Date of use : 1905 USA

Lowman & Hanford Co. – U.S. Photo Materials Dealer Cover

The heading printed in the upper left corner of the envelope reads "Lowman & Hanford Stationery and Printing Co., Seattle, Washington." This firm was an important printing and stationery company that began operating in the northwestern United States during the late nineteenth century. The company is known to have played a role in the early development of the commercial publishing and printing industry in Seattle. As indicated by its name, the firm's principal activities included printing services, the production of stationery, and various forms of commercial printing. However, the phrase "Complete Line of Photo Supplies" printed on the envelope indicates that the company also engaged in the sale of photographic materials. This suggests that commercial businesses of the period often offered a broad range of products and services that extended across multiple sectors.

The camera illustration printed on the envelope represents an early folding bellows camera. Cameras of this type became widely used among both professional and amateur photographers from the 1890s onward. Their portability and the possibility of using interchangeable lenses made them particularly suitable for field photography. The presence of this illustration on the envelope can therefore be interpreted as a graphic advertising element intended to promote the company's involvement in the sale of photographic equipment.

The recipient of the envelope appears to be a person whose name can be read as "Kelly Capardue," with an address located somewhere in the state of Utah. Because the handwriting is somewhat difficult to interpret, the exact spelling of the surname cannot be determined with certainty; this reading should therefore be regarded as a tentative interpretation. Although the precise identity of the recipient remains unclear, it is possible that the individual was either a customer purchasing photographic equipment or a business owner interested in photographic supplies. In the early twentieth century, mail-order catalogues and postal ordering systems were widely used throughout the United States. Many companies distributed catalogues to potential customers and received orders through the postal service. For this reason, it is likely that the envelope originally contained a product catalogue, a price list, or some form of commercial correspondence.

Record Information

Title: Lowman & Hanford Co. – U.S. Photo Materials Dealer Cover

Category: Photographic Industry History / Commercial Supply

Subcategory: Early Photography Trade / Mail-Order Advertising

Country: USA

City: Seattle, Washington (Sender) / Utah (Recipient, city unknown)

Date of use: circa 1905

Company (Sender): Lowman & Hanford Stationery and Printing Co., Seattle. A prominent printing and stationery firm that also sold "Complete Line of Photo Supplies," including cameras and related materials. The envelope features an illustration of an early folding bellows camera as a graphic advertisement.

Recipient: Kelly Capardue (name tentatively interpreted), Utah.

Object Type: Domestic commercial envelope (advertising cover) likely containing a catalogue or price list.

Visual Element: Illustration of a folding bellows camera, a popular camera type from the 1890s onward, used to advertise the company's photographic supply business.

Language: English

Material: Paper envelope

Dimensions: Standard envelope format

Collection Theme: Lowman & Hanford, Seattle commerce, early 20th-century printing industry, photographic supply dealers, mail-order trade, folding camera advertising, commercial stationery, business history of Washington state.

Archival Significance: This 1905 envelope illustrates the diversification of a regional printing firm into photographic sales and documents early mail-order advertising practices in the western United States.

Research Note:

This article is based on historical research and independent analysis of the material in the author's collection. The text has been prepared as an original interpretative study and does not reproduce copyrighted material.

This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
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