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Company name: Edgar Schmidt, later renamed into “Postkarte” GmbH
Address: Schlossstr. 28, Dresden (1898), Marschallstr. 12-14, Dresden (1903) with branch in Budapest (Térez-koerut 5), “Postkarte” GmbH was found at Schandauerstr. 34 (1907). Continued as Edgar Schmidt again at: Carlowitzstr. 29 (1913)
In business from: Jan. 1897 - Aug. 1907 (Edgar Schmidt). Then continued under the company name “Postkarte” GmbH until? Found again under old name in 1913 directory
Printer: yes Publisher: yes
Means of production / workforce: 6 presses (letterpress), 20 presses for monograms, 70 workers in 1907 (under Bernhard Fell))
Trademark(s):
Major “Lion” trademark illustrated. Another logo known shows a shield with initials E.S.D. inside usually found on picture side. Topo card issues usually show full name imprinted.
Specialised in: Started off with many topo cards done by collotype process (mostly Germany and Austro-Hungarian Empire), then concentrated on subject/greetings/art reproduction cards printed by chromolitho and halftone (“Autochrom”) process
Notes: Guess there was indeed a Mr. Schmidt first. Owner by 1906 was a Karl Koehler. In August 1906 the business was taken over by British businessman Berhard Fell, London. Then exactly a year later renamed into “Postkarte” GmbH and run by a Martin Paul Friedlaender together with Mr. Fell. Friedlaender got the managing director job because the Edgar Schmidt business owed him over 20,000 Marks. Cards with “Postkarte” GmbH imprint or with any type of matching trademark are unknown yet. Appears to had been a rather short-lived business. Re-launched under old name and new address. Postcard publisher with some small scale letterpress printing.
Schmidt had definitely his own collotype printing during the early years, but it is not clear yet if later card issues were printed by them or more likely supplied by other printers. E. Schmidt was also an early (pre-1900) representative for NPG (Berlin) photo cards.
Illustrations (from top):
Vienna, card no. 1791 - p/u 1899
Brunshaupten, Baltic Sea, no Schmidt card or series number. P/u August 1898
Novelty (silver look) ser. 8061 (at least 3 diff.)- p/u 1901, Initials inside shield on picture side
Series 1515, card 11 (first names) - pre-1905
Card no. 4069, of pre-1905 origin
Series 1172 - portrait of André Giron - p/u 1909 in Hungary
Series 1622 - Dutch Motif signed ‘Rich.(ard) Lanzendorf’. Not p/u, post-1905 production.
Series 1700 - Happy New Year - P/u late Dec. 1906.
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