with Maurice Tourneur.

If you would like to hear her sing, follow this link to Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mb32StkDJY

This isn't of the greatest sound quality, but it's a lot of fun. Rough translation of the opening lines:

"Dominique Angelica says,
I'm madly in love with you
My heart shivers with it,
Would you mix your trembling with mine?

Come, a little
We will, a little
Both, a little
Very happy, a little..."

and so on :) A wonderful song, "Tchique Tchique," (Tchique being a form of quelque, meaning, some, a bit, a few.) recorded in the 20s. We are not French speakers, so please forgive errors in translation. We are merely enthusiasts, and share our efforts with fellow enthusiasts, we hope.

By the way, for a little more, completely unrelated "tchique," check out Elis Regina at her magnificent best here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-S1hbRrHmg

Photo image by Felix Nadar, the famous inventor, photographer, cartoonist, balloonist, friend of Jules Verne, etc., what a guy :) a wonderful scarce card in very nice posted 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

Rose Caron (1857-1930), was an operatic soprano who made her debut in 1880 with great success. She enjoyed a long career, and at 47 years of age, made some recordings. We provide a link below. The sound quality is poor, but her voice is sweet and clear, and one can only imagine how she sounded in her prime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7agu-nXMLY

Leopold Reutlinger made great use of his original images. Experimenting with new techniques, he took portraits he'd shot of artistes in the 90s, which may have been produced as cartes de visite, or cabinet cards originally, and superimposed the cutout portrait onto decorative, Art Nouveau, sometimes quite surreal backgrounds, depicting them as woodland nymphs, undines, whatever form he hoped would grab the public imagination at the time, and they did!

This card is a particularly fine example of one of his most successful series. To give a little perspective on his process, in our list of images, we are including (though NOT FOR SALE), an image of an earlier card from right around 1900, where he made use of the same image, but placed on a different background, un-tinted, and in a style that was more popular in the late 90s.

Mlle. Caron was probably (or, at least appears to be), still in her twenties at the time this photo was taken, and close to 50 years old when this series was published.

Gorgeous card, circa 1905, minor wear to corners, in very nice, posted 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

5.00 USD

Early portrait by famous pioneer woman photographer Lilian Ream of probably an Edwardian actress in Japanese costume, in the period of Orientalism run wild. Beautifully hand tinted, and gorgeous detail on kimono! Typical edge and corner wear, but overall in very nice condition. There is a tiny polished rectangle in lower right hand quadrant. Not sure what caused this. Barely noticeable to naked eye.
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 image of Belle Epoque artiste Marthe Derminy taken by Leopold Reutlinger circa 1905. We have not been able to find any biographical info on her yet, still looking, but it does appear that later in her life, she made appearances in a number of French musical romance films in the 30s and 40s, though it is possible this was another Marthe Derminy.

It is worth mentioning, that her costume in this image has been hand-tinted in the shades of the suffragettes, green, white and violet, suggested by some to stand for G ive, W omen the V ote, but whether or not this was the case, it is a fact that women in that time designed clothes, wore ribbons and buttons, in those colors to identify themselves with the cause. Solidarity among sisters? Who knows, but certainly the women coloring these cards were quite possibly interested in winning the vote, perhaps with the intent of improving working conditions, raising the wage, etc. We think we value these cards even more highly when we consider the actual labor involved in the producing of them.

Have you seen the beautifully embossed cards we sometimes sell? Recently we read an account of the way this embossing was done. In this particular case, circa 1899, there was a workspace, just off a narrow connecting street between two large avenues in the Latin Quarter in Paris. In this place, 40 or so women sat at tables, fitting metal dies over the sections of the postcards to be embossed, and hammered away at them with little hammers. This, from early morning til the day's end. We aren't suggesting that this was particularly dangerous or difficult work compared with some jobs of that time, but It's so easy in these amazing times to assume such cards were simply stamped out by some huge machine, when it is likelier that they were produced by the sweat of warm-blooded people :)
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!

22.00 USD

Large, or unusual, "Imprimé" postcard format. At approximately 6 and 5/8ths by 2 and 3/4s inches in size, this Image was by Leopold Reutlinger of Paris, this was one of an experimental variety of card, created in response to various bureaucratic roadblocks having to do with government tariffs on posted materials, their size, the number of lines, or written words, etc. Thank goodness our postal service has that sort of thing all squared away these days, huh? Hahahaha...er....sorry, :)
So, what makes these cards special apart from making absolutely fantastic bookmarks? Well, apart from the fact that they are, in and of themselves, a highly sought after sub-category of collectible postcard,because they were produced as photographic prints, and therefore are images of a chemical, rather than digital, resolution, the full-length portrait details can be of a higher resolution than those on a full-length portrait postcard of ordinary size. This might not matter so much to many postcard collectors, but we mention this because many of our customers make use of these images in various graphic arts projects, and so working from a higher resolution print can be very helpful, particularly if some kind of image enlargement is on the menu. In any case, a really beautifully dramatic Belle Epoque image. Enjoy!
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

Leopold Reutlinger, the Belle Epoque photographer, took thousands of photographs of famous Parisian actresses. These were published in black and white, cropped to close up and republished, hand tinted, glittered, sequined, published again, and when every imaginable possibility had been explored, he superimposed these images onto wonderfully fantastic, often surreal backgrounds. The "Artiste with Bird" series is one of our favorites, quite collectible, and we've seen a fair number of them pass through our shop, though not usually in condition this fine.
One of the issues with Reutlingers "fantasies," is that although the artiste's name was usually printed on the face of the card in its early incarnations, by the time they got to these dramatic creations, the name would often be left off. This was fine at the time, since their faces were very well known, but not today.
Which, of course, let's us play the "Name That Face" game, one of our favorite pastimes :).
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.
This card was published by NPG (Neue Photographische Gesellschaft) of Berlin, and utilized the extremely effective Oranotype method for photo reproduction. Very nice condition on this one, dated on the back 1906.
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

Whether in the carriage or the runabout, Mlle. Dorzil is beautifully attired for a Sunday afternoon jaunt! Just lovely, and, "What big eyes you've got, Mlle. Dorzil!" :) Very nice posted condition. Photograph by Leopold Reutlinger of Paris. No information turns up yet regarding this performer's history. Such a beautiful face.
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

Superlative image of this Oslo born film star. Greta Nissen (1906-1982) began her career as a ballerina in Norway, then on to Broadway, and into the silent movies. She was relatively successful, and did make the transition to the talkies, but retired from the business in the 1930s. What we've been able to gather suggests that although she had the reputation of being quite a fine actress, her Norwegian accent was just a bit too heavy for the talkies in the US, and later in Britain.
Card published by Cinemagazine-Editions Paris, which produced, in our opinion, some of the finest film star images of the period. A very nice unposted card, circa late 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!

14.00 USD

Chantecler, a play whose characters are made up of barnyard animals, was based on very old European fables. A tale of Chantecler (meaning "clear singing,"), is retold as far back as Chaucer in his Canterbury Tales (Chaucer having drawn it from even older sources), but this play was written by Edmond Rostand, author of Cyrano de Bergerac and L'Aiglon.
Rostand, it has been said, came up with the idea for the play, Chanticler, while observing farm animals near his home in the south of France. Wow, how we wish we could have been there for this performance! Some wear to edges and corners, but otherwise a very nice piece of theater history.
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!

22.00 USD

Really Cute! PC Paris produced countless risque lingerie images. We love the white backgrounds on this type, filled with frothy light. These are highly prized by fashion historians who glean from them information on the styles of undergarments of the time. Interestingly, these gals seemed almost always to be wearing shoes :) No effort was expended, on the part of the photographer to set up a "getting ready for bed," or "undressing for the bath" scenario. These routines, popular theatrical pantomimes at the turn of the century, had, by the 20s, already become old hat, so that nude and risque images tended to use fewer physical props. The images, therefore were maybe more minimalist, but as in this case, the photography was marvelous.
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

Wonderful Margaret Livingston image of her in a wild net costume. 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!

A wonderful Italian card. Her name is not spelled Li"w"ingston, but Livingston with a "v." Misspellings in old postcards just happened, when you have, for example, an Italian setting up the text, in whose language the letter w is sometimes pronounced like v in Venus.

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!

22.00 USD

Great image of Betty Blythe, who can't come to the phone, because she's a little tied up, right now :) This is from the 1923 adventure film Chu-Chin-Chow in which she played the lead female character Zahrat, a role later played in a talkie version by another one of our favorites, Anna May Wong.
Betty Blythe was born Elizabeth Slaughter Blythe (1893-1972). This Betty was never as naughty as Betty Page, but she did have a bit of a reputation. She once said, ""A director is the only man besides your husband who can tell you how much of your clothes to take off." (Thanks Wikipedia :), and back in the 20s, she was known as one of the most scantily clad stars in Hollywood, taking on daring, sexy roles like the Queen of Sheba, Ayesha in She, and of course, Zahrat. She had a long career, beginning in 1918, and working into the 1960s.
This is a difficult image to find, and we're very pleased to share it with you. 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

Probably published sometime between 1900 and 1904, but posted in 1905, a great image of Belle Epoque stage performer Billy Norton taken by the great Reutlinger of Paris. A very nice card.
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!

5.00 USD

Fun risque image of an attractive young woman testing the temperature of her bath water in an old fashioned hooded tub.
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

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!!! :)

Regina Badet, born in 1876, in Bordeaux, was a principal dancer at the Grande Theatre de Bordeaux by the age of 14. By 1900, she had begun a career as an actress and dancer in Paris. She was a star of the Opera Comique in Paris and eventually traveled the world as an international star. She also appeared in the medium of film beginning in 1908, making a number of silent movies into the 1920s.
Despite the popularity of the corset during this period, as the image above suggests, Mlle. Badet was making the pooch sexy long before the world had ever heard of Marilyn Monroe :)
In the 1920s, Mlle. Badet quietly retired from stage and screen. She died where she had been born, at the age of 73, in Bordeaux, France.
Many thanks to Wikipedia for much of our biographical information.
Some corner and edge wear on this wonderful, hand-tinted card.
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

Clara Bow (1905-1965), a NewYork City native, was born into very difficult surroundings. Her mother suffered from severe mental illness, and Miss Bow was to suffer continual physical and emotional abuse as a child. Her father was not successful and apparently met with constant failures in his life, so they were usually quite poor, with Miss Bow being made fun of at school for her bright red hair, and her ill fitting clothes. She rose above all of this, though, to become one of the biggest stars of the 1920s. In one month, she received over 45.000 fan letters! As our title for this listing implies, she was the original "It" girl, "it" being that inexpressible something that well...she had a lot of it, whatever it was :)

If you'd like to get a look at her, Please visit Youtube and simply enter Clara Bow. There's a lot to choose from. We believe that Marilyn Monroe definitely modeled many of her mannerisms after Miss Bow's, and that is a very interesting thing to see, although in this particular image we're offering today, she offers us a look that would have done Garbo proud.

Thanks to Wikipedia for our biographical information.
A very nice, unposted card, produced by Cinemagazine Editions Paris. 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

Superb image. Minor surface wear of the sort one so often sees in oranotypes, but we are only guessing that this is an oranotype. Overall a wonderful card. Magnificent coloring. 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!