17.00 USD
Lovely Belle Epoque opera star Lina Cavalieri isn't really slouching. It's a thoughtful pose! and what an expression :)
Photographer A. Bert was responsible for many wonderful theatrical portraits. We're dating this card to the 1910s, simply by appearance and because many of Bert's photos seem to have been taken during that time. We haven't gotten any bio information on Monsieur Bert just yet, but we're still looking.
A very nice card, and an uncommon image of an opera diva who was, in her time, called the most beautiful woman in the world. It was said that if you were performing in a theater, you never wanted La Cavalieri to take in the show, because if she did, rather than watching your performance onstage, all eyes would be on Cavalieri in her box seat.
The stamp is boldly placed in such a way that it almost appears as if Signorina Cavalieri is dodging it by leaning to the left :)
Some people collect postcards with stamps, some prefer them without. We mention that there are chemical solvents obtainable from distributors of stamp collecting supplies that one can brush onto stamps, and that dissolve the paste adhering them to the card, leaving almost no residue whatsoever. At Red Poulaine, the most we ever do in terms of altering the condition of the card as it comes to us, is to sometimes remove pencil marks with an art gum eraser. Anything beyond that we leave to the collector. We do tend, though we obviously love the medium of the postcard, to sell our cards more as images, common, scarce or rare, than as postcards, per se, and therefore lower our price on a card when the face is obscured by a stamp, or writing.
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!