Portraits, fame and chance

I love portraits of all types. Portraiture  was one of the most popular forms of early photography, providing many people with a self image that was previously only available to those that could afford painted portraits.The spread of affordable photographic portrait prints was also a way to know the appearance of people you had not met.

I was shown, by a friend, an album of old photographs, not family pictures but ‘cigarette cards’- small photographs that were included inside packets of cigarettes to persuade people to collect these photographs and buy more cigarettes. They are amazing portraits of  film stars, what we would probably call celebrities, photographed beautifully, dressed in wonderful clothes of the era and printed as photographic prints ( not press printed as would happen now).

I have scanned these cards; sadly this process and the web presentation removes much of the beauty of these photographs. They have not been madeover – or photoshopped- the ravages of time on these 70 or more year old photographs is part of their wonder for me. I have looked for the story of these people and include a link to this.

The reverse side of the cards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pola Negri

Born in 1897 in Poland, Pola started as a dancer, illness moved her career to the theatre, then film; she moved to Hollywood, back to Europe and America again. Her full history

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Margaret Livingston

Born in 1900 in the USA, she played in movies from 1916 to 1934. Her history

 

Margaret Livingston