Date of use : 1935, Canada

Associated Screen News Limited: Montreal to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester

This commercial envelope mailed from Montreal represents a piece of correspondence associated with Associated Screen News Limited, a Canadian company involved in the production of newsreels and cinematic visual material. The printed letterhead visible on the left side of the envelope clearly identifies the company and its Montreal location at Western Avenue and Decarie Boulevard. The circular postal cancellation indicates that the item was processed in Montreal on 15 October 1935 during the evening postal dispatch. The envelope was addressed to the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York, suggesting that the document formed part of a professional exchange between two organizations connected to the photographic and motion picture industries.

Associated Screen News Limited operated as an important producer of newsreels and visual media in Canada. Companies of this type specialized in filming current events, documentary scenes, and short informational films that were distributed to cinemas for public exhibition. Newsreels were widely shown in theaters before feature films and played a significant role in the visual dissemination of news during the early decades of modern cinema. Montreal served as a major center for film production and distribution within Canada, and firms such as Associated Screen News contributed to the development of the country's cinematic infrastructure. In addition to filming activities, such companies frequently maintained laboratory facilities and technical production services related to film processing.

The recipient, the Eastman Kodak Company, was one of the most influential manufacturers of photographic and motion picture materials. Founded by George Eastman, the company developed and produced photographic film, motion picture film stock, and a wide range of imaging technologies. Its headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Rochester became internationally recognized centers for research, innovation, and industrial production in photography and cinema. Because motion picture production relied heavily on high-quality film materials, film producers and newsreel companies commonly maintained commercial relationships with Kodak. The correspondence represented by this envelope may therefore have concerned film stock supply, laboratory materials, or technical cooperation related to motion picture production.

Record Information

Title: Associated Screen News Limited Business Envelope (Montreal to Rochester)

Category: Motion Picture Industry History / Commercial Correspondence

Subcategory: Canadian Newsreel Production / Film Supply Networks

Country: Canada (Sender: Montreal) → United States (Recipient: Rochester, NY)

City: Montreal, Quebec (Sender: Associated Screen News Limited) → Rochester, New York (Recipient: Eastman Kodak Company)

Date of use: 15 October 1935

Company (Sender): Associated Screen News Limited, Western Avenue and Decarie Boulevard, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A Canadian newsreel and motion picture production company active in the 1930s, specializing in filming current events, documentaries, and informational films for cinema distribution.

Object Type: Commercial envelope (business correspondence)

Postal Features: Canadian postage stamps; Montreal postal cancellation (15 October 1935, evening dispatch).

Language: English

Material: Paper envelope

Dimensions: Standard commercial envelope format

Collection Theme: Associated Screen News, Montreal film industry, Canadian cinema, newsreel production, Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester photographic manufacturing, motion picture film stock, Canada-US trade, 1930s postal history, film production correspondence.

Archival Significance: This 1935 envelope documents commercial correspondence between a Canadian newsreel producer (Associated Screen News Limited) and the Eastman Kodak Company, illustrating the industrial supply networks that supported motion picture production in North America during the 1930s.

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.

Date of use : 1938, Italy

Stabilimento Fotografico Lombardi: Siena Studio to Mrs. James Cyrus Hakes, New Jersey

This postcard correspondence sent from Siena to the United States represents a commercial communication associated with an Italian photographic studio and retail establishment. The printed heading on the card includes the phrase "Stabilimento Fotografico e Negozio," which in Italian refers to a photographic studio combined with a retail shop. The business name Lombardi appears prominently alongside the city name Siena, indicating that the enterprise operated locally while maintaining connections with customers abroad. Establishments of this type were common in Italian cities during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, combining portrait photography services with the sale of photographic products and printed images.

The recipient of the card is Mrs. James Cyrus Hakes, residing in Montclair, New Jersey, in the United States. The address indicates that the correspondence was directed to an individual client rather than another commercial firm. This detail suggests that the photographic studio maintained relationships with international customers. European photographic studios located in historic or touristic cities frequently served foreign visitors who commissioned portraits, souvenir photographs, or photographic prints during their travels. These photographs were sometimes delivered later through postal correspondence.

The handwritten message on the reverse side refers to an earlier request made by the recipient, dated 23 November. The sender explains that the requested item is available and provides information regarding the cost and the additional expense of postage. The reference to a monetary amount indicates that the message concerns a commercial transaction, most likely involving photographic prints or related products. Correspondence of this nature reflects the everyday communication between photographic studios and their international clientele.

The postal cancellation visible on the card indicates that the item was processed in Siena. The stamp affixed to the card belongs to the Kingdom of Italy and bears a portrait design typical of Italian postage issues of the period. The wavy cancellation lines confirm that the card entered the international postal network for transatlantic delivery. At that time, regular postal routes connected Europe and the United States, facilitating both personal correspondence and commercial communication.

Within the broader development of photography, studios such as Lombardi often operated under a dual business model. They provided photographic portrait services while also producing and selling photographic prints, albums, and souvenir images. Studios located in historically significant or tourist-oriented cities frequently developed an international clientele, as foreign travelers sought photographic mementos of their journeys. Once visitors returned home, communication with the studio could continue through the postal system.

From a collecting perspective, this postcard represents a valuable intersection between postal history and the commercial history of photography. It documents the correspondence of a photographic studio conducting business with an overseas client and illustrates the practical mechanisms through which photographic services were delivered internationally. Such items can be categorized both as photographic trade ephemera and as examples of transatlantic postal communication.

Record Information

Title: Stabilimento Fotografico Lombardi Business Postcard (Siena to Montclair, NJ)

Category: Photographic Studios / Commercial Correspondence

Subcategory: Italian Tourist Photography / International Client Relations

Country: Italy (Sender: Siena) → United States (Recipient: New Jersey)

City: Siena (Sender: Stabilimento Fotografico Lombardi) → Montclair, New Jersey (Recipient: Mrs. James Cyrus Hakes)

Date of use: 1938

Company (Sender): Stabilimento Fotografico Lombardi, Siena, Italy. A photographic studio and retail shop (Stabilimento Fotografico e Negozio) combining portrait photography services with the sale of photographic prints, albums, and souvenir images.

Object Type: Commercial postcard (business correspondence)

Postal Features: Italian Kingdom postage stamp (portrait issue); Siena postal cancellation (1938); transatlantic postal route.

Language: Italian / English (recipient address)

Material: Paper (postcard stock)

Dimensions: Standard postcard format

Collection Theme: Stabilimento Fotografico Lombardi, Siena photography, Italian photographic studios, tourist photography, portrait studios, Mrs. James Cyrus Hakes, Montclair New Jersey, transatlantic correspondence, Italian Kingdom postal system, 1930s postal history, international client relations.

Archival Significance: This 1938 postcard documents commercial correspondence between a Siena photographic studio and an American client, illustrating the international customer relationships maintained by Italian studios serving tourists and the use of postal communication for transatlantic photographic commerce in the pre-war period.

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.