Here’s a Real Photo Postcard from probably the 1920s of a woman sitting in a wooden chair, holding a large, leather bound book. She wears her hair in the bobbed, waved fashion of the day, a pearl necklace, and a cap-sleeved dress with a drop-waist that has a  beautiful lace panel running down the center from neck to hemline. The dress is pleated below the waist. She looks to be in her late 30s or early to mid-40s and gazes directly at the camera. We wonder what she was thinking….what the rest of her day consisted of. The book in her lap is a bit of a mystery. The cover is in Spanish and reads as:  “Metodo Nacional …[?]…Corte Parisien. Sistema “Macha” por Francisca M[?]…”  translating as “National Method. Parisian Court. ‘Macha’ System by Francisca M….” possibly Francisca Macha as we see a capital M there, and searching online shows that Macha is a last name. Exactly what subject this title refers to is unknown, but the book makes a good prop; something for the subject to hold, thus lending a more natural and relaxed look. We can see that this photo was taken outside, and that the photographer draped a canvas backdrop behind the subject. The fact that the book is in Spanish could be a clue to the woman’s ancestry, but then again it might just be a book that the photographer carried with him (well, and therefor a possible clue to his ancestry.)

Divided back, unused Real Photo Postcard. Circa 1920s. NOKO stamp box.

Price:  $8.00