Date of use : 1903 France

A 1903 Postcard from the Early Photo Trade Era

This postcard was sent from Paris to Vienna on 18 March 1903 and represents an important document from an early period when the trade in photographic materials was only beginning to become institutionalized. The addressee shown on the front, “Erdaltein Werke Aktiengesellschaft,” was an Austrian company likely engaged in the import and distribution of photographic materials as a small to medium-scale commercial enterprise.

On the reverse side, the sender is identified as the Compagnie Française de Papiers Photographiques (CFPP), a French manufacturer of photographic papers. The company generally operated under the brand name “Tambour” and was active in Paris during the early 20th century. Although little is known about its founder, trade records from 1907 indicate that an individual named R. Bondon was associated with the firm. CFPP is also known to have exhibited at the 1906 Milan Photographic Exhibition, demonstrating that its products had reached the Italian market.

Detailed information about the company's later activities has not yet been located. However, considering the economic and political transformations that reshaped the photographic industry from the 1930s onward, it is likely that CFPP either ceased operations or was absorbed into another company after the Second World War.

This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
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