Date of use : 8 April 1920, Italy

Martin & Michieli Postcard – Italian Camera Dealer

This document is a commercial correspondence card sent by the company Martin & Michieli, based in Venice, Italy, to Holzwarenfabrik Krauss, a firm located in Schwabmünchen in the Bavarian region of Germany. The front of the card contains the printed letterhead of the company, including the phrases "Photographie et Optique" and "Mécanicien de précision." These descriptions indicate that the firm operated in the fields of photographic equipment, optical products, and precision mechanical instruments. The address printed on the card refers to the San Marco district of Venice, historically one of the city's principal commercial centers.

The company name suggests that Martin & Michieli was a partnership between two proprietors. From the late nineteenth century onward, many European cities saw the emergence of small and medium-sized firms engaged in the trade of photographic and optical equipment. Cameras, lenses, photographic plates, and mechanical accessories formed a significant portion of the commercial activities of such businesses. During a period characterized by rapid technological development in photography and optics, these enterprises served as important distribution points supplying equipment to both professional photographers and amateur users.

The recipient of the card, Holzwarenfabrik Krauss, appears to have been a manufacturer of wooden products. The German term "Holzwarenfabrik" refers to a factory producing goods made from wood. Schwabmünchen, located in Bavaria, was known during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for small industrial enterprises. It is therefore likely that the Krauss company specialized in the production of wooden components or technical items. Wood played a significant role in the construction of early photographic equipment, including camera bodies, tripods, and certain mechanical accessories. In this context, the commercial relationship between Martin & Michieli and the Krauss factory may have been connected to the supply or manufacture of wooden components used in photographic equipment.

The text on the reverse side of the card provides insight into the nature of the commercial communication between the two firms. The sender requests wooden copying clamps with pointed tips and suggests that instead of sending a small sample package, the recipient should prepare a postal parcel weighing five kilograms. The message further indicates that the shipment should be sent with an export permit and forwarded via an intermediary located in Chiasso, Switzerland, who would handle customs procedures. This detail illustrates how cross-border commercial networks in Europe relied on intermediary logistics and customs arrangements.

The postal features of the card are also noteworthy. An Italian postage stamp is affixed to the card and cancelled with a postal mark from Venice. The cancellation includes a date indicating the eighth day of April. Such postal markings served as official indicators of the place and time at which the correspondence entered the postal system. The use of a printed commercial card format reflects the widespread practice among businesses of using standardized correspondence cards for efficient and economical communication.

This document therefore represents a small but significant example of the industrial and commercial networks that developed in Europe during the early twentieth century. The expansion of photographic technology stimulated the growth of related industries producing optical instruments, mechanical devices, and specialized components. As a result, a dense network of suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors emerged across national borders. The commercial exchange between a photographic equipment dealer in Venice and a wooden goods manufacturer in Bavaria reflects the interconnected nature of this production and supply system.

From a collecting perspective, the card may be classified within several thematic categories. It represents an example of commercial ephemera related to the photographic and optical industries. It also holds relevance for collections focused on European trade history and industrial networks. Additionally, it may be of interest to philatelists specializing in Italian postal history and commercial correspondence cards.

In conclusion, this commercial card represents more than a simple business message between two firms. It provides insight into the interconnected production networks that supported the development of photographic and optical technology in Europe. The manufacturing, distribution, and supply of photographic equipment depended on a wide range of specialized industries operating across national boundaries. This document therefore stands as a valuable archival artifact illustrating how these economic networks functioned through everyday commercial communication.

This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
For research context, see the Research Methodology.
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