12.00 USD

Wonderful image! Gorgeous costume. This performer's name could be "Miss Ruby" (the name written on the back of the card), which wouldn't be that strange actually, as many performers in the Paris music halls took the names of precious gems and metals, as well as flowers, etc., but we'll have to leave her as unidentified for the time being. Nice condition. Very gentle crease in upper right hand 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!

22.00 USD

La Valse Noire, as per convo.

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!

7.00 USD

Happy Valentines Day!

7.00 USD

Happy Valentines Day

7.00 USD

Happy Valentines Day!

18.00 USD

Meyrianne Heglon (1867-1942), was Belgian born (of Danish extraction), and a mezzo soprano who spent most of her operatic career in France. She made her debut in 1890 at the Opera de Paris performing the role of Maddalena in Rigoletto. She enjoyed a long and successful career and was married to composer Xavier Leroux, well known himself for the writing of many popular operas.
Marvelous Art Nouveau, photo-montage creation by Leopold Reutlinger, very typical of some of his more fantastic series. At this point, it is very difficult to say what other artists were involved in the making of these series, but certainly Monsieur Reutlinger, with his original photographs as a foundation, was involved in the production of some really remarkable works of popular art. We aren't art critics to compare something like this to the work of Jules Cheret, or Alphonse Mucha, but we can't help but observe that if photography had not been relegated, for so long, to a position of less importance than other artistic mediums, Creative masters like Reutlinger would be much better known today, and better recognized for their contributions.
A lovely card in very nice condition. Some of the pink coloring agent appears to have worked its way onto the reverse of this card, as sometimes happened, and the card has a slightly musty smell, as if stored in grandma's attic-- a fine perfume to these collectors of old paper, but well, full disclosure :)
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

Wonderful theatrical portrait by Walery, circa 1905. Not quite certain if this Gerard is actually Lucy Gerard, one of our favorites. Nicely hand-tinted and in nice condition too.
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

Wonderful image, posted in 1910 from Luxembourg of a young lady with attitude. Great stuff. 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

We were not able to find any history on Mlle. Lynder, but are so pleased to share this card with you! Likely to have been published in the late 1910s/20s, this is another hard to find image, from the series Nos Artistes Dans Leur Loge, or "Our Artistes in their Dressing Rooms." Text on the back of the card seems to suggest that these cards were produced to be sold at concessions, perhaps in the music hall lobby! Awesome image. What a costume, and an apparently stark and honest (un-dressed-up :), view of the dressing room, and even the performer's dresser/seamstress in the shot. Wonderful, historically precious stuff!
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

We really love the N.P.G. oranotypes. Whether this is symbolic of grace, or the literal descent of a dove, or both, it's a lovely image. Minor wear to edges, corners and surface.
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

Striking hand-tinted image. Bleuet produced a huge selection of brightly tinted cards throughout the 1920s, many with solid color washes in monochrome violets, reds, blues, etc. We haven't found any company history yet, which is a little surprising, given how popular their cards are with collectors.
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

Splendid image of beautiful young woman posing with urn. Puts us in mind of paintings by Pre-Raphaelites like Dante Gabriel Rosetti. Stamp on the card face is postmarked 1907.

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

The "Sisters Lorrison" were a music, dance, and pantomime team composed, presumably, of several (you guessed it), sisters! :) Most images of them we've seen show between four and six young ladies dressed very similarly to this one, and usually posed in a likewise dramatic fashion. We think this one is Cissy Lorrison, but can't be certain.Great fun! They performed at Anthony's in Paris, a music hall, among other locations, and are easily recognizable, in many of their images, by their dramatic chignons and classical drapery. There are also a number of images we've seen picturing them in very interesting bathing attire!
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

When the Jugend, and theatrical modernism had filtered down to the masses in German society, but was still very much the "in" thing among "upper classes," Mary Irber was a great favorite among those audiences. She performed in Berlin, Salzburg and Munich, with a theatrical troupe put together by Joseph Hunkele, who, according to Peter Jelavich, in his "Munich and Theatrical Modernism" "was a cultural parasite of the first order" who capitalized on the popularity of modernism, proponents of which had expressed the aim of raising variety theater to a high art, but instead, Hunkele "succeeded in pulling cabaret down below the level of vaudeville."
Morality groups and police agents were a constant presence at performances, and finally, when several witnesses testified at court that Fraulein Irber "imitates the movements of sexual intercourse while singing some of her songs," Hunkele's concession was revoked. This publicity apparently did Mary Irber's popularity little harm, as images of her in varying states of undress, by photographers such as Martin Gerlach and Heinrich (Henry) Traut abound.
This is a particularly wonderful one with great attention to detail of costume. Those boots are marvelous, the plumes in her hat, so wonderful, and although the boa she sports is not of the constricting variety, there is certainly plenty of that being accomplished by her corset.
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

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.

Wonderful Anna Fouguez head shot. Minor 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!

12.00 USD

Carmen De Villers, was actually...well the Hyborian is difficult to pronounce, but her real name translates as "Stormbringer," By raising one eyebrow, she could call lightening down from the sky on a clear summer's day. More ancient than the pyramids, yet ageless, her beauty brought kings to their knees, until bored with this universe she left, one day, to toy with mortals in an alternate place and time.
A wonderful image of this ancient goddess who took, for a time, human form in this realm. Minor stains and discolorations of what are probably space/time rift in origin on reverse of card. If you buy this one, it would probably be wise either to treat it with great reverence, perhaps regular feedings of mare's milk sweetened with violet nectar, or to go about constantly with an open umbrella (even indoors), decorated with the appropriate talismans.
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!

8.00 USD

Romantic image from series of 12 cards telling the story of Saint Joan. This image shows her before her last battle with Burgundian forces outside Compeigne, at the end of which she was captured.

An account of what took place was later recorded by Burgundian Georges Chastellain, a contemporary of Joan of Arc's

"Then the Maid [Joan of Arc], surpassing the nature of a woman, took on a great force, and took much pain to save her company from defeat, remaining behind as the leader and as the bravest of the troop. But there fortune permitted for the end of her glory and for the last time that she would ever carry arms. An archer, a rough and very sour man, full of much spite because a woman, who so much had been spoken about, should have defeated so many brave men, as she had done, grabbed the edge of her cloth-of-gold doublet, and threw her from her horse flat to the ground."

Thanks Wikipedia!

A very colorful and picturesque image. We have a number of cards in this series we'll be listing soon. 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!