22.00 USD
This is very possibly a rare postcard image of the famous American Belle Epoque dancer Loïe Fuller (January 15, 1862-January 2, 1928). It is really difficult to be absolutely certain. If you are interested in this image, we recommend that you Google image search Loie Fuller and do further comparison there.
If you wind up finding an image of a statuesque beauty, well, it probably isn't Miss Fuller you are looking at.
Below, is a link to a brief clip of an early film which has been purported to be of Miss Fuller dancing her famous Serpentine dance.
Full disclosure here, though: we have also read that Miss Fuller was never actually filmed while dancing...however, the gal in this clip certainly does resemble a number of images of "La Loie."
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NnHfNHu5GsM/UYlgDfdOMKI/AAAAAAAAM_I/FDjvtZfR3GA/s1600/tumblr_lx5oe45Lai1r8wxeyo1_r3_500.gif
She was a remarkable woman whose name became, in many ways, synonymous with Art Nouveau and la Belle Époque. Only one of the ways in which this is remarkable is the fact that Loïe Fuller (born Marie Louise Fuller) was a somewhat short, chubby girl from Illinois, not known for being a great beauty (though we don't find her to be in the least bit unattractive), who after gaining a middling reputation as an actress and singer in the States, and rapidly approaching middle age, made her way to Paris, opened at the Folies Bergeres, and became an almost instant success. Although she did return, now and then, to the U.S., and maintained her citizenship here, she basically adopted France as her home, and France, most certainly, adopted her.
The postcard image itself, though it might seem bizarrely psychedelic for the era, and is certainly hand-tinted, is probably quite close to the way some of her dance performances would have looked in actual fact. Predating the psychedelic discos of the 60s by, well, at least 60, or so years, Miss Fuller danced upon a glass floor, beneath which were arranged electric lights which shone through colored gels, flashing on and off and alternating in color, creating a similar effect. Of course the brilliance of the colors in this card is enhanced by the radium treated photographic paper upon which it was printed.
Loïe Fuller also founded a number of dance schools in the United States and Europe for students interested in following the path of this iconic dancer. Called her "muses," or "Fullerettes" Miss Fuller is said to have doted on her students (one of whom was, for a short time, Isadora Duncan), and in the choreography and production end of performances with these girls, her work was almost as highly regarded as was she herself for her own interpretive dance routines.
A pioneer of modern dance, Loïe Fuller was also the developer of the "serpentine," or "skirt" dance. Part of the magic of this style, which involved the manipulation of sometimes hundreds of yards of silk, creating flowing patterns around and above the dancer, was the effect of colored lights shone up through a glass floor upon which the dancer performed. Miss Fuller was one of the earliest developers of colored gels for theatrical lighting, as well as a number of chemical formulas for use in lighting effects. Though not born into high society, or highly educated, she counted among her closest friends, top ranking scientists and inventors, members of European royalty, and artists of all mediums.
The information we offer here, is a short version of what we offer in a post on our blog about Miss Fuller and family, which has many images, and even a link to a short silent film on Youtube which can give you a good idea of what this style of dance really looked like in action. Link to that blog post below:
http://redpoulaine.blogspot.com/2013_07_01_archive.html
A really wonderful and unusual card.
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!