65.00 USD
Anita Berber (1899-1928) was undoubtedly the tragic queen of Weimar Berlin's Cabaret "scene," if only for a short time.
The daughter of a violinist and a cabaret entertainer, she was mostly raised in Dresden by her grandmother and by 16 had moved to Berlin and become a cabaret dancer.
In 1918, she began appearing in silent films, many of them by Richard Oswald (born Ornstein), an Austrian actor and film maker about whom you hear not nearly so often as big names, like Fritz Lang, but who was very much a part of the Expressionist movement in early German film.
By 1919 Berber was also popular for her risque and nude dancing. She is probably best known today for her very open bi-sexuality and her voracious appetite for drugs and alcohol, the latter no doubt contributing to her death at age 29. The "Berlin bad girl" image is exciting, sure, but she was also a very talented performer. An iconic figure of 1920s Berlin, finding an original postcard with her image is far more difficult than say, finding one of Mata Hari. Rare is a much overused term lately when speaking of old postcards, but this one (any of Berber's really), qualifies.
One interesting thing about this portrait is the little white mouse she holds in her hand.
The Weisse Maus, or the White Mouse, was a cabaret that opened in 1919 on Jägerstraße in Berlin. This card was printed some time between 1919 and 1924, a period during which Anita Berber regularly performed there. We can't help but wonder if there's an implied connection or if it's just coincidental as the image was likely drawn from a film in which she appeared.
If you'd care to see her up on your monitor's little silver screen, do follow the below link to Youtube and watch "Unheimliche Geschichten," (Uncanny Tales) a very, very, entertaining film from 1919 by the above mentioned Richard Oswald, starring Anita Berber and also the always wonderful Conrad Veidt! English subs...make popcorn...turn out lights. Like many of the artfully made Expressionist German horror films, this one often achieves "creepy" in a delightful way, so it makes a good date movie :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqyx5J9bLnc
Such nice condition. A very light bending that is almost invisible, lower center. Does not qualify as a crease or even a bend, really. Probably something resulting from long term storage. Typically minor wear to edges and corners and a mysterious dark line along the left edge of the card (really on the very edge). These are negligible faults and we hate even pointing them out, but this is a fairly pricey card, so we gotta :)
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!