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 ?
L - PUBLISHERS
J.A. Labbie (1910-1929)
Boothbay Harbor, ME
A photographer who published real photo postcards of his work. He captured scenes of the mid-Maine coast, especially of the Boothbay Harbor region and Monhegan Island.
Lakeside Press (1889-1911)
Portland, ME
These printers briefly published black & white halftone lithographic view-cards of Maine.
Lamport & Holt 1845-1991
Liverpool, England
W.L. Lamport and George Holt founded this shipping company in 1845, which by 1865 had established the Liverpool, Brazil and River Plate Steam Ship Navigation Company. Trips were made to New York with cargos of coffee and frozen meat followed by regular passenger service to Brazil by 1902. In 1911 the company was sold to Sir Owen Philipps (Lord Kylsant) but it was in receivership by 1930. A new Lamport & Holt Line began in 1934 only to be purchased by the Vestrey Group (Blue Star Line) ten years later. The Lamport & Holt name continued until 1991 when they sold their last ship. They published a number of lithographic postcards depicting their ships over many years of service.
Lamson Studio (1891-1906)
Portland, ME
They sold hand colored photographs of coastal schooners and views of the Portland area. Many images were turned into black & white postcards that were printed in Germany. The business was sold to the Fred Thompson Art Company.
Samuel Langdorf & Co. (1906-1918)
67 Crosby Street, New York, NY
Published color and black & white postcards ustilizing halftone lithography. They are most noted for their cards with highly decorative borders incorporating motiffs such as alligators. These cards were printed in Germany.
Franz Landgraf (1915-1936)
Zwickau, Saxony
A publisher of continuos tone lithographic and monotone postcards. While their cards incorporated a distinct RGB pallet they often had the appearance of having more colors. They produced many cards on military themes during the First World War.
I. Lapina & Co. (1914-1927)
Paris, France
A publisher of books, posters, and postcards. They favored artist drawn cards and also produced many art reproductions with gold borders.
Eugene Le Deley (1900-1920)
Paris, France
A photographer and major publisher of heliotype postcards on a wide variety of subjects from art cards to propaganda. The Deley family were well known throughout France for their publishing work. Deley produced a noted set of black & white postcards documenting the Western Front of the First World War. While most of these images were reproduced photographically there were also cards of illustrated battle scenes. These cards were printed with both French and English text to appeal to the many British but especially American soldiers fighting in France. Many of these cards were printed at the end of the War.
Leeland Art Co. 1890’s-1939
Mitchell, SD
Published real photo postcards from the work of photographer Ole S. Leeland, better known as just O.S. Leeland. He captured many scenes of ordinary life on the American prairie. Leeland had fun with many of his cards creating subtle visual narratives, many comic in nature.
Leet Brothers (1898-1911)
Washington, DC
These photographers not only had the local views they captured printed as postcards, they also produced a series of cards on U.S. Presidents and on woman’s suffrage. These cards were printed in Great Britain with lithographic halftones and a simple RGB pallet. Many of these cards had very wide borders with a false plate mark.
Lehnert & Landrock 1904-
44 Sherif Street, Cairo, Egypt
When Austrian photographer Rudolf Franz Lehnert met Ernst Heinrich Landrock in Switzerland in 1904 he so impressed him with the images he captured in Tunisia the previous year that they decided to go into business together. They opened a shop in Tunis that same year with Landrock as manager. Here they sold stereo-views and printed postcards of their photos. While some lithographic cards were in color they are best remembered for their cards in a deep reddish sepia photogravure. They produced a great body of work depicting scenes of ordinary street life before being expelled by French authorities in 1914 as possible German sympathizers.
Lehnert and Landrock did not meet up again until 1920 when they decided to set up shop again. Lehnert was now photographing nudes for the Jouret Studio in Algiers so it was not until 1924 that the old partners set up the Orient Art Publishing House in Cairo. Here they continued their old tradition of publishing postcards in a sepia gravure but they also produced a variety of lithographic cards in bright colors. Many of these views continued to depict life on the street but more images capturing the vast solitude of the desert began to be seen. Images of Palestine and Syria were added to their Egyptian inventory. Lehnert returned to work in Tunis in 1930 having sold his share of the business to Landrock who continued to manage the store. As the prospect of another exile loomed Landrock fled from Egypt passing the store down to his son-in-law Kurk Lambelet in 1939. It has been speculated that many of Lehnert’s glass plate negatives were destroyed by Allied bombing raids.
The Hugh C. Leighton Co. 1906-1909
Portland, ME
A printer and major publisher of national view-cards, especially scenes of New England. They printed most of their cards in four distinct styles employing halftone lithography. Most used a simple soft yet highly recognizable RGB pallet. While some cards were printed at their plant in the U.S. most were manufactured in Frankfort, Germany. Almost all their cards were numbered. They merged with Valentine & Sons in 1909.
Another set of cards in halftone lithography were printed in a wider range of colors using a very bright pallet. Their titles appear in bright red.
A very distinct card set was printed in a limited but brightly colored continuous tone lithography with a dominating orange and matte finish. The intensity of coloring on these cards can vary widely, which renders some very beautiful while other copies of the same image can be extremely garish. This technique only seems to have been used on view-cards of southern Maine.
Other techniques were employed as well including collotypes and some hand colored cards but these can only be found in small numbers.
A more mysterious set of cards seem to have been made in gravure with very fine detail and a dry looking finish. While these cards were not produced using a halftone, their skies still exhibit a dot pattern most likely from ben-day. While these view-cards were produced nationally in great quantity, Leighton’s name only appears on relatively few of them. Most contain the names of small local publishers, a card number, and notice that they were printed in Germany. It becomes uncertain if all these publishers were contracting cards with Leighton or directly through his German printer.
Leighton & Valentine 1910-1914
Portland, ME, Dundee, Scotland, Brooklyn, NY
Formed by the merger of the Hugh C. Leighton Company with Valentine & Sons, and Sackett & Wilhelms. Their cards were printed in the halftone lithographic style of Valentine & Sons. Some of their white border cards were printed in continuous tone lithography. All these cards were printed in the United States.
Leipzig Mission 1846-
Leipzig, Saxony
Missionaries who published an bi-monthly magazine called the Evangelisch-Lutherisches Missionblatt. After arriving in German East Afrika in 1893 images of these land and people began to be used as illustrations for this publication. Eventually they began publishing real photo postcards to help fund their work and they became the best source for views of Tanzania just before and after the First World War.
Leo of Pradot (mid 1920’s)
Paris, France
A photo studio that published many types of real photo postcards. They are especially noted for the large amount of nudes they produced.
A. Leroy & R. Cremieu (1920’s)
Paris, France
A publisher of artist signed postcards, many with erotic content. They sometimes used the work of well known artist such as Raphael Kichner for there cards. They were printed in halftone lithography with an RGP pallet, a process they referred to as Trichromie artistique.
M. Levin (1938-1942)
Baltimore, MD
A publisher of linen local view-cards manufactured in the United States by various printers.
Levy & Neurdein Reunis (1905-1920’s)
Rue Letellier, Paris, France
A collaborative business project between the two well known French photographers Lucien Levy and Neurdein Freres. While both photographers published postcards under their own company names, they also issued postcards together. A photo credit was still provided by placing the photographers initials on the front of the card but no logo was used.
The lithographic cards made from their photos were printed in very bright continuous tones that eventually became so colorful they no longer carried any illusions of depicting reality. This trend was continued on a series of hand colored real photo cards issued in the 1920’s, mostly views of Paris, where the color was applied in a mannered rather than realistic way, in typical fashion of the times.
Lucien Levy Sons & Co. 1895-1914
Paris, France and London, England
A photographer and publisher of international view-cards, mostly of scenes within the French empire, though quite a number can be found from England. There are few French towns that are not captured on his cards. Levy’s name does not appear on these cards but - L.L. follows the card”s title. These cards were printed in black & white and color rotogravure.
Max Levy Co. 1872-
Philadelphia, PA
Founded in Baltimore, the business moved to Philadelphia in 1877 changing its name to the Levytype Company. It was here that they developed the photo engraving process called Levytype and the Levy line screen. In 1900 they changed their name to the Graphics Arts Company and began printing and publishing operations. Since 1984 they have been known as Levy Autograph, Inc.
David Lional Press (1930-1946)
312 S Hamilton Avenue, Chicago, IL
A publisher of books and black & white and linen postcards depicting regional scenes. They are however best known for being a large producer of match covers.
Lipscher Specialty Co. (1909-1914)
320 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA
A publisher of halftone lithographic postcards depicting many views around New Orleans.
Litho In U.S.A. 1920’s
New York, NY?
A major printer of all types of lithographic material including postcards for a number of different publishers.
Livermore & Knight 1892-1910
New York, NY
A publisher of holiday and color advertising cards. Best known for their innovative novelty cards. These cards were printed by the Arabol Manufacturing Company.
Arthur Livingston 1897 - 1905
New York, NY
A stationer that eventually began to publishing cards depicting warships, regional views and comics. Livingston’s first cards depicted scenes of New York City printed in black & white halftone lithography and he later moved on to color postcards. His comic cards were always printed in color. Livingston had anticipated the Private Mail Act of 1898 and had begun to print cards with private malling card backs before they were officially authorized. His early pioneer cards were later reprinted with private mailing cards backs, and even later with post card backs.
August Loeffler (1880’s-1905)
Tompkinsville, NY
A photographer who published real photo postcards of his own work and contributed images to cards depicting the Catskills and New York City that were printed by other publishers. He also produced many stereoview cards of the Catskill Mountains.
Lollosgard Specialty Co. (1940’s-1950’s)
Tucson, AZ
A distributor of postcards depicting the American Southwest, especially cards produced by Curt Teich and Frasher’s.
London Stereoscopie Co. Ltd. (1900-)
106-8 Regent Street, London, England
A publisher of finely made collotype postcards issued under the Lesco Series name. They also produced many real photo view-cards. Noted for their cards depicting cathedrals. These cards were made in Great Britain.
Long Island News (1905-1916)
Flushing, NY
A local distributor of postcards for the American News Company. They also published many view-cards of Long Island and Queens County, New York predominantly as poly-chromes.
Longshaw Card Co. (1940's)
Los Angeles, CA
A printer of linen postcards, many with brightly colored borders. They produced views of California, movie star homes, and pinups. A great deal of retouching work went into simplifying their cards giving many a poorly drawn look.
Robert H. Lord (1913-1918)
Boston, MA
Lord published his own original short rhyming mottos on postcards with large decorative borders. They were generally printed in a flat lithographic Arts & Crafts style. Lord had previously written verse for other card companies.
Daniel Low & Co. (1867-1923)
Salem, MA
A silversmith and jewelry shop that became well known for their finely crafted silver products. They produced a witch spoon that contributed to the silver spoon craze in the 1890’s. During the first decade of the 20th century they began publishing crudely colored halftone lithographic postcards to sell from their shop.
Edward Lowey (1897-1910)
New York, NY
Published chromolithographic scenes of New York City with highly decorative borders. Other cards were printed in black & white, including many depictions of ships. He also published embossed greeting cards. These cards were printed in Germany.
Lowman & Hanford Stationary & Printing Co. 1898-
Seattle, WA
Publisher of books, greeting cards, and view-cards depicting scenes from Washington State and Alaska.
Lubrie & Elkins (1910)
New York, NY
A publisher of art and holiday postcards.
Felix Luib (1899-1906)
Strassburg, Germany
An art publisher who produced a number of different postcard types in fine continuous tone lithography. These cards range from early gruss aus and coverage of the Boer War to mechanical novelties.
Lumitone Press Photoprint (1928-1958)
New York, NY
Published highly stylized view-cards in halftone lithography with a dull flat pallet. Many of their cards were produced as dutones. In the 1930’s they published a Colorpoeme series reproducing the views of New York created by artist Pierre Trapier. They are one of the few American publishers to exhibit a distinct Art Deco influence on their early graphics. These postcards were printed in the United States.
R. Luterman (1898)
St. Petersburg, Russia
One of the first publishers of chromolithographic picture postcards in Russia. Noted for their many view-cards illustrated by the artist Nikolay Karazin.
