The Pictures Portrait Gallery: the Men

During the 1910s and 1920s, Pictures Ltd. in London published the Pictures Portrait Gallery series as a supplement for their magazine 'Pictures' which from 1920 on was named 'Pictures for the Picturegoer'. Many Hollywood stars but also British actors were highlighted in this series. Today, we publish 15 male stars of the silent cinema of this British series. Next week a post with 15 legendary ladies of the screen will follow.


Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle. British postcard in the Pictures Portrait Gallery series by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 9/192.


Gerald Ames. British postcard in the Pictures Portrait Gallery series by Pictures Ltd., London, no.18.


William Desmond. British postcard in the Pictures Portrait Gallery series by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 22.


Aurele Sydney. British postcard in the Pictures Portrait Gallery series by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 43.


Sessue Hayakawa. British postcard in the Pictures Portrait Gallery series by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 45.


Stewart Rome. British postcard in the Pictures Portrait Gallery series by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 59. Photo: Broadwest Films Ltd.


Herbert Rawlinson. British postcard in the 'Pictures' Portrait Gallery by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 82.

Pictures and Picturegoers

In October 1913, Picturegoer the Picture Theatre Magazine was founded in London. After 19 issues, the 21 February 1914 issue was re-titled as no.1 of Pictures AND The Picturegoer.

In 1918 the publisher, Publisher Ltd., started issuing sepia printed photogravure postcards entitled 'The Pictures Portrait Gallery'. All 101 are addressed 85 Long Acre London, but cards 1–42 were printed in black, cards 43-101 in brown.

The Editor of Pictures and the Picturegoer was Fred Dangerfield and the Secretary and Postcard Manager was G. Southwood. Both were pictured on two postcards of the series, photographed by Elwin Neame, father of British film director Ronald Neame.

On 27 November 1920, issue no. 354 of the magazine was retitled 'Pictures FOR The Picturegoer'. The Pictures Portrait Gallery series continued, but citing 88 Long Acre in London as the publisher's address on the reverse.

Card 11/224 is so far the highest number found in the Pictures Portrait Gallery series. The highest number card so far found is 238 (Corinne Griffith), which seems a rather odd number to stop on. In 1922 Pictures for the Picturegoer changed its name to PICTURES: The Screen Magazine but only a few months later it had been subsumed by Picturegoer magazine.


Albert Ray. British postcard in the 'Pictures' Portrait Gallery by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 101. Photo: The Fox Film Co.


Douglas Fairbanks. British postcard in the 'Pictures' Portrait Gallery by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 107.


George Walsh. British postcard in the 'Pictures' Portrait Gallery by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 113.


Richard Barthelmess. British postcard in the 'Pictures' Portrait Gallery by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 122. Barthelmess is misspelled as Barthlemess.


Tom Moore. British postcard in the 'Pictures' Portrait Gallery by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 124.


J. (Jack) Warren Kerrigan. British postcard in the 'Pictures' Portrait Gallery by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 137.


William Farnum. British postcard in the 'Pictures' Portrait Gallery by Pictures Ltd., London.


Wallace Reid. British postcard by 'Pictures' Portrait Gallery, London, by Pictures Ltd. London, no. 145.


Eddie Polo. British postcard by 'Pictures' Portrait Gallery, London, by Pictures Ltd. London, no. 155.

Source: Our Cinema Postcards.