18.00 USD
We have found no history on this dancer. Wonderfully hand-tinted image by Leopold Reutlinger. Unless Osman was actually this dancer's name, which is possible, it was nevertheless an interesting, and practical choice for a Belle Epoque belly dancer, as it would almost certainly have had all kinds of romantic associations in the imaginations of French theater goers of that time.
The name is a transliteration of the Arabic Uthman, and the most famous bearer of the name would have been Osman Bey, the 13th century sultan who gave his name to, and founded, the Ottoman (Uthman) Empire, which lasted from 1299 until 1922!
So it was that Osman was often the name given to the characters of sultans in novels, plays and operas, who kept harems of countless beautiful wives who danced, sang, told stories, and were sexualized in ways to appeal to western audiences. As a plot device, the Christian, European woman, sold into slavery and winding up in the harem of a Turkish sultan, was extremely popular, and appeared in early orientalist media long before the period known as la Belle Epoque. And, even as recently as 1996, we can see the romance of "Osman" in popular media, in the form of a very successful video game, "Osman/Kannon Dancer," in which the old themes arise in a mythic, sci-fi-ish setting.
A lovely 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.
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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!