Description
Every once in a while an item comes along that is more than simply a piece of movie memorabilia. This is one. The Love Girl was released by Bluebird Photoplays in 1916 and starred Ella Hall, one of the studio’s most heavily promoted actresses during the silent era. Today the film is believed to be lost, with no known complete print surviving. As a result, original artifacts associated with the production have become some of the few tangible connections to a motion picture that audiences can no longer see.
This display card itself is a wonderful survivor. The image shows Hall riding in an early cyclecar beneath the caption “Exceeding the Speed Limits,” framed by Bluebird’s distinctive decorative border and logos. Unlike a standard publicity still, this appears to have been produced specifically for theatrical display and promotion. The reverse is what elevates the piece from interesting to exceptional. It bears the stamp of the Kline Poster Rental & Booking Office, 1307 Vine Street, Philadelphia, along with the notation “This is only leased, not sold.” Research places Kline at that exact address during the film’s release period, providing a direct connection to the theatrical distribution network that circulated movie advertising across America more than a century ago. Additional period pencil notations include “Regent” (the newly-named Regent (it was called “The National” up until “about 1917”) on Main Street in DTLA?) and inventory number “6869-3,” further documenting its life in exhibition.
For collectors of silent film, Bluebird Photoplays, lost cinema, early movie advertising, or theater history, this is the sort of artifact that rarely surfaces and is almost impossible to replace once gone; a remarkable survivor from the dawn of American motion pictures.
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