03 January 2022

Forlag Nordisk Konst: 15 Hollywood stars

Forlag Nordisk Konst in Stockholm published some of the most interesting postcards of the silent cinema. On 9 March 2018, we did a post with 15 sepia Nordisk postcards of Swedish films of the 1910s and 1920s. Today EFSP presents 15 Hollywood stars including a card of the most legendary director of the American silent cinema. Next Sunday follows a post with 15 Scandinavian stars of the silent era.

Robert Harron
Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm.

Robert Harron (1893-1920) was a teenager when he acted in his first films. 'Bobby' soon appeared in the first films of D. W. Griffith and was to rub shoulders with the great silent stars of the time, notably Lillian Gish.

William Desmond
Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 845. Photo: Triangle-Film.

Handsome William Desmond (1878–1949) was an American actor, who appeared in 205 films between 1915 and 1948. He was nicknamed 'The King of the Silent Serials' and acted in numerous silent westerns and adventure films.

Bessie Barriscale
Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 846. Photo: Triangle-Film.

American actress Bessie Barriscale (1884-1965) became widely known to film audiences in 1914 with her leading role in the Western Rose of the Rancho, directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It was a big box-office hit at the time.

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle
Swedish postcard by Forlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 865. Photo: Triangle-Keystonefilm.

American silent film actor, comedian Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle (1887-1933) was one of the most popular silent stars of the 1910s. He started at the Selig Polyscope and moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked with Mabel Normand and Harold Lloyd. Arbuckle mentored Charlie Chaplin and discovered Buster Keaton and Bob Hope. In 1920, he signed a contract with Paramount Pictures for US$1 million. Between November 1921 and April 1922, Arbuckle was the defendant in three widely publicised trials for the rape and manslaughter of actress Virginia Rappe. Following the trials, his films were banned and he was publicly ostracized.

Mabel Normand
Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 866. Photo: Triangle-Keystonefilm.

Mabel Normand (1892-1930) was a popular American silent film comedienne, in particular in her films with Charlie Chaplin. But alcohol, drugs, and scandal wrecked her career and TBC killed her at a young age.

Mabel Normand
Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 867. Photo: Apeda N.Y. / Triangle-Keystone Films.

Mae Marsh
Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 916. Collection: Marlene Pilaete.

Mae Marsh (1894-1968) was an American screen actress. She was regularly cast in films by D.W. Griffith opposite Robert Harron and Lillian Gish. She had memorable roles in Griffith's Judith of Bethulia (1914), The Birth of a Nation (1915), and Intolerance (1916).

D.W. Griffith
Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 922.

David Wark Griffith (1875–1948)] was an American director, writer, and producer who pioneered modern cinematic techniques. After shooting hundreds of shorts at Biograph, he made his mark with his features The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916), both acclaimed for their radical camera and narrative techniques, while the first has also been condemned for its inherently racist philosophy. Several of Griffith's later films were also successful, including Broken Blossoms (1919), Way Down East (1920), and Orphans of the Storm (1921), but his high costs for production, promotion, and roadshow often made his ventures commercial failures. 

Elsie Ferguson
Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 929. Photo: Skandinavisk Film-Central, Stockholm.

Elsie Ferguson (1885–1961) was an American stage and film actress, who first climbed up to become a big Broadway star thanks to producers such as Charles Frohman and Henry B. Harris (who both perished in the sinking of resp. the Lusitania and the Titanic), after which she had for five to six years a fertile career in silent cinema (1917-1922), debuting in Maurice Tourneur's Barbary Sheep (1917). Playing often elegant society women, but also because of her arrogant behaviour, she was nicknamed the Aristocrat of the Screen.

Harold Lockwood
Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 976. Photo: A.B. Svenska Biografteatern, Stockholm.

Harold Lockwood (1887-1918) was an American silent film actor, director, and producer. During the 1910s, he was one of the most popular matinee idols and formed with May Allison one of the earliest screen romantic teams. He worked for such companies as Nestor, Selig, Flying A, Famous Players, and Metro. Unfortunately, Lockwood became a victim of the worldwide flu epidemic of 1918 and died at the age of 31.

Wallace Reid
Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 978. Photo: Skandinavisk Filmcentral, Stockholm.

Wallace Reid (1891–1923) was an American actor in the silent film referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover". A morphine addiction killed him, at the age of only 31.

Douglas Fairbanks
Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1082. Photo: A.B. Svenka Biografteatern, Stockholm.

American actor Douglas Fairbanks (1883-1939) was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Mark of Zorro (1920), Robin Hood (1922), and The Thief of Bagdad (1924), but spent the early part of his career making comedies.

William S. Hart
Swedish postcard by Forlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1103.

William S. Hart (1864–1946) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He entered films in 1914 where, after playing supporting roles in two short films, he achieved stardom as the lead in The Bargain (Reginald Barker, 1914), his first Western. He became a foremost Western star of the silent era who played characters with honor and integrity. Hart was particularly interested in making realistic Westerns, and his films are noted for their authentic costumes and props. Hart also had an extraordinary acting ability, honed on Shakespearean theatre stages in the United States and the UK.

Thomas Meighan
Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1153.

Thomas Meighan (1879-1936) was an American stage and screen actor, noted for his films with directors William and Cecil B. DeMille.

Anna Q. Nilsson
Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1312.

Anna Q. Nilsson (1888-1974) was a Swedish-American actress, who peaked in the silent era. She became one of the first major stars in the US film industry and contributed to about 200 silent movies.

Gilbert Roland
Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1374.

Mexican-born American film star Gilbert Roland (1905–1994) was often cast in the typical 'Latin Lover' role during the silent era. Roland later played romantic lead roles in Spanish language adaptations of American films.

Maurice Chevalier
Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1381.

Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972) was a French actor, singer, and entertainer. His trademark was a casual straw hat, which he always wore on stage with a cane and a tuxedo.

See also Rosspostcards.com for an incomplete list.

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