The Choice of Egbert Barten

Certainly, not every postcard at European Film Star Postcards is from my collection. Some of my friends collect them too, and they share. Below are postcards from the collection of Dutch film historian, author and collector Egbert Barten, the Collection Geoffrey Donald Institute. He chose ten of his favourite postcards for this post and explained why he loves them.


Lien Deyers. German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 5315/1, 1930-1931. Photo: Ufa.
Egbert: "One of the reasons I love this postcard is because of the fake cap that the German photographer must have thought looked Dutch. But Lien is wonderful in it, of course. I had to choose from the remaining postcards of Lien in my collection since my favourite, hand-coloured card got lost when we did a story on Lien in the film magazine Flashback…"


Henkie Klein. Dutch postcard by B. Brouwer, Amsterdam. Photo: Bernard Eilers, Amsterdam.
"Because it is the only postcard of this child actor I know."


Adolphe Engers. German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3186/1, 1928-1929.
"Every change to put forward this now totally forgotten German-Dutch actor must be seized with both hands!"


Lilian Harvey and Hans Albers. German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 141/6. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Quick (Robert Siodmak, 1932).
"What kind of bath IS Lilian Harvey taking in this postcard? Mud? Oil? Olive tapenade?"


La Kermesse Heroique. Dutch postcard by Tobis filmdistributie N.V. Amsterdam. Photo: Tobis. Publicity still for La Kermesse Heroique (Jacques Feyder, 1935).
"Wonderful studio shot, isn’t it?"


Ferdinand Marian. German postcard by Film-Foto-Verlag, no. A 3725/1, 1941-1944. Photo: Bavaria Filmkunst.
"In one of his later films. One wonders with every postcard of Marian one finds if ever there WERE postcards of his infamous role as Süss, the jew….


Ronald Reagan. Belgian postcard. Ronald Reagan and Estelita Rodriguez in Tropic Zone (Lewis R. Foster, 1953).
"Acting out his own FROM HERE TO ETERNITY moment… "


Liselotte Pulver. German postcard by UFA, no. CK-237. Retail price: 30 Pfg. Photo: Joe Niczky / Ufa.
"I had forgotten who this lady was, but the lobster on the menu card looks so appealing…".


Maria Schell. German postcard by UFA, no. CK-225. Retail price: 30 Pfg. Photo: Sam Lévin / Ufa.
"Maria Schell’s wonderfully uncertain smile…"


Truus van Aalten. German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3823/1, 1928-1929. Photo: Hegewald Film.
Publicity still for Die lustigen Vagabunden/The Funny Vagabonds (Jacob and Luise Fleck, 1928). "No Top Ten… can ever be complete without a picture of Truus van Aalten. I have chosen this card as a hommage to film postcard collector Geoffrey Donaldson (1929-2002) who gave me this card but also for a different reason: did they try to sell Truus here off as a youth star?"

Egbert, thanks buddy!

All postcards in this post are from the Collection of the Geoffrey Donaldson Institute (GDI). See also:

• 26 June 2010: Happy Birthday, Egbert!
• 29 November 2013: New Geoffrey Donaldson Institute
• 13 September 2014: New acquisitions Geoffrey Donaldson Institute
• 20 September 2015: From Holland with love: twelve postcards with Lien Deyers
• 12 August 2016: EFSP's Dazzling Dozen: New from GDI
• 17 June 2018: New acquisitions at GDI: Heinz Rühmann and other European stars
• 18 June 2018: New acquisitions at GDI: MGM Cine Stars
• 15 July 2018: New GDI acquisition: British cigarette cards
• 24 August 2019: New acquisitions at G.D.I.: a gift from the Dutch Beatles Museum
• 25 August 2019: New acquisitions at G.D.I.: a gift from Kathinka Dittrich, Part 1
• 26 August 2019: New acquisitions at G.D.I.: a gift from Kathinka Dittrich, Part 2
To be continued in 2025!

This post was last updated on 22 December 2024.