Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

June 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Wed, Jun 24, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-06-24 11:00:00 2026-06-24 11:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : June 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/june-2026-vernacular-photo-history-auction-23574
Our June 2026 auction presents a focused and exceptional selection of historical photographs spanning the 1840s through the early twentieth century, with unusual depth in named subjects, rare formats, and documented provenance anchored by strong vernacular material that rewards close looking.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 532

Bamforth Comic Postcard, Ventriloquist Act, Irish Joke Series

Estimate: $25 - $50
Starting Bid
$10

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$100 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $5,000
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
Published by Bamforth and Co., Ltd. of Holmfirth, Yorkshire, this printed color comic postcard belongs to the publisher's "Comic" Series and carries catalog number 229. The illustration depicts a ventriloquist named Fred seated on a stool on a lit stage, his dummy Georgie perched on his knee, as an irate audience member confronts the act from below. A playbill at right identifies the performers as "Act 2, Fred the Ventriloquist with Georgie."

Fred wears a pale blue suit with a black bow tie and ruffled shirt, while Georgie is dressed in a red and yellow striped sweater, pink trousers, and a straw boater hat. The confrontational audience member at lower right is rendered in a red coat and green hat, pointing an accusing finger toward the stage as other cartoon audience members look on from the foreground.

The joke printed across the top references Irish stereotype humor, with the punchline directed at the dummy rather than the ventriloquist, a classic misdirection gag common to British seaside comic postcard traditions that Bamforth popularized throughout the mid-twentieth century.

The reverse bears a 3.5p Queen Elizabeth II stamp postmarked 1974, addressed to Mr. John Deeley, c/o He Would And Co., 19 Rosedene Drive, Handsworth Wood, Birmingham 20, with a handwritten message signed by Mark.

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