Date of use : 1938, Germany

Photo Josef-Kaus Schmid Postcard, Germany

This postcard represents a commercial mailing card associated with the photographic business Photo Josef Haus Schmid, which operated in the town of Berchtesgaden in southern Germany. The graphic composition printed in the lower left corner depicts a folding bellows camera placed in front of a stylized mountain landscape. Such imagery was frequently used by photographic studios during the early twentieth century as a visual symbol of both professional identity and regional context. The mountain motif clearly reflects the Alpine environment that defines the Berchtesgaden region.

The sender identified on the card, Photo Josef Haus Schmid, was most likely a photographic studio or retail shop specializing in photographic services. The printed line "Fernsprecher Nr. 2254" indicates the telephone number of the establishment. The inclusion of telephone information on printed cards became increasingly common in the interwar period and reflects the growing integration of modern communication technologies into commercial practice.

Berchtesgaden, located in the Bavarian Alps, developed into a well-known tourist destination during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The region attracted visitors with its mountain scenery, outdoor recreation, and winter sports opportunities. In such environments local photographers often played an important role in documenting landscapes and producing souvenir photographs. Photographic businesses like Photo Josef Haus Schmid likely served both local residents and visiting tourists by offering portrait photography, landscape imagery, and printed postcards.

The heading "Postkarte" printed at the top identifies the item as a standard German postcard format. In the upper right corner a postage stamp of the "Deutsches Reich" series is affixed, bearing a denomination of six pfennig. Stamps of this type were widely used in Germany during the 1930s and commonly featured portrait designs associated with official postal issues. The cancellation mark indicates that the postcard was processed at the Berchtesgaden post office.

The date within the cancellation suggests that the card was mailed during the mid-1930s. This period coincided with a time when both domestic tourism and photographic technology were expanding rapidly in Germany. The growing availability of portable cameras and the popularity of postcards contributed to the flourishing of local photographic businesses in tourist regions.

The address section contains a handwritten destination that appears to include the word "Photowaren," meaning photographic goods or supplies. This detail suggests that the recipient may have been connected to a photographic supply business or a related commercial enterprise. Because the handwriting is not fully legible, however, the exact identity of the recipient cannot be determined with certainty.

From a postal history perspective, the postcard illustrates the role of commercial postcards as a practical communication medium for small businesses. Photographic studios frequently used postcards not only for correspondence but also as a form of promotional material. In tourist regions especially, postcard production represented an additional source of revenue for local photographers.

From a collecting standpoint, the postcard may be classified within several intersecting categories, including photographic industry ephemera, commercial advertising postcards, and tourism-related postal material. Postcards produced by photographic studios provide valuable visual evidence of how the photographic profession interacted with local economies and cultural landscapes.

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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