Kamajoeh, Mozambique Beauty En Voile, circa 1905

As well as being a lovely image in and of itself, this is a very interesting postcard for a number of reasons. The subject of the image, almost certainly an actress or performer, is a woman of color whose name (probably Swahili or possibly Malagasy), suggests she may have come from the Portuguese colony of Mozambique in Africa, or the French colony of Madagascar off Africa's coast. Though the postcard bears a German stamp and was probably produced in Germany, the image itself is quite probably French, as her costume, with layers of filmy material wrapped low about her shoulders, and her hair, done up in the classic chignon so popular in that period, are distinctly French European in style. 

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE Kamajoeh, Mozambique Beauty En Voile, circa 1905

Why do we find this so fascinating? Primarily because—although dance, music, and costume in the France of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was clearly influenced by the cultures of European colonial holdings—it is uncommon to find on postcards images of performers of color who actually come from these colonies.

Theatrical entertainment in France at that time was full of the romantic idealization of foreign cultures. Margaretha McLeod, a young Dutch woman who apparently learned Indonesian dance while locked in a terribly unhappy marriage in the Dutch East Indies, left her husband, made her way to Paris and, in the proud tradition of P.T. Barnum, changed her name to Mata Hari, billed herself as a Javanese princess, became hugely successful with her sensual dance routines, and the rest is history. There were so many others, many images of whom, from time to time, grace the cards we sell in our shop, but almost always they are white Europeans.

Still, though such images as this one are uncommon, we feel it's important to point out that the egalitarian nature of French society was such that performers of all cultural, religious, and ethnic origins made their way to Paris, where many found success and fame. After all, it was in the Paris of the 1920s that Josephine Baker, the famous African American dancer and stage performer, found a broad acceptance and venue for her talent that had not been available to her in the United States of that time.

Finally, we want to acknowledge that we are mere dabblers in history, and certainly not historians. Our focus is limited and narrow, and our short posts far from even remotely complete. So we offer our observations in the spirit of enthusiastic collectors, and hope they are welcomed by fellow enthusiasts and that our over simplifications of complex historical issues and events are forgiven by those more knowledgeable than ourselves.

Featured Items: Dazzling Beauties

The currently featured items in Red Poulaine are postcards with portrait images of young women, all dazzling beauties.

This wonderful portrait in profile of young artiste Florence Cresby was taken at the truly fine, Scloss Studio of New York, (we don't believe we've ever seen an image of theirs which wasn't really grand), which is why we're guessing Flo was an American girl, but the card was published by SIP, or Societe Industrielle de Photographie, a wonderful French Publishing house which handled a lot of Reutlinger's work, among others. Which is why we're guessing she was performing in Paris :) What a beautiful young woman! What a marvelously concieved photograph! Card is in almost perfect, unposted condition with a tiny crease in bottom left corner. We so love it when we get lucky like this. Schloss studio date of 1899 in lower left quadrant. Graceful age discoloration, but otherwise, wow!

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE Florence Cresby, American Girl in Paris, 1899

Our next image is a beautiful portrait of the artiste D'Albray, her upturned eyes lending her a soulful expression. Her gown is decorated with a floral motif that reminds one of a medieval tapestry, and the large basketwork buttons at the corners of the squared neckline contribute to the effect. Perhaps she is portraying a princess awaiting her fairy godmother?

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE Mlle D'Albray Belle Epoque Artiste by Reutlinger, circa 1905

From Alfred Noyer's collectible and truly fine series, "Les Plus Belles Femmes de France," comes Le Rouge. Lovely profile portrait of a French woman of the 1910s, or 20s, beautifully coiffed and wearing thin gauze across her shoulders, and a necklace of tiny pearls.

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE Le Rouge, or, The Redhead, from Noyer's Les Plus Belles Series circa 1910s/20s

Probably published circa 1905, this French card, posted 1910, presents a lovely portrait of a young girl with flowers, a spirit of Spring. We don't know the girl's name, but we do know she is, you guessed it, a dazzling beauty.

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE Sweet Child of Spring posted 1910

Early Steampunk Inspirations

While Steampunk's connections to the Victorian era are well-documented, we contend that the estheatic that developed as a result of the introduction of an increasing number of new technologies continued into the early part of the twentieth century, as can be seen in these wonderful, evocative cards from that era. We love the mix of cultures, too, which allowed for such pictures at that below, in which the men wear such different hats: newsboy, beret, turban, and our top hat wearer has even got a monocle! Clearly, this was:

The First Steampunk Convention!

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE The First Steampunk Convention 1920s RPPC

We jest... these guys are just revelers, dressing up, drinking beer, and having a good time. Fun old RPPC from the 1920s, unless...they actually travel through time and space in a TARDIS-like vehicle, and someone managed to get a photo of them before they whisked off to ancient Rome, or maybe Tralfamagar, or, well, really...that could be what's going on here! We just deal in old postcards, and photographs, and only occasionally time travel... such as can be seen in:

Three Brothers in a Time Machine

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE Three Brothers in a Time Machine

Okay, so it's not a time machine, but our cards, in their own peculiar way, might as well be time machines. They certainly have a way of taking one back to magical places and times. Great "Steampunk" atmosphere.