14.00 USD
To answer a question recently asked, "Is this Jean Agelou's model known as Mlle. Fernande?" The answer is definitely "No, she is not." If you google the names Agelou and Fernande together, and do an image search, you will have no trouble seeing that this model, and Fernande, were two very different people! Mlle. Fernande was much better known, and has a far greater collector following these days.
This is one of our favorite "flower girl" models, a term we use for that ubiquitous class of images (particularly common in the 1910s and 20s) of pretty young women, often clasping to their hearts bouquets of flowers, and often with a text somewhere on the face of the card that offers best wishes on an anniversary, or the New Year.
This striking young lady, though, was one of that famous photographer of nude and risque images, Jean Agelou's, models.
In fact, we know that many of her cheery "flower girl" images were out of series produced by Agelou, in which our model often ends up in various states of undress, though the nude and risque images are much less commonly found.
It seems to us a very practical business approach to photograph a series of images, some of which are just plain "darling," that someone might send to Grand-Mama, or Cousin Emmaline, but in which there were also images which would be more likely sold to Uncle Hercule, from "under the table" at the tobacconist's!
To see our model in one of Agelou's risque images, link to another of her cards currently available in our shop.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/240688178/risque-french-postcard-by-jean-agelou?ref=shop_home_active_1
The "family" rated images were not in our experience attributed to Agelou, and were, like this one, published by mainstream publishers, like Fauvette, or Alfred Noyer.
Jean Agelou was born in Alexandria Egypt, to French parents, in 1878. Active as a photographer in France from at least the early 1900s, he is best known today for his risque and erotic "french postcards."
He and his brother George also produced "legitimate" work, as we see here, but his nude postcards are often marked with JA , or sometimes GA, for George Agelou, though we've read in a few places that George was not, himself, the photographer, but only handled the business end of their partnership.
Jean Agelou, and his brother George, both died as a result of an automobile accident, in 1921.
A very nice card that out of historical interest, we will file in our risque section. Please examine our high res scans for detail.
The item you are considering for purchase is, unless otherwise noted, a vintage postcard of approximately 5 and 1/2, by 3 and 1/2 inches. Postage is for fully insured, first class, shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), 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 increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.
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!