01 December 2017

Lilywhite Photographic Series

Last week we started with a new theme for our Friday posts: British film postcard series. Then we did a post on the Film Partners series by Picturegoer produced in the 1930s. Today we present you a series from the silent era, the Lilywhite Photographic series. They are all hand-coloured and have white The series was issued by Lilywhite Photo Ltd., Halifax.

Gaby Deslys
Gaby Deslys. British postcard in the Lilywhite Photographic Series, Halifax, no. L 28. Photo: Claude Harris.

Isobel Elsom
Isobel Elsom. British postcard in the Lilywhite Photographic Series, no. LE 1. Photo: Lilywhite.

Fay Compton
Fay Compton. British postcard in the Lilywhite Photographic series, no. LR 4. Photo: Halifax.

Theda Bara
Theda Bara. British postcard in the Lilywhite Photographic series, no. CM 29. Photo: Fox. Caption: Fox Picture Star. Collection: Didier Hanson.

Peggy Hyland
Peggy Hyland. British postcard in the Lilywhite Photographic series, no. CM 31. Photo: Fox. Caption: Fox Picture Star.

When collecting postcards was in vogue in Great Britain


At the turn of the 20th century, postcards were a relatively new phenomenon but all over Europe they quickly became a popular method of communication for those away from home.

In Great Britain, the pastime of collecting postcards was in vogue. Some liked to collect a particular publisher or photographer and others decided on the actors and actresses of the Edwardian era.

The postcards were made directly from photographic negatives and were known as real photo postcards. They were generally made by professional photographers who allowed their images to be used by postcard publishers such as Lilywhite.

Most of the postcards of the Lilywhite Photographic Series, produced in the late 1910s or early 1920s, were hand coloured by lithographic processes. The numbers indicate there were different series. LE could stand for Light Entertainment - many of the stars are theatrical. CM stands for Cinema Star Postcards.

The images of the British and American actors and actresses at the Lilywhite postcards became a permanent reminder of the film stars of the era. And of course, they also served as advertising and promotions for the stars at the time.

Peggy Hyland
Peggy Hyland. British postcard in the Lilywhite Photographic series, no. CM 35. Photo: Fox. Caption: Fox Picture Star.

Isobel Elsom
Isobel Elsom. British postcard in the Lilywhite Photographic Series, no. CM 51. Photo: Lilywhite. Caption: of Cinema Fame.

Renée Kelly
Renée Kelly. British postcard in the Lilywhite Photographic series, no. CM 59. Photo: Lilywhite. Caption: Star in Cinema.

Stewart Rome
Stewart Rome. British postcard in the Lilywhite Photographic Series, no. CM 146. Photo: Broadwest. Caption: Broadwest Film Star.

Alma Taylor
Alma Taylor. British postcard in the Lilywhite Photographic Series, no. CM 175. Photo: Lilywhite. Caption: A Well Known Picture Player.

Peggy Hyland
Peggy Hyland. British postcard in the Lilywhite Photographic series, no. CM 406a. Photo: Fox. Caption: Fox Picture Star.

Sources: University of Calgary, Ross Postcards and Our Cinema Postcards.

It is Postcard Friendship Friday, hosted by Beth at the The Best Hearts are Crunchy. You can visit her by clicking on the button below.

1 comment:

Beth Niquette said...

I learned things I had not been aware of before! Thank you for the time and effort you put into your research! Wow! These photos are lovely. It is hard to believe these beauties are long gone. I'm so grateful that you are memorializing them on your blog, my Friend.

Happy Postcard Friendship Friday!