Vintage Postcard Gallery

Cary Hotel and Pier, Babbacombe - 1923

2009-06-11T16:04:00.005+02:00

I bought this 1923 seaside view several years ago in a small, second-hand book shop in the Cornish fishing village of Mousehole. Little did I imagine when doing some research on the Internet to discover whether the Cary Hotel still existed, that I'd stumble upon a fascinating tale of murder and that this picturesque view is, in fact, a Victorian crime scene! The image is that of Babbacombe Bay, looking towards the hotel which in the 1880s was known as The Cary Arms, as seen from neighbouring Oddicombe. However, it is the building with the steeply sloping roof, that can be seen on the right, which excites the greatest curiosity. On Saturday 15th November 1884, an elderly spinster by the name of Emma Keyse, was found hacked to death in that burnt out villa (known in those days as The Glen). Her murderer, John Lee, was convicted and sentenced to death but in the strangest twists of fate, when the day of his execution came, three attempts to hang him failed and his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

Certainly, from the message on the reverse of this postcard, the holiday makers who sent the card on 2 July, 1923 seem oblivious to Babbacombe's past notoriety!

Read more about John 'Babbacombe' Lee aka The Man They Couldn't Hang at Ian Waugh's fascinating website here.

Rudolph Valentino and Helen d'Algy - 1926

2009-05-21T16:44:00.007+02:00

This uncirculated real-photo Italian vintage postcard features arguably the most famous star and lasting icon of the silent film era Rudolph Valentino. In this card he is seen alongside his co-star Helen D'Algy in a scene from A Sainted Devil (or Notte Nuziale as the film was titled in Italy). Based on the novella Rope's End by Rex Beach and directed by Joseph Henabery this was Valentino's 29th movie and his final Paramount picture. He would make only three more films before dying prematurely two years later at 31.

Whilst A Sainted Devil was first released in the USA in 1924 it wasn't distributed in Italy until after the actor's death which would date this postcard to approximately 1926. It was printed by the Florence postcard company Ballerini & Frattini, who opened their doors in 1912 and are still making postcards today.

A Silent Devil is considered to be one of Valentino's lost films.

Greenville, Pennsylvania - 1914

2009-05-07T18:23:00.005+02:00

This lovely vintage postcard features a painted town view of the borough of Greenville in Mercer County, Pennsylvania entitled Bird's-Eye View of Main St. looking East.

The postcard was published by the Chicago-based Acmegraph Company, which despite a relatively brief period of activity from 1908-1918, issued an extensive range of US national view-cards. This particular view is numbered 9548. It was posted to Carson City, Michigan from Greenville on 5 January, 1914.

Greenville trivia: the town was the main residence in America of Štefan Banič - the inventor of the parachute! Source: Wikipedia

Fern Andra - circa 1925 - 1935

2009-04-15T18:10:00.009+02:00

This sepia real photograph portrait postcard features the actress Fern Andra (1893 - 1974), darling of the silent screen and later film director. As was often the case the photographer is uncredited, with only the studio - Fern Andra Atelier - named.

The postcard was issued by the German company Rotophot (later Ross Verlag) as part of a series of postcards devoted entirely to movie star portraits, known as Film Sterne. Their distinctive emblem is printed in the bottom left hand corner of the card - RPH letters in a circle with a horse above and Film Sterne (Film Stars) below.

Although it is uncirculated there are a few clues that help in dating this postcard such as an NBC logo printed in red in the space for the stamp on the reverse of the card. The NBC or Neue Bromsilber Convention was a cartel of postcard publishers created in 1909 to reach an agreement on the pricing of postcards in an effort to be more competitive against publishers who were damaging the market by severely undercutting prices. This cartel was still in existence up to the early 1930s. The Film Sterne portrait cards were also numbered rather oddly and started with #61 and ran through to #225, with numbers up to 200 issued approximately between 1925 and 1935. This card is numbered 131/2.

With thanks to the wonderful website - Ross Verlag Movie Star Postcards History and Checklist.

Birthday Greetings Postcard - 1912

2009-03-14T19:16:00.005+01:00

This lovely birthday greetings postcard was designed in England by Wildt & Kray and printed in Bavaria. The postcard bears the distinctive "W&K London" insignia on the reverse of the card and is clearly date stamped 9th April 1912.

The gelatin finish is highly glossy and has suffered over the years; unfortunately, as is common with this delicate kind of finish, there is some cracking to the surface and edges.

Parisian Lovers - 1920s

2009-02-11T10:52:00.007+01:00

This exquisite uncirculated hand-tinted real photograph postcard was issued by Lèo of Pradot based in Paris, France (active from the mid 1920s).

The Lèo postcard company is probably best known for its saucy nudes and erotic postcards (that look rather quaint by today's standards), although couples photographed together in staged studio settings was another extremely popular subject for this Parisian publisher.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Liverpool Cathedral - 1929

2009-01-12T17:09:00.006+01:00

This glossy real photograph sepia postcard of Liverpool Cathedral was produced by Valentine’s Co. Ltd, a family run business which lasted over several generations from 1825-1963, first in Dundee, Scotland, then London, England.

The title Liverpool Cathedral View from South east Transept is hand written on the front of the card.

The card was posted from Liverpool to Weston-super-Mare on 1 April, 1929.

With Best Wishes for Christmas - 1921

2008-12-16T12:30:00.005+01:00

This charming vintage Christmas greetings postcard picturing a sprig of mistletoe and holy beneath a message for a "blest Christmastide" was posted to a London (UK) address on 21 December, 1921.

It is edged with a decorative embossed border and has a serial number 1619-5, however other than that, I have no other clues to the manufacturer!

Happy Holidays!

Gabrielle Ray circa 1905-1910

2008-11-21T16:13:00.004+01:00

This gorgeous portrait of British born Edwardian actress Gabrielle Ray was published by Aristophot Co., Ltd (1905-1910) a postcard company based at 11 Southampton Row, London, England, although the card was printed in Leipzig, Saxony.

It is an uncirculated hand-coloured postcard print taken from a photograph by The Dover Street Studios, one of the leading firms specialising in theatrical portraiture based at 38 Dover Street, London.

Born Gabrielle Elizabeth Clifford Cook on the 28th April 1883, Gabrielle Ray had a successful stage career in the United Kingdom appearing in numerous musical comedies until she suffered a nervous breakdown in 1936 and was then institutionalized for nearly forty years. She died at the age of ninety on 21 May 1973.

There's a wonderful collection of Miss Gabrielle Ray postcards here.

Pantheon di Agrippa - 1915-1920

2008-10-26T20:04:00.004+01:00

This uncirculated postcard features a sepia tint photograph of one of my favourite monuments in Rome – The Pantheon. It was issued between 1915 and 1920 by the printer Alterocca - Terni

identifiable by a simple name on the reverse of the postcard; the company would not use a logo until the 1940s. The company was created in 1877 by a primary school headmaster by the name of Virgilio Alterocca (Terni 1853-1910) . It started life as a small print shop yet became one Italy's most important postcard producers with clients from all over the world and with an annual output of 50 million postcards during the 1930s!

The advent of colour printing saw the steady decline and eventual closure of Alterocca although in 1995 the Alterocca Photographic Archive of over a million images was acquired by Alterocca Media.

An Easter Token - 1912

2008-09-13T17:15:00.004+02:00

Apologies for posting such an unseasonal item but I recently came across this vintage embossed Easter greetings postcard at a market and it was love at first sight!

The card was printed by Siegmund Hildesheimer & Co (as S.Hildesheimer & Co. Ltd. - London & Manchester) as part of Series No.1023

Siegmund Hildesheimer opened as publisher of books in 1830 and started printing Christmas cards in Manchester in 1876. The business extended to London in 1881 where they produced postcards on numerous subjects until 1920.

Posted on 8 April 1912 from Finsbury Park, London, England

Water Skiers - 1969

2008-08-14T13:09:00.004+02:00

Another postcard bought in Italy - this uncirculated postcard features a wonderful shot of 1960s women water skiers and was taken from a Kodak Ektachrome photograph. It was issued in 1969 by the company P. Marzari Srl - Schio

Many thanks to Cartoline di Trieste for helping me identify the printer through its amazing on line database.

Sebino Betty Dolls Advertisement - 1967

2008-07-19T20:14:00.003+02:00

I picked this kitsch marvel up from a postcard and stamp collectors' stall on Piazza Borghese in Rome the other day - I couldn't resist it!

The postcard is entitled Betty...è una bella bambolina! (literally translated - Betty is a beautiful little doll) and was printed as an advertising postcard by famous Italian doll manufacturer Sebino who produced the Cicciobello baby dolls during the 1970s.

The postcard was posted to Rome from Florence on 5 January, 1967.

Clovelly - 1951

2008-06-20T16:10:00.004+02:00

Vintage Postcard of Clovelly posted in 1951 from nearby Westward Ho! This charming village on the north Devon coast of England is an important tourist attraction, famous even today for its steep cobbled streets leading down to the Bristol Channel and its donkeys. The donkeys were traditionally used for carrying goods up and down the streets - today sledges do the work whilst the donkeys are free to pose for tourists' cameras!

UPDATE 21 June, 2009

The man leading the donkey in this postcard was Gordon Perham (1920 - 1983), who became Harbour Master at Clovelly. Many thanks to his daughter for the information.

Bruce Springsteen -1975

2008-06-03T13:33:00.005+02:00

I've always loved this 1970's postcard which reproduces a Bruce Springsteen concert poster. It appears to be one of Eric Meola's classic shots from the same photo session that produced the Born to Run cover – with the addition of the “Wild and Innocent” on the back of the jacket (a reference to the Boss' previous album The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle) and a pair of baseball boots slung over the end of his guitar.

It advertises a forthcoming gig at New York venue The Bottom Line and the album Born to Run. Born to Run was Springsteen's third album and was released in 1975. It was ranked #18 on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Pisa - 1937

2008-05-18T17:39:00.005+02:00

I've lived in Italy since 1994 so it seemed appropriate that I add an Italian vintage postcard to this gallery! This image is of one of the country's most famous landmarks - the leaning tower of Pisa - which is in fact the freestanding bell tower of Pisa cathedral in Tuscany.

The tower was built in three stages over a protracted period of about 177 years with work on the first floor beginning in 1173. By the time works had reached the third floor in 1178, however, the tower had already begun to sink!

It was officially declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Canterbury Cathedral - 1923

2008-05-06T20:09:00.005+02:00

This lovely postcard of Canterbury Cathedral was posted in 1923. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the church of the head of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

It is also famous the world over because of its associations with the martyrdom of Thomas Becket who was murdered in the north-east transept on Tuesday 29 December 1170 by over zealous knights of King Henry II who had taken the king's exasperated cry of Who will rid me of this turbulent priest? rather literally. The pilgrims in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales are heading for his tomb.

The Great Globe, Swanage - 1944

2008-04-22T17:38:00.003+02:00

To the west of Swanage, a mile or so from the town is the 261 acre Durlston Country Park. This is set on the cliff top, and on the cliff edge at 139 feet above sea level you will find 'The Great Globe'. This is a 40 ton 10 foot diameter Portland stone, globe of the earth.

Given that Swanage has an important history in the local stone industry, as both a quarry town and harbour from which Purbeck Marble was shipped for use in cathedrals throughout Europe, there's something rather fitting about this huge stone globe overlooking the town. Purbeck Marble was used to build Westminster Abbey, as well as Lincoln, Salisbury and Exeter Cathedrals.

This postcard featuring this unusual monument was posted in 1944.

'Blue Peter' Postcard Autographed by TV Presenters

2008-04-15T19:14:00.003+02:00

This was a real prize from my childhood! I won it in an auction at school which I remember as having been organised to raise money for an Italian Earthquake Appeal which would date it to late 1980 - early 1981.

It's signed by the then presenters of the BBC television show Blue Peter Peter Duncan, Sarah Greene (both autographs very faded) and Simon Groom.

Cader Idris -1913 Vintage Postcard

2008-04-12T17:24:00.003+02:00

This sepia tint view from near the summit of the mountain Cadair Idris (or Cader Idris as it is named on the postcard) was posted on 18 August 1913 in the Welsh town of Dolgelle and sent to a certain Miss Rogers in Liverpool.

The mountain is found in the Snowdonia National Park, North Wales.

Vintage Postcards Video

2008-04-11T20:22:00.003+02:00

To launch my new Vintage Postcard Store and this blog I've made a short video with a selection of historic postcards from the early 1900s to the 1970s that shows a variety of postcard subjects from world famous destinations like Pisa to lesser known British seaside resorts like Forness Bay.

Watch this space! I'll be adding postcards to the gallery on a regular basis!