Date of use : 1962, Germany

Herbert Kohler – Image Kamerawerk Sales Representative

This commercial envelope documents a professional exchange within the photographic and optical industries of West Germany. The sender is identified as Herbert Köhler – Photo-Vertretungen, Bad Kissingen. In German business terminology, the term "Photo-Vertretungen" refers to commercial agencies or representatives that distribute photographic equipment on behalf of manufacturing companies. This indicates that Herbert Köhler most likely operated as a commercial representative or distributor rather than as a manufacturer. The town of Bad Kissingen, located in Bavaria, is widely known as a spa resort, yet during the postwar period it also hosted numerous small commercial agencies involved in technical product distribution. Businesses of this type played a significant role in marketing photographic equipment, optical accessories, and laboratory materials used in photographic processing.

The envelope is addressed to JSOO Optische Werke GmbH in Göttingen. Göttingen has long been recognized as an important German center for optical science and precision manufacturing. The designation "Optische Werke" was commonly used for companies producing optical systems, lenses, and scientific instruments. Firms operating under this title were frequently involved in the manufacture of equipment connected with photography, microscopy, and technical measurement devices. The presence of a major university and several scientific institutions in Göttingen contributed to the development of specialized optical production in the region.

Record Information

Title: Herbert Köhler Business Envelope (Bad Kissingen to Göttingen)

Category: Photographic Industry History / Commercial Correspondence

Subcategory: West German Photographic Representatives / Optical Manufacturers

Country: Germany (Sender: Bad Kissingen) → Germany (Recipient: Göttingen)

City: Bad Kissingen, Bavaria (Sender: Herbert Köhler) → Göttingen, Lower Saxony (Recipient: JSOO Optische Werke GmbH)

Date of use: 1962

Company (Sender): Herbert Köhler – Photo-Vertretungen, Bad Kissingen, Germany. A commercial representative or distributor of photographic equipment, optical accessories, and laboratory materials on behalf of manufacturing companies.

Company (Recipient): JSOO Optische Werke GmbH, Göttingen, Germany. An optical manufacturing company producing optical systems, lenses, and scientific instruments for photography, microscopy, and technical measurement.

Object Type: Commercial envelope (business correspondence)

Postal Features: West German postage stamps; Bad Kissingen postal cancellation (1962).

Language: German

Material: Paper envelope

Dimensions: Standard commercial envelope format

Collection Theme: Herbert Köhler, Bad Kissingen commerce, Photo-Vertretungen, photographic representatives, JSOO Optische Werke, Göttingen optical industry, West German optical manufacturing, post-war photographic trade, 1960s German postal history, distribution networks.

Archival Significance: This 1962 envelope documents commercial correspondence between a photographic equipment representative (Herbert Köhler in Bad Kissingen) and an optical manufacturer (JSOO Optische Werke in Göttingen), illustrating the distribution networks that connected sales agents with optical producers in post-war West Germany.

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.
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