26.00 USD
While searching for old postcards of girls and their dolls, we found a number of cards like this one, showing images of WWI era soldiers having their picture taken with a doll. If we'd found just the one, it wouldn't have seemed that remarkable, but finding several in a general search definitely piqued our interest. This is a particularly interesting one in that the doll being held by the soldier on the left, is easily identifiable as a "boudoir doll."
Boudoir dolls are a highly collectible item these days, and were all the rage with the "Jazz Babies" of the 1920s. These charming (though often uncanny looking) dolls were in some ways symbolic of the cultural liberation (some might say "libertinism") of the period.
Carried along by young ladies to the ball, carnaval, or fete, they took the place of Cousin Bette, or Aunt Margaret, who in past decades would have acted as chaperones, guaranteeing the good behavior of their wards.
Instead, the very presence of the boudoir doll in a girl's arms was in some ways a declaration that she was chaperone free, and "thoroughly modern" (some of these dolls even smoked little cigarettes!).
Of course, aside from these cultural implications which may or may not have applied in individual cases, boudoir dolls were also simply a stylish young lady's accoutrement, though a very unique one when viewed through the lens of our present day experience.
In this card, we have combined, a WWI era image of soldiers playing around in front of the camera, with a rare image of one of those highly collectible dolls. The other doll may be a Pierrot. That one is a bit difficult to make out.
Wonderful historical artifact! There is a smudge on the reverse side of this card, but otherwise it is in very nice condition.
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!