G.G. & Co. A.G. Postcards
Additional comments & Cards
Below I show a small selection (not necessarily representative) of GG & Co. printed and published cards. In no particular order. The majority with company initials and series/card number. A few with series mention OR initials only. GG & Co. exported a good portion of their production, eg. worked for publisher Paul Heckscher, Sweden and customers in Russia (K.P. Association, Moscow and A.S. Suvorin, St. Petersburg). They often show the GG & Co. initials. Then there are other real photo cards known without any information imprinted, but showing the typical GG & Co. address side layout.
Sometimes 'Gerlach' is found inside image which I understand to stand for photographed by Gerlach (company studios). That leads to another point. Georg Gerlach described to had been a "businessman". Likely he not only left the directors board in 1915, but also the company bearing his name.
Now his name (first as well as family name) was relatively common then, but since 1916 a Georg Gerlach is listed suddenly with a photographers studio at Unter den Linden 61 address. A follow-up to the previously found here Ziegler & Co. studio. Pure coincidence? Well, I don‘t know yet.
Another unsolved matter is Gerlach & Co., a limited partnership under the management of a Paula Gerlach (née Jacobsohn). Publishers of postcards and gravure prints. According Berlin trade records issued 1930 this business was set up (also!!) in 1916. Early 1930's found in Charlottenburg, Wittenbergplatz 1. No idea if this company had anything to do with former GG & Co. A.G. The family name "Gerlach" was common indeed. Confusing is that there is a Paula Gerlach found listed with a photo studio at Bluecherstr. 12, Berlin SW 61 in the Dumont Schauberg photo trade directory published in 1932. Is this the same 'Paula'? Not found in Berlin address book of that year. Well, some day I will know.
So far I have never seen any typical promo/sample postcards by GG & Co. They are not listed in my export directories. too. General advertising or new postcard series reviews rarely found in the trade periodicals I have at hand. Also no production figures or how many workers were employed. This all is a bit surprising. Georg Gerlach & Co. A.G. were clearly one of the bigger real photo card manufacturers for some years.
