u/Nobody1920

Thought I’d share this piece from my collection! This is Snegurochka (the Snow Maiden from Slavic fairytale lore), produced at the Polonsky Factory of Artistic Ceramics (Polonne ZHK) in Ukraine during the Soviet era.
What I love about this particular piece is how crisp the 24k-style gold snowflake gilding on her coat stayed over the decades—usually on these older Soviet porcelains, the gilt wears off from handling.
She has the classic blue ZHK sailboat backstamp on the bottom alongside a green '2c' mark (indicating second-grade quality control from the factory). The cobalt blue mittens and yellow braids are such a nostalgic aesthetic!

Hey everyone, looking for a realistic collector/auction valuation on a highly cohesive set of 4 original vintage Type 1 press photos I recently acquired from a mid-century newsroom archive.
The Subject: These document the tragic July 1947 practice crash at the Coupe de Paris (Longchamp) that killed driver André Bossut. More importantly for motorsport historians, this crash completely and permanently destroyed the historic DB1—the literal first prototype built by the legendary French racing marque Deutsch-Bonnet.

I scanned this from an original, first-generation New York Times Paris Bureau press photo in my collection.
The image captures the grim, split-second aftermath of a tragedy on Saturday, July 26, 1947. During a practice session for the Coupe de Paris-Automobile on a temporary street circuit in the Bois de Boulogne, 37-year-old French driver André Bossut clipped a curb and slammed violently into a gas street lamp. He was killed instantly.
Beyond the raw human tragedy, the wreckage on the left holds massive significance for automotive history.
That ruined car is the DB 1 (Deutsch-Bonnet 1). Built in 1938 using a modified Citroën chassis and engine, this was the very first prototype ever constructed by Charles Deutsch and René Bonnet. This single car launched the legendary French racing brand Deutsch-Bonnet (DB), which would go on to dominate lightweight class racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1950s. The historic prototype was completely destroyed here.
It is a sobering look at the brutal reality of post-war motorsport, where drivers raced in polo shirts, trousers, and basic leather helmets with zero safety barriers.

Here is the direct translation of the French teletype caption on the back:
"Paris-Mayenne-Paris ... on Horseback"
"Paris, 31 July 1947 — Paris-Mayenne-Paris are the destinations of a horseback trek that will be carried out from July 31 to August 22 by about twenty members of the equestrian group of the Touring Club de France, divided into two teams.
A view of the departure, Avenue de la Grande Armée in Paris. New York Times Photos (Credit Obligatory)."

I’ve been going through an archive of original 1947 New York Times Paris Bureau press photographs, and I found this stunning, visceral shot of the podium from the 16th Grand Prix de Reims (July 6, 1947).
The man being carried on the shoulders of the crowd is Swiss driver Christian Kautz. He had an incredibly fascinating life—he was a pre-war junior driver for Mercedes and Auto Union, and spent WWII in the United States working as a test pilot for Lockheed. He won this race driving a supercharged 1.5-liter Maserati 4CL.
What I love most about this photo is the driver to Kautz’s left. Before fireproof balaclavas and full-face helmets, running behind a supercharged Maserati meant getting continuously blasted in the face with hot oil, rubber, and exhaust soot for three hours. The clean rings around his eyes where his goggles sat are just incredible.
The Tragic Endnote: Photos of Kautz celebrating are quite rare. Almost exactly one year after this photograph was taken, he was tragically killed in a crash at the 1948 Swiss Grand Prix at Bremgarten.
I’ve included a photo of the back of the print as well, showing the original French teletype wire caption and the New York Times copyright stamp.

According to the original wire service snipes glued to the backs, Bossut hit the curb on Saturday and was thrown into a gas lamp. He was killed instantly, and a spectator was also injured.
The car involved, DB 1, was a highly historic 1938 Citroën-engined prototype that essentially launched the entire Deutsch-Bonnet brand.
I’m incredibly proud to have kept this consecutive sequence together. I've also uploaded photos of the backs of the prints showing the original NYT and AP stamps, the pencil codes, and the French teletype snipes.

Thought this community would appreciate the physical paper history on these. They are original wire photos from July 1947 that were filed together in a European press bureau. The reverses are beautifully preserved with vintage Associated Press and New York Times Bureau stamps, original glued-on teletype paper snipes, and handwritten pencil catalog codes.

Just wanted to share these 5 consecutive New York Times Paris Bureau photos from my collection, filed together nearly 80 years ago. They trace the entire historic night of July 16, 1947: the intense pre-fight contender portraits, the savage 6th-round TKO (look closely and you can see Zale wearing Chicago-made, custom 'Frager' gloves), and Graziano's massive victory parade down Broadway.

This original Type 1 vintage wire press photograph is part of a complete, intact 34-photo July 1947 diplomatic and military archive I recently acquired. Each piece retains its original news bureau stamps and untrimmed paper leaf (slug/snipe) on the reverse.

I recently purchased a collection of 34 original, Type 1 vintage press photographs capturing the absolute boiling point of the 1947 Mandate crisis. Every single photo is a pristine specimen featuring its completely intact paper leaf (snipe/slug) and original vintage stamps from The Associated Press , The New York Times , and Acme Newspictures .
Because of Reddit's 20-image gallery limit, I'm uploading these in random, non-chronological selections—showing the front of each photograph followed immediately by its stamped reverse side.
This first selection jumps between the harrowing reality of the Exodus 1947 prison ships in France, intense British military manhunts on the ground in Nathanya, and the high-stakes Pan-Arab diplomatic hearings at Boustros Palace in Beirut.
I would love to get your thoughts, opinions, and historical insights on this archive.

I recently acquired this incredible piece of literary and art history and wanted to share it here. This is the 1921 German translation of Russian Symbolist poet Aleksandr Blok’s iconic revolutionary poem, Die Zwölf (The Twelve), published by Newa-Verlag during the famous early-1920s Russian exile publishing boom in Berlin.

Beyond the literary history, the book features brilliant, stark Expressionist/Constructivist illustrations by the celebrated Russian avant-garde graphic artist Wassily Masjutin (all signed with his distinct "M" monogram).

To top it all off, the title page features a wonderful bit of provenance. At the top right, there is the handwritten ink signature of the prominent Romanian novelist, poet, and drama critic Ioan Marin Sadoveanu (1893–1964), making this a fantastic association copy. The paper has some honest wear to the edges, but the internal woodcuts and typography are incredibly sharp.

I recently acquired this incredible piece of literary and art history and wanted to share it here. This is the 1921 German translation of Russian Symbolist poet Aleksandr Blok’s iconic revolutionary poem, Die Zwölf (The Twelve), published by Newa-Verlag during the famous early-1920s Russian exile publishing boom in Berlin.

Beyond the literary history, the book features brilliant, stark Expressionist/Constructivist illustrations by the celebrated Russian avant-garde graphic artist Wassily Masjutin (all signed with his distinct "M" monogram).

To top it all off, the title page features a wonderful bit of provenance. At the top right, there is the handwritten ink signature of the prominent Romanian novelist, poet, and drama critic Ioan Marin Sadoveanu (1893–1964), making this a fantastic association copy. The paper has some honest wear to the edges, but the internal woodcuts and typography are incredibly sharp.

I recently acquired this 131-year-old piece of ephemera and thought it would fit perfectly here. It’s an original, wonderfully preserved theatre program dated March 7, 1895, from the famous Salle Garnier inside the Monte Carlo Casino complex in Monaco.

The front cover features a beautiful, clean halftone photograph of the Italian star Virginia Zucchi, and the inner page lists a historic lineup featuring Imperial Russian Ballet legends Mathilde Kschessinska and Olga Preobrajenska performing Coppélia.

As an ephemera piece, my absolute favourite detail is the late-Victorian social snapshot printed at the very bottom: a note stating that the 11:25 PM express train to Nice, as well as a special train to Menton, would literally sit at the station and wait for the performance to finish before departing. The paper has aged beautifully with some honest toning, and the typography of the layout is just gorgeous to look at.

I recently found this 131-year-old piece of dance history tucked away in Romania and knew this community would appreciate it. It is an original program from March 7, 1895, for a performance at the famous Salle Garnier inside the Monte Carlo Casino complex in Monaco, capturing the fascinating precursor era to the Ballets Russes when the Tsar's elite dancers were first enticed to perform in Western Europe during their off-season.

The inner page shows a legendary lineup of Mathilde Kschessinska and Olga Preobrajenska performing Coppélia, while the front cover features a beautiful photograph of the Italian star Virginia Zucchi, whose dramatic artistry completely changed the trajectory of Russian ballet.

Original Waffen-SS propaganda map documenting an SS division's route through the 1940 Western Campaign, from Holland to the Spanish border. Backstamped by Wehrmeldeamt Wien 9, received 25 November 1941.