11.00 USD
"Darf ich um den nächsten tango bitten, süsse kleine frau?" or, "May I have the next tango, sweet little lady?" is also coincidentally the first line from the song, "Darf ich um den nächsten tango bitten?" It was a big hit in 1930, performed by Léo Frank, one of several professional pseudonyms of Leo Monosson (Charlotte Frank was the name of his first wife). Monosson was a Russian Jew who was a popular singer and later a film actor as well, appearing on the silver screen with one of our favorites here at Red Poulaine, Lilian Harvey.
Of course, by 1930 the writing was already on the wall, and though Monosson's career was a successful one, soon after Hitler took power in 1933, it became illegal for Jews to perform in Germany. He emigrated to the United States, but was sadly unable to maintain his show business career, in consequence, he believed, of his popularity in Germany, which made his music unpopular during the war, and postwar years..
On a lighter not,please read below excerpt from a letter we recently received from a dear friend, offering us advice on how to spend a little personal time with our vintage postcard collection.
"Dear Red,
It is not so difficult a proposition, turning a vintage postcard into an effective time machine. After all, a vintage postcard card connects one inextricably to the place and time of its origin, and to its previous owner, who held it in their hand just as we do.
It is helpful if one sits in a comfortable chair, in a quiet room with neither too bright, nor too dim a light source. Take the postcard in your hands and gaze fixedly at the image. Now begin counting backwards from the present year, to the year, or approximate year, in which the postcard was printed.
"2014,2013,2012," and so on...
Of course a little mood music is helpful to the process. Compositions by Jules Offenbach are very effective when traveling back to Belle Epoque Paris. Try to bring all the senses into play: a cigar burning in an ashtray (you don't have to smoke it!), a sip or two of absinthe, and finally, the barest dab of Bouquet Nouveau, a perfume of the period by Roger and Gallet that I had a devil of a time finding.
Now, I guess time travel isn't for everyone. My cousin Jim, the Baptist minister, warns me that repeated journeys into the past may invite demonic possession, and oddly, ever since I told him about my little forays, whenever I pay his family a visit, his two darling daughters point their fingers at me and scream, "Witch!," but even so, I have found this a lovely way to pass a careless hour..."
What a fun and creative idea! What a vibrant and wonderful character our dear friend seems to be, and how like our own writing style is the style of our dear friend's writing!!! hmmm...
But to take a trip to a Berlin nightclub in the year 1930, we recommend you follow the below link to Youtube, and listen to Herr Frank perform the jaunty tango that inspired this wonderfully odd little card!
One tends to think of Weimar Berlin as somewhere on the "dark" side, thanks to much of the history surrounding the time and place, but this is a light and happy piece of music, in keeping with our card's carefree image.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo__AeNGz0w
Now, perhaps a cigarette or cigar burning in an ashtray, a sip of something appropriate (come to think of it, absinthe would be just fine for Weimar era Berlin), the barest touch of Shalimar, or Tabu, and whoosh!
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!