Date of use : 1938, Yugoslavia
Agfa-Foto Yugoslavia Parcel Dispatch Form
This document represents an official parcel card prepared for an international shipment sent from Germany to Yugoslavia. The printed heading and administrative markings indicate that the parcel was dispatched from the J.G. Farbenindustrie Camera Works located in Munich. The presence of both German and French terminology on the form reflects the standardized multilingual documentation used in international postal services during the early twentieth century. Parcel cards of this type were created to record essential information about shipments, including weight, packaging, customs declarations, and delivery procedures.
The sender identified on the document, J.G. Farbenindustrie Camera Works, was associated with one of the most significant industrial organizations in the European chemical and photographic industries during the first half of the twentieth century. J.G. Farbenindustrie was established in 1925 through the merger of several major German chemical companies, forming a large industrial consortium. Within this structure the production of photographic chemicals, film materials, and related industrial components for the photographic sector played an important role. From the perspective of photographic history the company contributed to the development and distribution of photographic materials used in both professional and commercial photography.
The recipient listed on the document is a company identified as Agfa Foto located in Zagreb. This information illustrates the distribution network through which photographic materials circulated across Europe. The Agfa brand emerged in Germany during the late nineteenth century and became widely known for the production of photographic chemicals and film materials. During the first half of the twentieth century Agfa products were distributed throughout many European markets. The Zagreb recipient was most likely a regional distributor or commercial retailer responsible for supplying photographic equipment and materials within the local market.
The information recorded on the parcel card indicates that the shipment weighed approximately one kilogram and three hundred grams. The structure and layout of the document confirm that the parcel traveled through the international postal system. Postal cancellation marks from Munich and Zagreb provide further evidence of the route taken by the shipment. In addition, the customs and inspection sections printed on the form reflect the administrative procedures typically applied to international parcels during this period.
The reverse side of the document includes postage stamps and postal markings applied by the Yugoslav postal administration. The stamps display visual elements associated with state symbols of Yugoslavia during the interwar period. Such stamps were frequently used to indicate parcel handling fees, customs processing, or additional postal charges required during delivery. The cancellation marks further confirm that the parcel passed through official postal processing stages before reaching its destination.
From the perspective of postal history this document represents a valuable example of the international commercial postal system operating in Europe during the early twentieth century. At that time photographic equipment and materials circulated extensively between countries as part of a growing international market. Camera manufacturers, film producers, and photographic suppliers relied heavily on postal and railway transport networks for the distribution of their products.
From a philatelic viewpoint parcel cards such as this are typically categorized within postal history collections dealing with international parcel documentation. At the same time they also hold significance for collectors interested in the history of photography, since they document the commercial networks through which photographic technology was distributed. Postal documents connected to photographic companies therefore function as valuable pieces of industrial and communication history.
Record Information
Title: Agfa-Foto Yugoslavia Parcel Dispatch Form
Category: Photographic Industry History / International Trade
Subcategory: Postal Logistics / Parcel Documentation
Country: Germany (Sender: Munich) → Yugoslavia (Recipient: Zagreb)
🗺️ Show Route
City: Munich, Germany (Sender: J.G. Farbenindustrie Camera Works) → Zagreb, Yugoslavia (Recipient: Agfa Foto)
Date of use: 1938
Company (Sender): J.G. Farbenindustrie Camera Works, Munich, Germany. A division of the I.G. Farbenindustrie consortium, a major European chemical and photographic materials producer formed in 1925 through the merger of several German chemical companies.
Company (Recipient): Agfa Foto, Zagreb, Yugoslavia. A regional distributor or commercial retailer of Agfa photographic materials in Yugoslavia.
Object Type: International parcel dispatch form (official postal card)
Postal Route 🚂: Munich, Germany → Zagreb, Yugoslavia (1938) (Estimated Route)
Estimated Travel Time: Approximately 2-3 days (railway via Austria and Slovenia)
Postal Features: German and Yugoslav postal cancellations (Munich and Zagreb); Yugoslav postage stamps with state symbols; multilingual form (German and French); customs and inspection sections.
Language: German, French
Material: Paper card
Dimensions: Standard parcel card format
Notable Feature: International parcel shipment between J.G. Farbenindustrie Camera Works (Munich) and Agfa Foto (Zagreb); weight recorded (approx. 1.3 kg); bilingual documentation; Yugoslav postage stamps and cancellations on reverse.
Collection Theme: I.G. Farbenindustrie, Agfa, Munich photographic industry, Zagreb photographic trade, Yugoslav postal history, international parcel mail, interwar commerce, chemical industry, photographic distribution.
Archival Significance: This 1938 parcel card documents the international distribution of photographic materials between Germany and Yugoslavia, illustrating the commercial networks that supplied photographic products to European markets before the Second World War.
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.
For research context, see the Research Methodology.
For academic reference, please refer to How to Cite This Archive.
For research context, see the Research Methodology.
For academic reference, please refer to How to Cite This Archive.
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