12.00 USD

Gorgeous Art Nouveau composite piece by Leopold Reutlinger of Paris. Exquisitely hand-colored. Posted in 1907. Some creasing to corners, otherwise a remarkable card that affords its holder a magical window into that gilded time and place,,,but we rhapsodize :)

Also from 1907, please enjoy a snippet of Robert W. Chambers work, a prolific American author, who was known to use Belle Epoque Paris as a setting for many of his fictional pieces:

"Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume ; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of rose-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees"

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

Elise De Vere (born Constance), was one of the premiere stars of her time. Born in Belgium, she was the daughter of Herbert Shakespeare Gardiner Williams (aka Charles De Vere) and Julia Ferrett, his wife. Both of them were ex-pat British stage magicians, who wandered the world, when not running magic shops! Though they spent years away, she and her family maintained their "British-ness," and never gave up their citizenship. In the Paris of the time (of today, for that matter), there were numerous communities of residents from "away" who maintained close ties to their cultural origins. The Deveres, for example, regularly attended services at a local Anglican church, or so we have been told. The fact is, that a number of big French music halls were owned by English theatrical promoters during this period, some of whom exported English performers to France (early "British invasion" :), just as France exported theirs to England. After all, the channel is not so wide.

A wonderful card for our Marvelous Maenad section. How like a pagan priestess she is :)
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

Lovely image. We are guessing at the date as somewhere around 1910. We have no experience with old Japanese postcards, but sometimes put one in the shop when we are particularly charmed by it. On the reverse side, in violet ink, the card is addressed to Mlle. Marguerite, in the home of her parents. How cute! and also the little flowered stamp of ten centimes drawn into the stamp box :) The card, rather than posted, was probably enclosed by a relative, or friend of the family, with a letter to a young girl's parents.
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

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.

We can find nothing on this actress, Maria Gioanna, but we certainly love this flamboyant image! A very nice, A. Traldi of Milan card, in fine condition. Please examine our high res scans for detail.

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

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

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

14.00 USD

Probably intended as an Easter Greetings card, the clarity of this print is marvelous, and it's awfully cute, no? Very nice unposted condition with minor wear to 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, 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

Beautiful hand-tinted image of Mme. Simone in costume as la Faisane, the Pheasant, in Edmond Rostand's play Chantecler. We have not been able to dig up much history on Mme. Simone, apart from the fact that she was married to Claude Casimir-Pener, the son of the former president of France. Very nice condition on this unposted card with a nicely deckled edge.
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!

99.00 USD

We are rather excited about this one! Posted in 1912, in the neighborhood of two years before her first film role, we believe this to be an early unidentified image of Theda Bara, the Queen of all Hollywood Vamps.
Though several years younger in this, than in most of the images we can find of her, and tinted in pink and lavender, when we are so used to seeing her garbed in stark, gothic, black, her features are nevertheless unmistakable, and even in 1912, she had mastered the classic "I will devour you" look that brought her such undying fame.
By 1912, Miss Bara had long since left her home town of Cincinatti, moved to New York, and four years previously had made her Broadway debut in "The Devil." Also in New York, were the well known Broadway showgirl photographers Jacob Schloss and J.B. Falk. In addition to sometimes dressing up his actress models in wreaths of Spring blossoms (a la Professor Stebbing),Schloss made a common practice of of selling prints of his work to European postcard publishers, and although the actress would, even on European postcard versions, normally be identified, along with his well known "Schloss NY" identifying signature, the common practice at the time was to take the earlier identified images, and hand-tint or otherwise decorate them, at which point identifications were left off, and the card offered to a broader market of standard "glamor" shot buyers. We are confident that this is what occurred in this case, and are presently doing our best to locate the original image.
Postcard images of Theda Bara are almost impossible to find on the open market these days, and a rare early pre-movie star image is well...almost priceless. But still lacking appropriate proof, we've set a price.
Please examine our high res scans for detail.

***We're putting up a few black and white images of Miss Bara that we've pulled off the web, for comparison's sake. Please keep in mind that these photos would have been taken several years after the one in our possession. These are not our images, and of course, are not for sale.***

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

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

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

6.00 USD

We love this!
Sublimely weird. There is a tiny hole in this card, upper center, where it was probably pinned to a wall. It is actually tiny, and so unnoticeable, that we didn't see it until we examined our own scans of the card. Still, it's there, and although we would almost never intentionally purchase a card for the shop with this particular flaw, they slip by us sometimes, and we'll price this one accordingly.
The edges of this card are of the "saw-tooth" variety we have often run across on Italian cards from the 1920s, but rarely from other times and places, so we're taking a guess, dating this card to that era, and calling its subject an Italian dancer. If you know better, please don't feel shy, but correct us! We learn from our customers and visitors almost every day, and if we alter a listing following your suggestion, we'll hand you a 20% scholar's discount on your next purchase!
Except for the tiny pin hole, 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!

14.00 USD

Wonderful image of a young dancer performing the Skirt, or, Serpentine dance. This was a form of dancing popularized and, to a great degree, developed by Loie Fuller, famous Belle Epoque (American) dancer and actress. As we can see in this image, the skirt is voluminous and of very light cloth. Miss Fuller was said to use sometimes as much as four, or five hundred yards of silk for some of her routines. We can also see the aluminum, or bamboo, extensions this dancer is holding which allow her greater reach, and control over the cloth.
Ida Fuller, another Serpentine dancer, and Loie Fuller's sister in law, once discussed, in interview, the stress this performance places on the arms. To read a portion of that interview, learn much more about skirt dancing, Loie Fuller, Ida Fuller, and even to follow a link to a short film compilation of women actually performing this style of dance at the turn of the century, please follow the link below to our blog.

http://redpoulaine.blogspot.com/2013/07/ida-pinckney-fuller-belle-epoque.html

Note the careful trails of glitter that were applied to the image.A truly lovely card, posted in 1907. Nice condition with minor 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!

14.00 USD

Wondrous Ruffles, Sparklies and Pom-Poms! Farfalla at rest. Named after our favorite antipasto...sorry, just kidding :)
Though there is actually a farfalla pasta (what we commonly refer to as a bow tie noodle), this Farfalla, though we've learned nothing about her history, was named, no doubt, for her delicate grace, as the word means butterfly in Italian. Gorgeous German image, posted in Belgium, in what looks to us like 1909. Some gentle creasing in the bottom right corner, otherwise 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!

***Our apologies to our wonderful international customers for the sudden increase in shipping costs. We have been advised that our international postal rates have pretty much doubled, so until we see what's what, we're charging 8.00 dollars for 1st class shipping in a rigid photo mailer. But we're not interested in making a profit with our shipping fees, and we will refund any amount left over beyond our cost.

17.00 USD

The Countess de Segur, born Céline Emilia Seurre (1873-1966), Cécile Sorel was one of the most widely respected actresses of the French theater during the early 20th century. She gained her title through marriage, but her fame through her abilities. This wonderful Reutlinger image was taken circa 1900, just a couple of years after Mlle. Sorel first debuted on the stage at the Odeon Theater. She is said to have performed in the tradition of that first lady of theater Sarah Bernhardt. What a gorgeous headdress. This image is so like something Alphonse Mucha would have been inspired by for one of his wonderful Art Nouveau pieces.
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!

4.00 USD

A lovely, if simple, example of the flower framed Art Nouveau photo card of the period. Somewhat faded with age, and rounded in the corners, but overall, 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!

18.00 USD

When it comes to film star images of the 1920s, certainly Ross Verlag of Germany, which produced over 40,000 images in its time, has everyone beat hands down for variety, but for print quality and evocative style, one of our very favorites would have to be Cinemagazine Editions of Paris. Here is a truly magnificent example. In this particular case, we have a photo out of the G.L. Manuel Freres Studio of Gaston and Henri Manuel (the latter, no doubt well known to our regular visitors for his Belle Epoque theatrical portrait images).

Francisca Lopez, later known as Raquel Meller, was born in Tarazona, Aragon. She was the daughter of a blacksmith and a grocer. At the age of ten, her father passed away and she went to live with her aunt, the abbess of a convent. Soon she was faced with the prospect of becoming a nun, an idea not much to her liking, so, though still a child, she ran away from the convent and took a job in the city, as a dressmaker's assistant. Here is where the story gets marvelously fairy-tale-like in quality.
As she toiled through the long days with her needles and thread, working embroidered patterns into the robes and cloaks of Catholic bishops, wealthy ladies, and the like, she amused herself and helped pass the hours by singing the simple country songs she'd learned as a child, but so beautifully that crowds would gather outside the shop window to listen. By thirteen, she was singing in bistros, and soon became known even to the king and queen of Spain. She eventually took the stage name of Raquel Meller, grew famous as a chanteuse, then as a silent film star. Charles Chaplin was one of her biggest fans. Sarah Bernhardt said that she was the finest actress in Europe, (excepting, of course, herself), :) She was rumored to have been the person who denounced Mata Hari as a spy to the French Government, in a fit of jealous rage, upon discovering that her lover was having an affair with the infamous dancer. If you follow the below link, you can hear Raquel sing "la Violetera."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q71Q5EMyQzk

A really wonderful card in near fine, 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!

11.00 USD

Gorgeous. Mimy was born in Italy, in1896, began her career as a nightclub and cafe singer, a "sciantosa," in the teens, moved on to act in the movies and was quite a star in the silent era, made the change to the talkies and continued to make films well into the 1950s. She passed away in 1992. 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

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.

We can find nothing on this actress, Maria Gioanna, but we certainly love this flamboyant image! A very nice, A. Traldi of Milan card, in fine condition. Please examine our high res scans for detail.

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

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

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

19.00 USD

Gorgeous SIP (Société Industriélle de Photographié) image by Leopold Reutlinger of Paris, of beautiful French stage performer Arlette Dorgère. So beautiful! Mlle. Dorgère was a favorite on the Parisian music hall scene, spending most of her time in Paris, while occasionally resting up at her chateau in the country. We include an image, ***not for sale***, of the Chateau Dorgère (as it was called for a time), otherwise known as Chateau Vigneux, on the river Seine, to offer an idea of the kind of wealth accumulated and enjoyed by these well known Belle Epoque performers. Famed poster artist Jules Cherét captured Mlle. Dorgère's image on a poster for the Scala Theater in 1904 an image of that poster, also ***not for sale***, is published in this listing.
Mlle. Dorgère did not perform only in France, but traveled extensively, performing in locations as far afield as Rio De Janeiro in Brazil. According to one source, she moved to Morocco in 1929, where she quietly settled into retirement from the hustle and bustle of theater life.
This information was found in a very interesting blog entry (address below), whose focus seemed to be primarily on historic buildings.

http://dandylan.over-blog.com/article-du-ministre-cochon-a-la-belle-arlette-le-riche-passe-du-chateau-de-vigneux-98687119.html

A very nice unposted 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!

19.00 USD

Of the dozen or so images we've run across of Mlle. Véréna, this is without a doubt the nicest one. We looked, but could find no history on her, not even a first name. From the way she's posed in images, and the costumes she wears, we think she was probably a singer, but this is nothing more than a wild guess. Very nice portrait by Leopold Reutlinger of Paris.
A very nice card in fine, 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!

6.00 USD

At the turn of the 20th century, this style of card, with a small photo of a popular stage performer framed by a repetitive Art Nouveau design, was very popular. This card is a very typical example, and in nice, unposted condition. The artist is unidentified. Please examine our high res scans for detail.

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

And please come visit our blog at:

redpoulaine.blogspot.com

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

6.00 USD

We love this!
Sublimely weird. There is a tiny hole in this card, upper center, where it was probably pinned to a wall. It is actually tiny, and so unnoticeable, that we didn't see it until we examined our own scans of the card. Still, it's there, and although we would almost never intentionally purchase a card for the shop with this particular flaw, they slip by us sometimes, and we'll price this one accordingly.
The edges of this card are of the "saw-tooth" variety we have often run across on Italian cards from the 1920s, but rarely from other times and places, so we're taking a guess, dating this card to that era, and calling its subject an Italian dancer. If you know better, please don't feel shy, but correct us! We learn from our customers and visitors almost every day, and if we alter a listing following your suggestion, we'll hand you a 20% scholar's discount on your next purchase!
Except for the tiny pin hole, 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!

14.00 USD

Wonderful image of a young dancer performing the Skirt, or, Serpentine dance. This was a form of dancing popularized and, to a great degree, developed by Loie Fuller, famous Belle Epoque (American) dancer and actress. As we can see in this image, the skirt is voluminous and of very light cloth. Miss Fuller was said to use sometimes as much as four, or five hundred yards of silk for some of her routines. We can also see the aluminum, or bamboo, extensions this dancer is holding which allow her greater reach, and control over the cloth.
Ida Fuller, another Serpentine dancer, and Loie Fuller's sister in law, once discussed, in interview, the stress this performance places on the arms. To read a portion of that interview, learn much more about skirt dancing, Loie Fuller, Ida Fuller, and even to follow a link to a short film compilation of women actually performing this style of dance at the turn of the century, please follow the link below to our blog.

http://redpoulaine.blogspot.com/2013/07/ida-pinckney-fuller-belle-epoque.html

Note the careful trails of glitter that were applied to the image.A truly lovely card, posted in 1907. Nice condition with minor 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!