Real photo postcard. A wonderful, abstract composition depicting a posed articulated clown puppet figure in profile, photographed in an oval vignette. The reverse is a Kodak postcard back with “KODAK” and “AUSTRAL” around the stamp box and a handwritten explanatory note dated 9/28/08.


The subject of the photograph is a wooden figure of a clown, standing upright while a human hand at the left holds a rod or handle attached to its back. The figure wears a cap and a long coat, with jointed legs and a visible wheel or joint point near the knee area. A large rectangular object hangs above the figure, casting a broad shadow that defines the oval framing. The background is plain and softly lit, creating a study-like composition focused on the mechanics of the figure rather than a setting. On the right side of the frame, a real hand points toward the figure’s body, reinforcing that this is a demonstration or documentation photograph. On the reverse, the Kodak back includes “POST CARD,” a central dividing line, “ADDRESS ONLY,” and the distinctive “KODAK AUSTRAL” stamp box, with a long handwritten note describing the doll and the platform or support used for “dancing.”


The reverse reads: KODAK AUSTRAL stamp box (Australian ca 1923). Handwritten inscriptions read: old doll or something. Doll Tripod for the dancing, board or platform it dances on props up behind the figure.; 9/28/08; Eb; Toy 192.