39.00 USD
A rare item. Imperial Russian card of Olga Desmond (1890-1964) in a very risque costume.
Fraulein Desmond was born in East Prussia, in what is now Poland. As a dancer in Berlin she earned notoriety for her "poses plastique," and natural form dancing. Apart from appearing without clothes and the difficulty local authorities had with her art, there isn't a lot in her history to suggest any kind of scandal.
In the summer of 1908, she performed onstage in St. Petersburg, Russia. According to Wikipedia, this was her only performance there as she was banned from any further appearances. Wikipedia quotes her as saying, ""Call it daring or bold, or however you want to describe my appearance on the stage, but this requires art, and it (art) is my only deity, before whom I bow and for which I am prepared to make all possible sacrifices," she told the Russian press." (Thanks Wikipedia!)
A wonderful piece of Dance history here! There is a very obvious crease in the upper right corner. Priced accordingly.
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!