24.00USD
A hush falls over the audience. Even the calliope has ceased its melodious charm. The ringmaster, with an almost sinister air of mystery, doffs his black silk hat and bows deeply. The air is heavy with the smells of freshly roasted peanuts and apples, popcorn, sawdust, the manure of animals, the sweat of a closely packed crowd. All eyes are glued to the center ring, in delighted anticipation of the unknown. What thrilling spectacle is about to unfold? We can expect tightrope-walkers, acrobats, dancers from strange and forbidden kingdoms, that daring young man, or woman, on the flying trapeze, jugglers and clowns. We are under the big top, the largest tent on the circus grounds, its central pole as big around as the trunk of a great tree, reaching from the eye-dazzling lights and sequined colors of the central ring, up, up into the heights of impenetrable darkness and gloom.
In this section, "Under the Big Top," we hope to entice you with the romantic images of circus performers, and of variety artists whose acts appeared on the bills not only of circuses, but of those variety shows that played on a stage, at a time when the movie industry was still in its earliest infancy, when, before the advent of television, or even radio, entertainment was always live.
Although this is not technically a circus or variety act card, the film from which the image is taken, Des Lebens Ungemischte Freude, or A Life of Unadulterated Joy, is a German circus film from 1917, starring a circus personality.
Fern Andra (1893-1974), was raised in the circus. She was in a high-wire act at age 4, but entered the film industry at age 6, in 1899. She is usually thought of as a German actress, because much of her film work was accomplished in Germany, but she was born in Illinois, and died in South Carolina. An awful lot of stuff went on in between, but we'll have to refer you to Wikipedia which has a nice, concise, biographical article.
To see Miss Andra in a wonderful German Expressionist silent horror film, follow the link to Youtube. If you like that sort of thing, you will NOT be disappointed!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ1273eN5iQ
A very nice unposted card with the NBC stamp of approval (Neue Bromsilber Convention, not that other old thing :) 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!