08 January 2025

Ross Verlag, Part 17: Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film (1)

In 2017, we acquired a huge package with collector cards by Ross Verlag in a series called called 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst'. The title translates as 'From the Genesis of German Cinema'. Some of the cards are smaller than postcards, others bigger. The series includes star portraits and film scenes, but also pictures of film sets and curiosities like for instance a bust of Asta Nielsen in her famous and controversial role as Hamlet. Film fans could glue the cards into two albums, 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film' (The Silent Film) and 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Tonfilm' (The Sound Film), both written by Dr. Oskar Kalbus and published by the 'Cigaretten-Bilderdienst' in 1935. In the coming months, we will present these cards as part of our Ross Verlag tribute. We start with 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film, Sammelwerk nr. 10' (compilation no. 20) which contained in the 1935 version the picture groups 39 to 43. Earlier versions had no groups. The subjects of the pictures are German films and stars of the 1910s.

Asta Nielsen in Der Tod von Sevilla (1913)
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', picture no. 6, group 43. Photo: Asta Nielsen in Der Tod von Sevilla/The Death of Seville (Urban Gad, 1913).

Asta Nielsen and Mary Scheller in Das Feuer (1914)
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', no. 7, group 43. Photo: Asta Nielsen and Mary Scheller in Das Feuer/The Fire (Urban Gad, 1914).

Bust of Asta Nielsen as Hamlet
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', no. 8, group 43. Photo: Bust of Asta Nielsen as Hamlet.

Paul Wegener and Lyda Salmonova in Der Student von Prag (1913)
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', no. 9, group 40. Photo: Sokal-Film. Paul Wegener and Lyda Salmonova in Der Student von Prag/The Student of Prague (Paul Wegener, Stellan Rye, 1913).

Pola Negri in Vendetta (1919)
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', no. 10, group 40. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still with Pola Negri as a nurse in Vendetta (Georg Jacoby, 1919).

Emil Jannings and Henny Porten in Die Ehe der Luise Rohrbach (1917)
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', no. 12, group 40. Photo: Ufa. Emil Jannings and Henny Porten in Die Ehe der Luise Rohrbach/The Marriage of Luise Rohrbach (Rudolf Biebrach, 1917).

Henny Porten and Rudolf Biebrach in Das Geschlecht derer von Ringwall (1918)
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', no. 13, group 43. Photo: Messter-Film. Henny Porten and Rudolf Biebrach in Das Geschlecht derer von Ringwall/The Ringwall Family (Rudolf Biebrach, 1918).

Viggo Larsen
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', no. 16, group 43. Photo: Karl Schenker. Viggo Larsen.

Hanni Weisse
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', no. 18, group 43. Photo: Balázs. Hanni Weisse.

Wanda Treumann
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', no. 20, group 43. Photo: Karl Schenker. Caption: "Wanda Treumann, for years the partner of Viggo Larsen".

Maria Carmi and Carl de Vogt in Der Weg des Todes (1916)
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', no. 23, group 43. Photo: Ufa. Maria Carmi and Carl de Vogt in Der Weg des Todes/The Road of Death (Robert Reinert, 1916).

Emil Jannings in Fromont Junior, Risler Senior a.k.a. Frau Eva (1915-1916)
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', no, 29, group 43. Caption: Emil Jannings, young and handsome, in his first film Fromont junior, Risler senior. According to other sources Arme Eva (Robert Wiene, 1914) featuring Erna Morena, was his first film. IMDb mentions two Eva films, both by Wiene and both starring Morena and Jannings: Arme Eva (1914) and Frau Eva (1916) - a sequel, a remake or just the same film? However, IMDb mentions that the second was based on a play by Alphonse Daudet! And yes, Revolvy confirms: "It was based on the 1874 novel 'Fromont and Risler' by Alphonse Daudet." And at the German Early Film Database and Filmportal.de, there is no mention of Arme Eva, just of Frau Eva (1915-1916). At Filmportal.de this picture illustrates the film page...

Bruno Decarli, Carmen Mara and Harry Liedtke in Rebellenliebe (1919)
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', no. 30, group 40. Photo: Frankfurter Film-Co. Bruno Decarli, Carmen Mara and Harry Liedtke in Rebellenliebe/Rebel Love (Karl Heiland, 1919).

Pola Negri and Fritz Schulz in Die Marchesa d'Armiani (1920)
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', no. 34, group 43. Photo: Union-Film. Pola Negri and Fritz Schulz in Die Marchesa d'Armiani/The Marquise of Armiani (Alfred Halm, 1920).

Pola Negri and Emil Jannings in Vendetta (1919)
German collector card by Ross Verlag in the series 'Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film', no. 35, group 40. Photo: Ufa. Pola Negri and Emil Jannings in Vendetta (Georg Jacoby, 1919).

This Ross Verlag Tribute will be continued next week.

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