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 ?

R - PUBLISHERS    page 1

R & Co.   (1904-1919)
21 Rue Joubert, Paris, France

A publisher of artist signed and glamour cards that were printed through the tricolor process.

G.T. Rabineau   (1920’s)
Lake Placid, NY

A portrait and commercial photographer who also captured scenes of the Adirondack Mountain Region of New York. Some of these landscapes were produced as real photo postcards.

Gobind and Oodey Ram   (1896-1911)
Jaipur, India

These potographers captured local scenes and types. They are well remembered for their illustrated guidebook to Jaipur (Jodhpur). After the turn of the 20th century they began to publish their images as postcards.

Ranapar Studio   (1920’s)
Tacoma, WA

Published real photo postcards of Washington State. Best known for images of Mount Rainier National Park. Some of their photo cards were doctored with added drawing.

Rapid Photo Printing Co. Ltd.   1901-1910
New Broad Street, London, England

Published real photo postcards on a variety of subjects including animals, cameos, children, greetings, royalty, songs, and views. They are best known however for their portraits of actresses. These bromide cards were manufactured in England

Georges Razis   (1909)
Athens, Greece

A publisher of local view-cards in tinted collotype. Most of his postcards were oriented toward the tourist trade depicting many historical sites and labeling his cards in at least two languages.

Redfield Brothers, Inc.   (1909)
New York, NY

Published the official postcards for the Hudson-Fulton Celebration in 1909. In addition to many general cards a large numbered set was issued depicting each parade float of the celebration. Their chromolithographic images were largely based on drawings rather than photographs.

Red Star Line   1873-1934
Philadelphia, PA

A steamship company belonging to the International Navigation Company of Philadelphia. Almost three million passengers were carried on these ships between Antwerp in Belgium and Boston, Dover, and New York in the United States. After J.P. Morgan consolidated a number of passenger lines into the Mercantile Marine Company in 1902, many chartered ships began to sail under the Red Line name. They were an early publisher of illustrated postcards producing a great number of cards and booklets promoting the ships of their line in many different graphic styles. Many of these cards were produced as free giveaways for their passengers.

In addition to ships they produced a good number of postcards depicting the city of Antwerp. Most of these were created in the style of wood engravings though reproduced in color lithography. In the failing economy of 1934, Red Star went out of business though some of its fleet was purchased by Arnold Bernstein of Hamburg, Germany. Bernstein was arrested by the Nazis in 1936 and the Red Line name disappeared with him.

Harry Reed   (1937-1940’s)
Moab, UT

A photographer who served as Custodian of Arches National Park between 1937 to 1939. While there he produced many real photo postcards of the park and other scenes of the region in the years that followed. He is credited with discovering unusual geological formations.

Regel & Krug   (1887-1918)
Leipzig, Saxony

A publisher of regional Gruss aus cards and holiday cards. They also had an early start in military cards, first covering the Boer War and then World War One. While their early cards were printed in lithography their later cards were issued as real photos even when they reproduced artist drawn material. They also produced many real photo postcards depicting women and children.

The Regent Publishing Co., Ltd.   (1905-1925)
310 Euster Road, London, England

A large publisher of postcards in a variety of manner under the Regent or Prince Regent series name. They issued cards of actresses, greetings, comics, royalty, and views especially of London. Many of these cards were produced as real photos and some were hand colored. They also published novelty cards under the Wag Tail series name. Some cards only contain the initials RFH referring to the company’s first owner, R.F. Hunger.

Reichner Brothers   (1906-1914)
Boston, MA and Leipzig & Munich, Germany

Published tinted halftone and hand colored view-cards of the American Northeast. They are esspecially known for their copper window cards.

Reinicke & Rubin   (1899-1911)
Magdeburg, Saxony

A publisher and printer of postcards from early Gruss auss to latter views, usually in monochrome or tinted collotype. They may have been one of the printers used by the Rotograph Company.

Reinthal & Newman   (1905-1928)
New York, NY

When Albert E. Reinthal arrived in New York in 1896 he formed the publishing company of Reinthal & Gross. After this business disolved he formed a new company to publish lithographic prints and postcards with Stephen L. Newman. Many cards were signed by well known artists such as Harrison Fisher Howard Chandler Christy, Philip Boileau, and Jesse Willcox Smith. Also distributed the cards illustrated by Raphael Kirchner. Their cards were printed by American Colortype, Brett Lithography, Quardi-Color Co., and U.S. Litho. Other cards were printed for them in Europe. After 1920 they mostly reprinted older images.

Reiser   (1880-1914)
Cairo, Egypt

An important photographer of Egyptian scenes and people. He also published real photo postcards, many with hand coloring. Some of these cards were photo montages with distinct Art Nouveau graphics added.

George O. Restall   (1910-1913)
Los Angeles, CA

A publisher of tinted halftone postcards depicting views from southern California, the logging industry, and Mexican types. His cards were printed in Germany.

B.S. Reynolds   (1902-1948)
Washington, DC

Published lithographic guides and postcard views of Washington, DC. Produced a card set reproducing American Paintings in the city’s public buildings and museums. Many early view-cards of Washington were published under the name Foster & Reynolds. Sometimes both names appear on the same printed materials. Separately each name is listed at a Washington address but when together Foster & Reynolds is listed as being in New York.

Rhode Island News Co.   (1902-)
Providence, RI

A publisher and distributor of regional postcards for the American News Co.

A. Ribeiro   (1905-1916)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A publisher of local views and types in monochrome collotypes.

George Rice & Sons   1879-2005
Los Angeles, CA

This important lithographic printer was one of the oldest in the American West. They not only printed numerous tricolor postcards at the turn of the 20th century but real photo cards as well. In 2005 they became part of Color Graphics, Inc.

Richard (Rishar)   (1903-1917)
St. Petersburg, Russia

A major Russian publishing house of various lithographic materials including postcards. Produced many artist signed cards through the tricolor process.

Richardson Studio   (1907-1914)
Chatham, MA

A local photography studio that produced high quality real photo postcards depicting the Town of Chatham on Cape Cod.

Harry Wendell Richardson   1918-1960
Newport, VT

A photographer who published a great number of Vermont views, especially the northern portion of the State, as real photo postcards. Many are characterized by deep dark tones and scant detail. In 1926 he became involved with filmmaking, producing shorts on the maple sugar industry and on the flood of 1927. Richardson is also remembered for his postcards of fur bearing trout from Lake Memphremagog.

Richter & Co.   (1842-1950’s)
Naples, Italy

Founded by a Swiss lithographer, their high quality work led them into printing bank notes and items for the royal family. They eventually became important printers for the hotel industry producing many posters, travel brochures, and luggage labels. Around 1900, as Mario Borgoni became Artistic Director, they began to publish postcards. The French artist J. Paschal later joined the Company illustrating a number of their cards. Many cards by both artists are unsigned.

G. Ricordi & Co.    1808-1994
Milan, Italy

This workshop was originally founded by Giovanni Ricordi to publish classical music. After they became the largest music publisher of the Mediterranean region with offices in Naples, Florence, and Rome, they opened new branches in London, Paris, Leipzig, and New York. During the 1880’s, under the directorship of Giulio Ricordi, they expanded their business to print and published books, posters, calendars, and travel brochures. They began producing fine artist signed chromolithographic cards by well known illustrators as early as the 1890’s. Many of these had musical themes such as scenes from operas. They added the words Graphic Workshop (Officine Grafiche) to their name after importing lithographic printing presses from Germany. They were better known in their latter years as Casa Ricordi. In 1994 they were purchased by BMG Music Publishing.

W.T. Ridgley Calendar Co.   (1904-1945)
Great Falls, MT

An important publisher of calendars who was noted for their work with images by artist Charles M. Russell. They also produced a number of postcards in line block and in tinted halftone dealing with Western themes such as cowboy poetry, native Americans, Rodeos, and humor.

M.J. Ridley   (1903-1921)
Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, England

A photographer and publisher of hand colored postcards of regional views. They also published a series of artist signed seascapes by Leonard Patten. Their cards are often only marked M.J.R. B.

M. Rieder   (1901-1915)
Los Angeles, CA

Printed and published view-cards of the West and of Native Americans. His cards were printed in Germany except those contracted out to Edward H. Mitchell in the United States.

B. Rigold & Bergmann   (1895-1916)
Bombay, India

These photographers captured many views of India, which they had printed as tritone photogravure postcards in Germany. They also had offices in London and Singapore.

Riker & Hogeman Co.   (1910-1915)
220 Broadway, New York, NY

This fast growing drug store chain was founded through the merger of William B. & Son with Hogeman & Co. Between 1910 and 1914 they more than doubled their size acquiring store from Baltimore to Providence, but by 1915 they were bought out by the United Drug Company. They published many types of postcards over the years that they sold through their stores.

Henry Rinn, Jr.   1902-1914
423 Cortland Street, Baltimore, MD

Rinn began his career as a cigar maker before going on to open a music store, and then working for Hughes & Company as a contract photographer. By 1902 he was publishing his own black & white collotype view-cards of Baltimore. The great fire of 1904 destroyed his workplace but he hawked images of the disaster to regain his footing. Afterwards he began producing color postcards in tinted halftones.

A. Rittenburg   (1911-1920)
Durban, South Africa

Published many postcards of views and especially types around South Africa.

Paul E. Ritter   (1910)
Bergen, Norway

A publisher of Scandinavian view-cards as black & white and sepia collotypes.

William Ritchie & Sons, Ltd. (WR&S)   1902-1928
London, England and Edinburg, Scotland

A publisher of a great number of view-cards depicting Great Britain and Ireland. Most were issued under the Reliable Series name. Their cards were printed in a variety of techniques but mostly as tinted collotypes.

Some artist signed cards were also produced such as their Waterette series that reproduced watercolors through tricolor printing. They also sold hold to light novelties and photographs, many of which were published in picture books and as real photo postcards. Only their logo or the letters WR&S appear on their cards.

The Robbins Brothers Co.   (1907-1912)
Boston, MA

A publisher and printer of New England view-cards and holiday cards in tinted halftone. They distributed many of their cards through the Metropolitan News Co.

J.L. Robbins Co.   (1920-1936)
Spokane, WA

A publisher of regional view-cards, American Indians, and cowboy song cards. Most of these tinted halftone cards were contracted out to Curt Teich.

I. Robbins & Son   (1911-1943)
Pittsburgh, PA

A publisher of many regional view-cards. Most of their cards were printed by Curt Teich.

Mike Roberts Studio   1939-1996
Berkley, CA

The photographer Mike Roberts became the first printer of photochrome postcards based on the new Kodachrome color film. These postcards were issued by Color Card, of which he became a partner. Unlike most photochromes these early cards were printed through line block without a black plate. Many of the early cards also have the additional trade names of Wesco or Spectratone added to them. The style of the logo on the backs of these cards changed regularly with many individually designed for specific distributors. Roberts captured scenes throughout the West and Hawaii for these cards plus many military related subjects and scenes from Viet-Nam. The studio went on to become Mike Roberts Color Products Inc. producing cards well into the 1990’s. Roberts moved his operations to San Diego in 1996 under the name Scenic Art Inc.

Curzon Robey & Co.   (1920’s)
621 Broadway, New York, NY

Published poor quality view-cards in tinted halftone depicting scenes from New York and New Jersey.

E.F. Rochat   (1890-1925)
Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey

An important photographer of the Ottoman Empire. After selling his photographs as Editions d’Art de l’Orient he began publishing these images as tricolor postcards in color and in sepia. He also published a series of artist signed cards based on book illustrations.

Robson & Adee   (1898-1933)
Schenectady, NY

This paperback book publisher was an early producer of black & white private mailing cards depicting regional views. They later published color postcards in tinted halftones.

Rochester News Co.   (1902-)
Rochester, NY

A publisher and distributor of New York State and Pennsylvania view-cards for the American News Co.

Rock Island Post Card Co.   (1908-1924)
Rock Island, IL

Published local view-cards in through the tricolor process.

Rockport Photo Bureau   (1907-1945)
Rockport, MA

Published many black & white view-cards of Cape Ann. Most of their cards were printed by the Albertype Co.

C.G. Roder   1846-1947
Leipzig, Saxony

This firm was founded in 1847 by Carl Gottlieb Roder to reproduce sheet music. They began by using engraving but later Roder would become the first to reproduce sheet music by lithography. By 1900 they had also become a major printer of postcards, eventually manufacturing 120 million cards per year. They primarily produced tinted collotypes cards in a wide variety of variations that included Art-Photo, Bromo-Iris, Collotype-Antique, Doubletone-Crystal, Heliodore, Photochrome-Substitute, and Platinotype. They were distributed worldwide through offices in London and Paris but in the United States largely by the American News Company. They also produced cards for individual firms such as G.W. Morris. Their factories suffered major damage during World War Two. In 1947 they were nationalized by the East German government and renamed Roderdruck.

Roger-Viollet Photographic Agency   1938-
6 Rue de Seine, Paris, France

In 1938 Helena Roger and her soon to be husband Jean Fischer bought out the photo studio of Laurent Olliver and added its inventory to that of her father Henri Roger. Roger who had been taking professional photographs since 1889 had become well known for his trick photography. This was the beginning of Documentation Photographique Generale Roger-Viollet that would collect many photographic images, especially after the Second World War that would eventually total over ten million pieces. In 1969 they added the accumulated negatives from Levy Sons & Co., Neurdein Freres, and the Alsation Photomechanical Arts Co. (CAP) to their collection. Countless postcards had been made from these images.

Rommler & Jonas   (1881-1919)
Leipzig, Germany

These printers not only began by selling cabinet cards but many landscapes printed as collotypes. By the 1890’s they were printing Gruss aus cards followed by many ordinary black & white view-cards. Eventually their range expanded to include humor, women, and other types of artist signed cards in tricolor lithography. They also produced a number of military posters during the First World War.

A.D. Ropes    (1912-1913)
Boston, MA

A publisher of baseball cards and greeting cards. Many of these postcards are graphically framed with heavy decorative borders, including their Epigram Series that featured real photo tip-ins.

R. Rosauer    (1904-1905)
Rividavia, Argentina

A publisher of postcards depicting scenes from Buenos Aries to the rural Campo.

John Rosch   1890’s-1949
White Plains, NY

A photographer that did a fair amount of illustration work. Rosch became the unofficial historian of White Plains writing a book about the town in 1939. He also published a number of hand colored halftone postcards in line block depicting local historic sites.

Roscoe-Rockland Review   1890-1970
Youngsville, NY

A weekly newspaper serving New York State’s Sullivan County. In the early 20th century they began publishing postcards of local scenes that were printed and hand colored in Germany.

The Rose Co.   (1906-1909)
Philadelphia, PA

A postcard publisher that produced a wide range of lithographic card types, mostly in sets, from views to portraits of actors and opera stars to patriotic themes and novelties. While they were best known in their day for holiday postcards they are often admired today for their finely made early baseball cards.

George Rose Stereographs   (1904-1914)
Armadale, Australia

This photographer produced a great number of stereo-views covering Korea during the Russo-Japanese War, The visit of the Great White Fleet to Australia, and of military subjects during the First World War. Regional views were also captured, many of which were turned into real photo postcards that were issued in series.

Kunst Anstalf Rosenblatt   1894-1938
Frankfort, Germany

A printer who contracted American pioneer postcards. They also produced many chromolithograph Gruss aus cards in ever increasing color. Their cards are known for their very creative borders often incorporating shells and botanical materials such as leaves, fruit, and pine cones. The cards they later printed in halftones rarely display the company’s name, only that of the local distributor. They unfortunately became an Arisierte business in 1938.

Albrecht Rosenthal   (1901-1935)
Bremen, Germany

A photographer who published printed postcards of his work. He captured many views of this port city including a number of ocean liners. Coats of arms appear on some of his view-cards.

Bernardo Rosswaag, Joyeria & Relojeria   (1890’s-1907)
Caracas, Venezuela

The Rosswaags, jewlers by trade, migrated to New York and Venezuela where they became printers. In Caracas they became an early publisher of postcards in black & white and tinted collotype depicting both local views and types.

H. A. Rost Printing & Publishing Co.   (1894-1906)
214-218 William Street, New York, NY

This family business incorporated in 1894 was run by Ernst and Hermann Rost. Their intention was to print, bind, and publish books and magazines but within two years they had expanded their services to include the production of many printed items in etching, gravure, collotype, and lithography. They began producing cards at least as early as 1898 with their best known set of 18 souvenir cards issued at the consolidation of Greater New York City, though they also produced views of other states, famous men, and warships as well. Rost had anticipated the Private Mail Act of 1898 and had begun to print tricolor cards with mail card backs before they were authorized. Many of these cards had to be trimmed down later as he did not expect the change in size required by Postal Authorities. They seem to have stopped producing postcards in 1905 though they remained in business as general printers.

Rotary Photographic Co.   1899-1921
23 Moorefields, London, England

Produced a wide variety of greetings and postcards as real photos. These cards were manufactured in Great Britain and issued under many trade names such as Biogravure, Bromiris, Linette, Moisette, Opalette, Rajah Bromide, Rotokon, Rotoscope, Rotox, Rotriton, and Silvo. They also made photo cards for other publishers. In 1921 they became one of seven companies that joined together to form Amalgamated Photograph Mfg., Ltd., and they are now part of Illford.

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