Harry Prime's Album of 50 carte de visite of actresses, opera singers, courtesans, ballerinas, performers in America at the time of the Civil War.
Paris; New York: Ca. 1865. Hardcover. A finely bound album of cartes de visite of female performers, half of which have a New York City connection. The physical album was made in France and brought to the US by Henry R. Prime who did business in Paris. The binding is sumptuous, the front board embellished with a studded brass horseshoe, a sportsman's binding. Several of the cards note the American performance dates in pencil on the verso.
Henry Rutgers Prime, the album owner, is recorded in the 1860 Census for Huntington Long Island; his occupation is listed as "Parisian Dealer" which explains how he came to possess an album with so many cartes de visite of American and French performers. Henry Rutgers Prime (1813 - 1886) is recorded as married to Letitia, who was born in Ireland; Henry was 45 years old in 1860, thus either too old to fight in the Civil War or sufficiently well off to buy his way out.
The portraits of the American performers, many in costume and some hand colored, and with titles in manuscript beneath some images, include:
1. "Mrs. Love, Mazeppa". Adah Isaacs Menken, an American actress and poet, friend of Walt Whitman, highest earning actress of her time (photographer, Ch. Reutlinger, Paris).
2. "Miss Kellogg", Clara Louise Kellogg, an American soprano, studied music in New York City and first performed in opera there in 1861. Hand colored image ("matinee Feb 6th, 1864" noted in pencil on verso, as well as the initials "G" and "O"; photographer, Case and Gretchell, Boston).
3. "Miss Emilie Melville at Barnum's Museum", American actress, verso has an orange tax stamp with the word Bank Check. This has been stamped "Museum", June 8th 1865; photographer E & H. T. Anthony, NY.
4. Mrs. Henrietta Baker Chanfrau, American stage actress (photographer,C. D. Fredericks & Co., NY); verso of card has 2 cent tax stamp printed "Proprietary", and date written in '64;
5. Maude Granger, American actress and the leading lady of Augustin Daly's company at the 5th Avenue Theatre (Mora & Co., NY).
European carte de visite subjects with New York photographers' names on the verso include:
6. Nathalie Dumas, French, appeared in New York in 1864 (Gurney & Son, NY).
7. Betty Regal, British dancer. Her first appearance in America was in "The Black Crook" at Niblo's Garden in New York City in 1866 (J. Gurney & Son, NY).
8. unidentified woman, full length portrait (E. & H. T. Anthony, NY).
9. unidentified woman (Charles Frederick & Co., NY);
10. no title below the frame, hand colored, pencil notation on verso identifies Fannie Partridge (Gurney & Son, NY);
11. no title, full length image of woman in white dress, blue 2cent tax stamp specifically for "Playing Cards", with George Washington image.
12. "The Unknown", image of young woman's face.
13. Addie Harland (Gurney & Son, NY).
14. Lucille (Gurney & Son, NY).
15. Hattie (Gurney & Son, NY).
16. Buchanan (Gurney & Son, NY).
17. Rose Massey, British actress who made her New York debut in February 1869, at Wood's Museum (Gurney & Son, NY).
18. Rose Massey (Sarony & Co., NY).
19. Weathersley (Howell & Co., NY).
20. Lydia Thompson (Gurney & Son, NY). Leading British dancer & actress who introduced burlesque to America with her troupe the "British Blondes", the most popular entertainment in New York during the 1868-1869 season.
21. no title, (C. D. Fredericks, NY).
22. Lydia Thompson (Howell & Co., NY).
23. Maria M. Fisher (Gurney & Son, NY) and addresses noted in pencil: "11 West 17th Street, House 45 W 10th, June 11, 1863, Thursday morning".
24. May Robinson, verso with pencil notation to the left of her name, which appears to be a private code (price?) with what could be a dollar sign followed by indistinct letters (Gurney & Son, NY).
The cartes de visite images taken by Paris photographers include:
Celine Montaland in profile with flowers in her hair, a French actress. Written in pen below her image is "La Vie Parisienne". This was one of Jacques Offenbach's most popular operettas, his first to portray contemporary Parisian life (Disderi, Paris); "Massin, La Vie Parisienne", this is the mezzo soprano Leontine Massin (Ch. Reutlinger, Paris); an unidentified woman in Tyrolean costume (A. Ken, Paris), includes a 2cent US Internal Revenue Bank Check stamp with portrait of George Washington; "Patti", Adelina Patti in profile (Ch. Reutlinger, Paris); Leonide Leblanc, one of the most famous French actress/courtesans and known as “Mademoiselle Maximum" (Ch. Reutlinger, Paris); M. Jolly (Franck, Paris); Hortense Schneider, French soprano, one of the greatest operetta stars of the 19th century, (Disderi, Paris); Unidentified (C. D. Fredricks, NY; with the orange revenue stamp at verso); Mlle. Delval, 'La Biche Au Bois' (Trinquart, Paris); Silly, Royaume des femmes (Ch. Reutlinger, Paris); Mariani, Cendrillon (Ch. Reutlinger, Paris); Fantine, Cendrillon (Numa Fils, Paris); Zoe, 'Le Refuge Bienvenu'; La Patineuse; Clementine (A. Ken, Paris); Petipa, L'Opera (Disderi, Paris); Gurma (Ulric Grob, Paris); 3 images titled Mabille (Bulla Freres, Paris).
A carte de visite of particular interest, due to the notes written on the verso is the hand colored, 'Vestrali!!!' (verso, in pencil "May 25th 1864 at the Bel [Demoner]" and Vestrali written below three times. Could it be love? The title on the verso is written in the same hand as the name in the album; photo by Gurney & Son, New York. Mademoiselle Vestrali was a noted opera singer who in 1859 sang the part of Romeo in Bellini's (Grand Opera Paris) 'Romeo & Juliet' and who is depicted in the CDV costumed as Romeo.
Some cards with George Washington 2 cent Civil War revenue tax stamps on the verso, indicating the cards were paid for in the US. Beginning in 1862 the first revenue stamps were issued with images of George Washington; they were used to raise funds for the Civil War.
The binding boasts a very impressive three dimensional chased brass horse shoe shaped embellishment with studs, and an embossed horse's frog (the triangular shock absorber on the bottom of the foot) at front cover, and two brass plaques at the right edge. Bound in full red calf, and made in Paris as seen in the paper used on the inside of the back strip, which is printed with "Paris, Chez Amable Rigaud, Libraire, Rue Sainte Anne 50, a la Librairie Nouvelle, 15, Boulevard des Italiens. Libraires de France et de l'Etranger"; (this information visible due to a crack following the fifth page, now tastefully and professionally repaired. No title at spine. A thick album (3"); both back clasps missing, with a trace of their presence. A gift inscription at the front free end paper to Harry Prime "with M. & F. love". Small 8vo, 25 stiff, blind pressed, cardboard pages each with a window for the CDV; all edges gilt. Good +. Item #17128
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