Date of use : 1926 Germany

Chr. F. Winter Sohn: A Leipzig Photo Firm and a 1919 Cover

This envelope is a documentary piece shedding light on the early 20th-century activities of the Leipzig-based firm Chr. F. Winter Sohn. No definitive archival records regarding the company's exact founding date or founder have survived; however, letterheads, advertising prints, and postal materials indicate that the business was active between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, around 1900. Based on the use of the term "Sohn," the company is believed to have been a family-run enterprise founded by Chr. Winter. The firm is no longer active today.

Chr. F. Winter Sohn did not limit its operations to photographic equipment alone; it also supplied projection systems for presentations and public displays, along with a wide range of optical instruments and microscopes. In addition, the company offered photographic services such as copying, film and glass plate developing, and enlarging. This broad scope of activity demonstrates that the firm catered not only to amateur photographers, but also to professional, scientific, and institutional clients.

This registered letter, dated 1919, was sent to the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Klub (ADAC) in Munich. Its destination highlights Chr. F. Winter Sohn's role as a provider of technical equipment and visual production solutions for major institutions. Situated in the immediate post-World War I period, the envelope stands as a valuable historical document illustrating early connections between photographic technology and technical organizations.

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