Der Sepp im Theater
Beim Lustspiel
~
The Yokel at the Theater
At the Comedy
At the Comedy
* * *
Der Sepp im Theater
Bei der Posse
Bei der Posse
~
At the Farce
* * *
Der Sepp im Theater
Im Zwischenact
Im Zwischenact
~
In the Interact
* * *
Der Sepp im Theater
Beim Ballet
Beim Ballet
~
At the Ballet
At the Ballet
* * *
Der Sepp im Theater
Beim Trauerspiel
~
At the Tragedy
Beim Trauerspiel
~
At the Tragedy
* * *
This series of five charming postcards depicts a country yokel's night at the theater, or perhaps even the opera, and were produced around 1903. The first postcard was sent to Fräulein Helene Breier from Salder in Lower Saxony, Germany to Lebenstedt which is just a short walk north of Salder.
The last four were posted from Muenchen, aka München, Bayern, or Munich, Bavaria on 31 July 1903 and all were sent to Wohlgeb. Frau Marie Steiner. The honorific Wohlgeb. Frau is an unusual German abbreviation that I believe is an archaic title meaning Wohlgeboren Frau or Honored Woman. My interpretation it that it is used for a woman of a noble or royal family. But please leave a comment if there is a better translation or meaning.
This type of German comical humor was very popular when postcards first came out as the social media of the early 20th century. I suspect what made this fellow so amusing is that people in 1903-4 recognized his type of rural bumpkin whose innocent unpretentious ways were unfiltered by sophisticated manners. Recently I've expanded my postcard collection to include examples of these funny German characters that I believe also had an influence on the development of American humor.
To prove my point,
compare Der Sepp's hat to Chico Marx's iconic hat
in his solo piano performance
from the Marx Brother's 1935 movie,
A Night at the Opera.
compare Der Sepp's hat to Chico Marx's iconic hat
in his solo piano performance
from the Marx Brother's 1935 movie,
A Night at the Opera.
***
***
And we certainly can't skip
Harpo Marx from the same film.
Harpo Marx from the same film.
***
***
And of course there is always mayhem
in the opera pit when all the Marx brothers
start playing around with the music.
in the opera pit when all the Marx brothers
start playing around with the music.
***
***
This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday
where all the world's a stage
and all the men and women merely players.
and all the men and women merely players.
7 comments:
Wow - I don't remember you ever being first to submit a Sepia Sat. post, but why not? Especially with your very fun entry this week. Not that all your entries aren't fun and interesting, but this one is right at the top of the list! The postcards are great. And thanks, so much, for sharing those wonderful Marx Brothers videos. Fun, fun, fun. For some reason, I never realized they were so musically talented. Wow, again! :)
Interesting observation about the German influence on American humor. The fellow in the postcard has a Red Skelton quality about him.
They are fabulous postcards, Mike. And there is something about postcards of that era with writing on the "picture side" which just seems to enhance their historical charm and interest. And I agree with Gail, the Marx Brothers clip was an ideal bonus,
What a treasure these cards are. I’m so glad to hear you are expanding your collection and we will perhaps see more such examples. I’ve always been interested in early theatre, especially this era, and these are delightful.
"Let joy be unbridled!" What fun to look at these clips! And the postcards are captivating! Another great post.
I'm such a fan of Marx Brother's films. And Red Skelton. And a lot of the other spoofs against pretentiousness. When we finally have a society when there are no longer classes of people who look with disdain upon another class, our humor will have flown out the window...I've had to forget all the politically incorrect jokes I used to tell, and I do miss them, including against blonds (when I was one!)
What wonderful cards. Fantastic!
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