Antique & Vintage Postcards

Linen postcard of the Drawing Room of the International Eastern Star Temple in Washington D.C. — an extraordinarily ornate Beaux-Arts interior with gilded boiserie paneling, a crystal chandelier, painted wall panels depicting figures in landscape, golden draperies, and gilded Louis XV-style furniture arranged on a Persian rug. The building — the Perry Belmont House at 1618 New Hampshire Avenue — was built 1907–1909 for Perry Belmont, son of financier August Belmont, designed by Paris-trained architect Ernest Sanson; Edward, Prince of Wales, was among its early guests. The Order of the Eastern Star, the Freemasonry-affiliated women's organization, acquired it as their world headquarters; by the time Curt Teich printed this card in the late 1930s or early 1940s, the house was one of the most lavish interiors regularly depicted on Washington souvenir postcards.