19.00 USD
Eminé is a common given name for girls in Turkey. That, coupled with her costume and pose, lets us guess that this beautiful young lady was a Turkish belly dancer. We find no history for her, nor any for the photographer, of the Loreti studio in Rome, Italy. Lots of fun, great expression, and a wonderful headdress!
RPPCs (Real Photo Post Cards) like this one, were not mass produced by the huge firms that printed and published the postcards which make up the majority of our listings here at Red Poulaine.
In both cases (whether the product of a major publisher, or an RPPC), if they are photographic image postcards, they are photographs printed from negatives onto postcard sized printing stock, and so very much "real photos."
But, what we refer to as RPPCs were often made from amateur photographs taken by individuals in their homes, images of family celebrations, weddings, christenings, etc., or from photos taken in a local studio.
Whether the photo was taken at home or in a studio, RPPCs were not usually printed in large runs, but a few at a time, just enough to mail off to friends and relatives while keeping one or two for posterity's sake. That is why, as postcards go, an RPPC is as rare as they come, often being the only remaining one of its kind.
This particular RPPC was produced in a studio for promotional purposes. Our dancer was perhaps new to the profession, trying to break into show business, and this run of cards would have been produced either out of her own pocket, or paid for by her manager to be mailed off to theatrical booking agents.
Performers also sometimes sold cards like these as souvenirs to audience members during breaks in the show, as a way of making a little extra income.
To us, RPPCs like this one represent someone's special dream, their hopes for success that were probably in most cases never quite realized. But today we are allowed a glimpse, through this photographic window, into their great adventure. Precious stuff :)
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 not charge for 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!