As many of you know, I have an ever growing collection of vintage postcards of lovely ladies, actresses, singers, and dancers lavishly dressed in assiut. However, I’ve never been able to land my hands on a hard-copy of this incredible image. I first spotted this photo of an unknown dancer many years ago during an internet search. But, I could never hunt down an original. This appears to be a theatrical post-card, widely used in the first quarter of the 20th century as a keepsake for fans after stage and cinema performance. Due to the age of the photo, this image is in the public domain, and consequently, there are thousands of digital copies floating around the web. Our mystery beauty is wearing an absolutely fabulous pair of assiut harem pants embellished with beads and fringe. The dancer signed this post-card with her stage name or the title of her role, Terpsichore, a popular theme for early-modern art dancers. Her lovely ensemble has all of the hallmarks of orientalist costumes typical of the era from 1905 – 1920. I keep seeing her around the web, floating across Pinterest boards and Tumblr feeds, but never on a sale page. Someday, I hope to make her a part of my permanent collection. Until then, I’m happy to admire this digital version. Be inspired.
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Nov. 15, 2015
