A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ?

J - PUBLISHERS

J.M. Jackson & Co., Ltd   (1913-1914)
Grimsby, England

John Middleton Jackson was primarily a publisher of English view-cards. Many of these were multi-views produced lithographically or as hand colored real photos. A number of comic postcards were also produced in packaged series. These cards were often issued under the Jay-Em-Jay Series name. They had a branch office in Bradford, Lincolnshire.

William H. Jackson Co.   1879-1902
Denver, CO

Jackson had worked as a oil painter and a photo retoucher before opening a photography studio in 1867 with his brother Ed in Omaha, Nebraska. From there Jackson made excursions photographing local Indian Tribes, and two years later he was capturing scenery for the Union Pacific Railroad. Between 1871 and 1878 he joined Hayden’s geographical surveys of the Rockies and Yellowstone River as the official photographer. He captured many never before seen views, and his growing reputation allowed him to open his own company in Denver in 1879. In 1883 the business name was changed to the W.H. Jackson Photography & Publishing Company. Besides taking photographs for a number of Railroads, he sold souvenir albums and stereo-views. In 1897, after returning from a long unprofitable trip From Siberia to Australia, he was offered a partnership in the Detroit Photographic Company. Detroit was just entering the postcard business and was in desperate need for images. Jackson, who was also interested in seeing his images in color, sold 10,000 of his negatives to Detroit, many of which were turned into postcards and prints. His wife continued to run the Denver business until 1902. Jackson left Detroit Publishing in 1924 when it went into receivership.

Jacobs Kunstanstalt   (1926-1941)
Frankfurt, Germany

This art institute published local view-cards in a sepia photo gravure. Many of these cards were hand colored and often look older than they actually are.

Jaeger   (1910-)
Geneva, Switzerland

A publisher of view-cards in a wide variety of techniques. Early cards can be found in black & white, color gravure, and as heliographs, and the company went on to publish modern photochomes.

Arthur Jaffe, Inc.   1926-
New York, NY

The New York office for the printer Max Jaffe, which opened in 1926. They published view-cards of New York City in black & white and color collotypes printed by Max Jaffé. Many of these cards have scallop edges. They eventually went on to form the Heliochrome Company of New York publishing color art reproduction postcards and posters. They are now known as the Arthur Jaffe Heliochrome Press of Dalton, Massachusetts.

Kunstanstalt Max Jaffé   (1877-)
Vienna, Austria

A noted printer of a variety of products including lithographic postcards but especially collotypes. They are responsible for many fine art reproductions in color gravure and fine portfolio prints for photographers. Arthur Jaffe opened their New York office in 1926.

Japan Mail Steamship Co. (Nippon Yusen Kaisha)   (1885-)
Tokyo, Japan

The rivalry between the Mitsubishi Steamship Company and the Kyodo-Unyu Steamship Company was so severe they were merged into the the Japan Mail Steamship Company in 1885 with strict government controls limiting their expansion into shipping. Because of these restrictions Mitsubishi began expanding into other enterprises, but after Japan’s first elections in 1890 the governments control over them weakened. By the mid 1890’s they were being encouraged to expand and they opened new routes to America, Europe, and Australia including passenger and tramp service. Soon after they began publishing lithographic posters and postcards to advertise their line. These cards were printed by a variety of lithographers in Japan including Ichida and Mitsuma.

Japanese (Imperial) Government Railways;   1907-1949
Tokyo, Japan

By 1907 the last of the privately run railroads serving the islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Karafuto, and Shikoku that begun in 1872 had been nationalized. Within a few years these lines would be run under the Ministry of Railways and come to be called the Japanese Government Railways. Between 1930 and 1942 the Board of Tourist Industry functioned as a part of this railway system. They published guide books, posters, and postcards to promote rail tourism. Postcards were produced by lithographic printing and painted over by hand in deep opaque colors. In 1949 they were reorganized into the Japanese National Railway.

C. Jeangette   (1904-1920)
67 rue Rochechouard, Paris, France

A publisher that produced a variety of printed material including calendars and postcards. These cards depicted views and actresses as black & white, monotone, and dutone collotypes. Between 1904 and 1906 about 600 view-cards of France, including 100 scenes in Paris were issued in four colors.

Committee of the Jewish Welfare Board   1917-1941
New York, NY

This group formed to aid the United States government in recruiting rabbis for military service in the First World War. They were soon engaged in providing various other services to lift the morale of American servicemen including the publication of postcards. These cards came in two basic types. The Just Got Back cards contained a cartoon while others depicted the transport ships that carried many of the soldiers. The back of these cards had the appropriate stamp box and information lines preprinted on them for soldier free mail. These cards were given away free aboard the transports and sent off franked as soon as the ships arrived in port. The Jewish Welfare Board joined with five other groups to form the United Service Organization (USO) in 1941.

C. P. Johnston Co.   (1928-1963)
Seattle, WA

A publisher of view-cards depicting the Pacific Northwest including Alaska.

Dr. James Johnston   (1910-1921)
Brown’s Town, Jamaica

A radical missionary who opened a Tabernacle in in 1876 as par of his Jamaican Evangelist Mission. He published a number of halftone lithographic postcards that were printed in Germany. These cards depicted local scenes and types and were no doubt produced as part of fund raising efforts.

John S. Johnston   late 1880’s-1899
New York, NY

This prolific yet enigmatic scenic photographer produced many images of New York City and other tourist locals. He is probably best known for his images of the warships that fought in the Spanish-American War and of many famous racing yachts. Most of his images were used to produced stereo-views but many eventually found there way onto postcards.

George W. Jones   (1900-1920)
194 Main Street, Annapolis, MD

A small publisher of books and view-cards of the Annapolis area in color and black & white. Many of his cards were printed through Raphael Tuck. He also had cards printed in England to raise funds for the invalid Belgian veterans of the First World War.

L.E. Jones   (1910-1920)
Woodstock, NY

A photographer of views and events of the Catskill Mountains and the nearby town of Kingston on the Hudson River. Much of his work was produced as real photo postcards, notably the Beautiful Kingston Series.

Tom Jones   (1900-1917)
Cincinnati, OH

Published lithographic view-cards of middle America in monochromes or by using a strong blue overprinting on top of a black & white open halftone. Some of their latter cards were printed by Curt Teich.

J. Murray Jordan   1901-1909
1438 S. Penn Square, Philadelphia, PA

A photographer who went on to publish and print postcards, mostly views of America’s easten regions. He also issued cards depicting the Panama Canal. Jordan founded the World Post Card Company in 1903.

Jordan Pond House   1940’s
Seal Harbor, ME

A concessionaire within Arcadia National Park catering to visitor needs. They published the work of local photographers such as W.H. Ballard and Charles A. Townsend as real photo postcards to sell in their shop. These scenes of the Park and the Mount Desert Island region were produced in large quantities.

William Jubb Co.   (1908-1930’s)
Syracuse, NY

A publisher of view-cards depicting scenes from western New York State. Their white border cards manufactured in the United States were printed on a textured paper similar to that of linen cards.

Edward P. Judd Co.   (1908-1912)
New Haven, CT

Published view-cards of eastern Connecticut in halftone lithography.

Judges, Ltd.   1902-
Hastings, England

A photographer who produced over 7400 images mostly of local scenes. In 1904 Judges began publishing hand colored postcards that were printed in Germany. Later on he began producing his own cards as sepia and black & white collotypes for which he is best known. He also published reproductions of his drawings and watercolors. In 1920 Judges opened a shop in London and the view-cards issued from there have a L prefix.

Jullien Freres   (1880-1918)
Geneva, Switzerland

The Jullien Brothers originally opened a photo studio that became an important source for views of the Alps. Many of their cards depict hikers and climbers. They went on to produce view-cards of these images in a variety of techniques including real photo cards, color heliographs, and black & white collotypes, many of which were hand colored.

Karl Jurischek   (1915-1926)
Salzburg, Austria

A publisher of regional view-cards and postcard booklets in a monotone gravure. Their titles are written in a highly cursive font.

J.W.N. Co.   (1905-1912)
Providence, RI

Publisher of postcards made with their patented process of sandwiching a real photo, usually a portrait, between two thin sheets of wood. Picture outlines were burnt into the wood and then hand colored. Some of their cards carry a swastika trademark.