Vintage original 3.5 x 5.25 in. German postcard depicting the renowned Russian-born German silent film actress, LYDIA POTECHINA. She is depicted in a publicity shot wearing an elegant dress with a large strand of pearls and a fur coat as she sits regally in a chair. It was signed in black ink by Lydia Potechina in, we believe, 1926 (see additional details below), the year in which she made an astonishing 15 silent films. Printed by the renowned Ross-Verlag company of Berlin, Germany, this vintage original "country of origin" postcard is unused in very fine+ condition without any tears, stains, or other flaws.

Provenance: Approximately 8 years ago, we purchased a collection of two albums of vintage original German postcards from a rare book dealer at an antiquarian book fair in Pasadena, California (see photos). Approximately half of the postcards were signed by the respective personalities and the ones that were dated by the actors are all dated "1926." We were informed by the dealer that these photographs came from a film collector in Germany who acquired the postcards at the time they were issued and then had them signed by the respective actors when he met them in person. We are now pleased to make these vintage original postcards available to other collectors.

Lydia Potechina, born on September 5, 1883 in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire, was a Russian actress who emigrated to Germany in 1919. She is best known for her roles in director Fritz Lang's classics, Der müde Tod (1921) and Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (1922), Manon Lescaut (1926), Looping the Loop (1928), and I by Day, You by Night (1932). During the sound film era, she was able to play in film such as Bomben auf Monte Carlo" (1931) and Ich bei Tag und Du bei Nacht (1932) before she died at the age of 50. She was renowned for her acting style of an exceptional expressiveness. She returned to the Soviet Union in 1932 and was married to the Russian-German film producer Max Pfeiffer. Lydia Potechina died on April 7, 1934 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR.

Ross-Verlag in Berlin was a German publishing house specialized in photographs and photo postcards of artists. The owner of the company was Heinrich Ross (b. 10 August 1870; d. after 1954 as emigrant in the USA).