Date of use : 1925 Austria

Historic Print Order: Angerer & Göschl to Bucher AG

This postcard documents an order confirmation correspondence between C. Angerer & Göschl, a company based in Vienna, Austria, and C.J. Bucher AG, located in Lucerne, Switzerland. Both firms were prominent and highly regarded in their respective fields during the periods in which they operated. After providing brief background information on each company, we will turn our attention to the correspondence featured on the card.

C. Angerer & Göschl was founded in 1870 by Viennese printer and book designer Carl Angerer (1838–1916). Three years later, Alexander Göschl (1848–1900) joined the firm as a partner, and the company name was changed to C. Angerer & Göschl. The company specialized in photochemical printing, art cards, fine art prints, and likely also postcards or advertising graphics.

Following the death of both founders, Carl Angerer's son, Alexander C. Angerer (1869–1950), took over the management of the business and continued its operations. However, after many decades of activity, the company declared bankruptcy in 1983.

On the other hand, C.J. Bucher AG was founded in 1922 by Carl Josef (C.J.) Bucher. That same year, together with Adolf Herz, he began publishing the photography magazine Camera. The magazine was initially published in German until 1952, after which it was also issued in English and French editions. Having become an important publication in the international world of photography, Camera ceased publication in 1981.

The message written on the reverse of the postcard is a direct record of the commercial relationship between the two companies. In this June 10, 1925 letter, C. Angerer & Göschl confirms receipt of an order from C.J. Bucher AG and acknowledges that the order has been put into production. The correspondence reads as follows:

Vienna, June 10th, 1925

To C.J. Bucher A.G., Lucerne

We gratefully confirm receipt of the order you placed with your letter dated the 7th of this month.

The order concerns the production of:

5 raster plates, line engravings, transfer prints, three-color prints, copper four-color etchings, and bold (fat) prints.

We have scheduled this for prompt delivery.

Sincerely yours,

C. Angerer & Göschl

In summary, the firm confirms that it has received the order submitted with the letter dated June 7 and has initiated the production process. The ordered items include: raster plates, line engravings, transfer prints (Umdruck), three-color and four-color copper etching plates, as well as bold (fat) prints (Fettdruck). Such an order serves as concrete evidence of the professional collaboration between artistic publishing and the technical printing industry of the period.

Record Information

Title: Historic Print Order: Angerer & Göschl to Bucher AG

Category: Photomechanical Printing History / Commercial Correspondence

Subcategory: Printing Technology / Publishing Industry

Country: Austria (Origin) / Switzerland (Destination)

City: Vienna → Lucerne

Date of use: 10 June 1925 (based on letter date and postal cancellation)

Sender: C. Angerer & Göschl, Vienna (founded 1870 by Carl Angerer, joined by Alexander Göschl 1873, bankruptcy 1983)

Key Figures: Carl Angerer (1838-1916), Alexander Göschl (1848-1900), Alexander C. Angerer (1869-1950)

Recipient: C.J. Bucher AG, Lucerne (founded 1922 by Carl Josef Bucher, publisher of Camera magazine 1922-1981)

Object Type: Commercial postcard / order confirmation

Order Items: Raster plates, line engravings, transfer prints (Umdruck), three-color prints, copper four-color etchings, bold (fat) prints (Fettdruck)

Postal Administration: Austrian postal service

Postal Route: Vienna → Lucerne

Language: German

Material: Printed card stock with typed message

Dimensions: Standard postcard format

Collection Theme: Photomechanical printing history, publishing industry, Austrian-Swiss commercial relations, Camera magazine history

Archival Significance: This postcard documents a direct commercial relationship between two significant European firms: C. Angerer & Göschl, a pioneering Viennese photomechanical printing company, and C.J. Bucher AG, the Swiss publisher of the influential photography magazine Camera. The detailed order for raster plates, line engravings, transfer prints, and color etching plates provides concrete evidence of the specialized printing services that supported art publishing in the 1920s. The correspondence, occurring just three years after Bucher's founding, illustrates the rapid establishment of professional networks in the post-WWI era. This item is a valuable primary source for understanding the intersection of printing technology, publishing, and photography, and the commercial infrastructure that enabled the production of high-quality photographic publications.

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.