33.00 USD
Wonderful! It is not often we are lucky enough to get in a classic "French Postcard" in such near immaculate condition!
Of course, most of the cards we sell on Red Poulaine happen to be, in fact, French postcards, in that they were actually published in France, but the term "French Postcard" was also one often used to euphemistically describe the very popular nude, and risque, postcards of the time, whether they were published in France, or elsewhere, hence our quotation marks.
In fact, these cards were quite probably responsible, in large part, for the popular notion that France was particularly libertine in its attitudes, a notion brought back to the U.S.A.(along with thousands of these cards), by young American soldiers who fought in France during WWI.
This idea stayed with us for generations, and is very evident in our entertainment, and advertising. A great example of this would be the song, "Wake Up Little Susie," a number one hit, recorded by the Everly Brothers back in the late 1950s, and kept popular for decades by later recording artists like Simon and Garfunkel and the Grateful Dead. In that song, a young man asks his girlfriend how they will overcome the damage to their reputations after having fallen asleep (apparently for several hours), at the drive-in theater, during a particularly boring movie. He asks her, "What'll we tell our friends when they say ""Ooh la-la,"" Wake up little Susie..."
And to this day, the phrase, "Ooh la-la," accompanied by a raising of the eyebrows, suggests...well....it's suggestive. :)
However, we should also mention here (for the sake of etymological accuracy) , that in France, the phrase is actually "Oh la-la," not "Ooh," and that it is an exclamation of upset, or consternation, and not in the least bit risque!
Incidentally, this song was banned in Boston, and elsewhere, during the height of its popularity, when, even though (according to the story the lyrics tell), the two youngsters had not actually done anything but fall asleep in a car, authorities found its content too objectionable for the airwaves. Thanks for that little gem, Wikipedia!
Extremely minor wear to corners, almost unnoticeable. No apparent wear otherwise. The model is one of our favorites from the period. We are given to understand that her name was Brianna, but we have that from one website only, and we've not been able to gather any more history, although we have seen her clothed, on some of the more ordinary "glamor" cards of the 1920s. Some of her earliest nude images appear to date back to the 1910s. The name Mireille, is also printed on the backside of one of her cards, out of a series of risque cards picturing a number of different models, with each of them given different names on the back, so for the time being, we think we'll settle on Mireille. Although there is nothing particularly inventive about this pose, the sheer covering is draped in a wonderfully artful waterfall.
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!