18.00 USD
The quality of light in this wonderful old hand-colored image is amazing. Delicate shades of color on the image of our very charming model in her mermaid gown merge with colors in the silvering at the card's edges, managing to compliment and boost the effects of each. We think it's the pale blue in the gown that really sets off this image :)
Though many of our visitors will be long familiar with the term "silvering," for those of you who are not, a basic explanation from a couple of amateurs follows here. We do this every few months, I guess just because we love silvering and want to infect others with our fanatacism!
When a photographic postcard print of this type was made, the original image was reproduced in light and dark contrasts by the action of light filtered into a bed of photo-sensitive metallic salts suspended in a gelatinous layer on the surface of the photographic print paper. Those metallic salts were usually, though not always, bromide of silver (probably the most commonly used light sensitive material in "film" photography), hence the term "silvering."
The thing is, that the gelatinous layer on the print's surface is not perfectly stable, and over time (in this card's case, a little over a hundred years) some of the tiny metallic salts migrate to the print's surface where, exposed to the atmosphere, they oxidize, producing this wonderful, magical effect. We're almost always big fans of silvering on a photograph, wherein nature and time have conspired with the image to create something...more. Some collectors have absolutely no fondness for it at all, as it certainly alters the photographer's original intention.
Note that the back side of this card is divided, not in half, but creating a "1/3rd" section for the message. This happened in most countries early on as they adopted the divided backs. Rather than immediately splitting the reverse side down the middle, they approached the whole thing like edging into a cold pond for a swim, one toe at a time :) We are guessing this is a German card, and though the postmark seems to indicate it was mailed in 1908, we put the actual date of printing at right around 1905.
We love this one!
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!