When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Up for purchase is a museum-quality, completely unbroken 1910s–1940s multi-generational media, theater, and social history scrapbook archive from the Buffalo, New York area. This lot includes the complete vintage scrapbook along with a selection of loose antique postcards and postal history items kept by the original family creators.
This collection serves as a spectacular cultural time capsule, capturing an incredible mix of global celebrity media inserts, historical milestones, and deeply personal Western New York genealogy.
***
### ⭐ HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS ALBUM:
* **THE AUTOGRAPH HALLMARK - Edna Foster Signed Portrait:** An original, early 1910s hand-signed ink portrait photograph of prominent Biograph Studio silent film child/youth star Edna Foster (famed star of D.W. Griffith films). Boldly signed in fountain pen: "Sincerely, Edna Foster."
* **AMELIA EARHART & AVIATION PIONEERS (1934):** A rare 1934 Associated Press media print capturing legendary Aviatrix Amelia Earhart testifying before the Senate Post Office Committee on the historic airmail situation. Sits alongside 1934 novelist Fannie Hurst and aviator pioneer Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
* **THE CHARLIE CHAPLIN CONNECTION - Lita Grey Portrait:** Features a full-page vintage portrait of prominent silent-screen actress and Hollywood star Lita Grey. Famed for her role as the "Flirting Angel" in Chaplin's 1921 masterpiece "The Kid" and her historic real-life marriage as Charlie Chaplin's second wife, her presence beautifully highlights the album's deep cinematic ties.
* **THOMAS A. EDISON & INDUSTRIAL GIANTS:** A stunning 1930s multi-panel feature layout dedicated to the late Thomas A. Edison, featuring the famous "Let There Be Light" studio portrait study captured by George Ebling (personal photographer to Henry Ford at Dearborn, Mich.).
* **WWI FRENCH SILK POSTCARD (DATED OCT 27, 1918):** An authentic, hand-embroidered WWI French Silk "Merry Christmas" Allied flags postcard. Dating precisely to October 27, 1918—just two weeks before the Armistice—this rare wartime keepsake features embroidered Union Jack and Allied motifs.
* **MAE WEST & HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY:** A prominent 1933 promotional print of cinema icon Mae West celebrating her historic role as Ruby in the Paramount Pictures masterpiece "She Done Him Wrong". Sits directly alongside an original 1935 commemorative media print titled "Hard-Riding Cowboys Honor Will Rogers," capturing a Los Angeles memorial event featuring silent film Western megastar William S. Hart.
* **1912 ORIGINAL MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE:** The original, official Certificate of Marriage legally uniting William Tobin and Ethel Dorsheimer on July 24, 1912, at Niagara Falls, complete with its original embossed presentation envelope.
* **1939 SCARLET FEVER MEDICAL QUARANTINE LETTER:** An original, complete handwritten letter dated Feb 17, 1939, from Adrian, Michigan, to Ethel Tobin. The letter details local family updates, references a 1936 Buffalo newspaper death notice, tracks a career shift from General Motors to Dodge, and chronicles a strict, real-time household medical quarantine for Scarlet Fever.
***
**DETAILED CONTENTS BREAKDOWN:**
* **Broadway Theater Royalty:** Includes a full-length 1900s feature print of legendary stage icon Maude Adams in her historic, career-defining role as the original Broadway Peter Pan (1905–1907 seasons) by playwright J.M. Barrie, sitting adjacent to a historic 1912 first-ever joint media photograph of stage and screen legends John and Ethel Barrymore in "A Slice of Life."
* **WWII Army Air Corps History (1940/1941):** Features a prominent local military clipping titled "Brothers in Air Corps Visit Home," documenting West Seneca/Buffalo native brothers Loren and Howard Reickle enlisting as mechanics in the U.S. Army Air Corps before their deployment to the strategic France Field base in Panama.
* **Buffalo Postal & Social History:** Includes a rare 1930s postal envelope addressed to Ethel Tobin at 2610 Seneca St., Buffalo, an antique view card of the historic spiritualist assembly at Lily Dale (Cassadaga Lake, N.Y.), a color postcard of the iconic Olmsted Rose Garden at Delaware Park in Buffalo, and a 1935 Buffalo funeral notice.
* **Provenance Documents & Personal Letters:** Features original 1927–1928 and 1928–1929 New York State Operator’s Licenses, a 1926 Buffalo Board of Education Minor's Employment Certificate, a 1934 official New York Regents Course outline guide, a 1930 personal family letter from Pittsburgh, PA detailing an active family search, and a 1932 Pennsylvania Railroad Pass (Buffalo Division Air Brake Inspector).
* **Original Family Snapshot Photography:** Features original black-and-white 1920s/1930s snapshots capturing an exterior view of the family home's backyard sun porch and a portrait of a family member on the porch steps, hand-labeled in pencil with the connected "Family Miller" lineage.
**Condition Report:**
The scrapbook and loose elements are in good, authentic antique/vintage condition with expected age-appropriate handling wear. The album pages are structurally sound, interior documents remain completely intact, and ink signatures are beautifully preserved. Please review all high-resolution photos carefully to judge the paper quality and layout details for yourself. The exact items pictured are what you will receive.
**Shipping & Handling:**
The scrapbook will be wrapped securely to protect against moisture and shipped flat inside a heavy, rigid box with ample padding to guarantee safe transit to your doorstep.
