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 ?
W - PUBLISHERS
Waldheim-Eborle AG (1880’s-)
Vienna, Austria
An early publisher of books and posters. They produced artist signed postcards in continuous ton lithography, many with elaborate printed backs. In 1935 they were forced to relinquish the business to National Socialist Control.
Everett Waddey Printing & Stationary Co. (1890-1936)
Richmond, VA
A printer of books and postcards. Many cards were printed in black & white photogravure under the label Copper Plate Etching. They are best known for a series of cards depicting historic buildings from Williamsburg, Virginia.
John Walker & Co., Ltd. (1903-1910)
London, England
Publishers of a wide range of postcard types including view-cards, military regiments, cricket players, comic cards by Gordon Browne, political cartoons by Harry Furniss, and other artist signed cards. A large number of monotone views were issued under the Bells Series name. Their most notable set was the Geographical Series displaying a finely drawn map with a pictorial insert that was printed for them by the engravers J. Bartholomew & Co.
Wall, Nichols & Co. (1898-1912)
Honolulu, HI
Publisher of lithographic materials from sheet music to playing cards in a fine halftone. The company began printing monochrome souvenir cards on tinted paper in 1898 directly aimed at the many soldiers and sailors passing through the Hawaiian Territories during the Spanish American War. These cards are referred to as the Boys in Blue series. Their cards were printed by the Art Litho Company in association with Edward H. Mitchell. It is also suspected that some early cards were printed by the Detroit Publishing Company.
J.J. Ward (1902-1947)
Coventry, England
John Joseph Ward was photographer and naturalist. As the son of a printer he began his career as an apprentice to the lithography shop of Illiffe & Son. Between 1903 and 1913 he published five illustrated books on natural history. Many of the views he captured around Coventry were published as postcards in continuous tone under the Sepia-Gloss and Sepia Photo Art Series names.
F.W. Warne & Co., Ltd. 1865-1983
London, England and New York, NY
An important publisher of children’s books who began turning out many famous titles by the turn of the 20th century. In 1914 they produced a set of 48 lithographic postcards reproducing the 19th century nursery rhyme illustrations of Randolph Caldescott. This set was reprinted in 1933 and again in 1975. The company was sold to Penguin Books in 1983.
Warwick Brothers & Rutter Ltd. (1848-1933)
King Street, Toronto, ON Canada
Publishers, printers, and bookbinders. THey became the official printers for the Provincial Government of Ontario. They produced many lithographic halftone view-cards with a dull limited pallet. Many of their card sets also have very decorative borders and some with crests. Their business was destroyed by fire in 1904 but they rebuilt and continued publishing.
Washington News Co. (1909-)
313 6th St. NW, Washington, DC
Publisher and distributor of regional view-cards for the American News Company.
Washington Souveir Co. (1900-1902)
Washington, DC
Published a number of private mailing card sets depicting famous sites around Washington in halftone lithography. These cards were printed in black & white though color was used in the American flags that were part of a small vignetted image placed on each cards front.
Wehrli, AG 1890’s-1924
Kilchberg, Zurich Switzerland
Published postcards in high quality continuous tone lithography and as real photo cards. Merged with Photoglob in 1924. Their images may have possibly been derived from the photos of Johann Emil Wehrli.
Charles Weidner 1903-1940
San Francisco, CA
Wiedner had been a commercial photographer since the 1890’s. He first entered the postcard business with the investor William Goeggel in 1903. Together they published 111 numbered cards as Goeggel & Weidner, but by 1904 Weidner was issuing cards under his name alone. Because of reprints cards with the same images can be found under both names. Weidner became an important publisher producing almost 700 postcards in a wide variety of methods including halftone lithography under the trade name Auto-Chrome. There are also Wiedner cards in gravure that were printed in Germany by Louis Glazer, and their set of Panama-Pacific Expo cards were printed by the Albertype Company. Cyanotypes and real photo postcards were also produced. With the exception of a few black & white cards, his postcard publishing ended during Woeld War One with the closing of the German print houses. Weidner continued to work as a staff photographer for newspapers and magazines.
William Weiss & Co. (1910)
Hamilton, Bermuda
A photographer who provided pictures for tourist books and postcards. Weiss published many of his views of Bermuda as lithographically printed cards that were manufactured in Germany.
Joseph Welch & Sons (1905-1918)
Mile End, Portsmouth, England
A publisher of view-cards, with many under the name Trichromatic P. C. They appear to be printed in color gravure using a RGB pallet and they were manufactured in Belgium. There is little blending of colors and their distinctness gives these cards the appearance of being hand colored. They also published printed cards in monochromatic tones and real photo postcards. While they published foreign views and scenes of southern England, many of their cards were issued in sets that included cats and dogs, romance, the language of flowers, proverbs, playing cards, and the life of Charles Dickens. Their cards are typically only labeled JWS or JW&S.
Stacy H. Wentworth (1920’s)
Chatham, MA
Published exceptional white border view-cards of the Chatham area of Cape Cod in gravure. Most of these images were in black & white though some had hand coloring.
Wesco 1939-
Berkley, CA
The first printer of photochrome postcards under the names Color Card and Spectratone. They largely produced scenes of the American West and Hawaii, plus military related subjects from photographs by Mike Roberts. The company went on to become Mike Roberts Color Products Inc. producing postcards into the 1990’s. The operations moved to San Diego in 1996 under the name Scenic Art Inc.
E.D. West (1916-1953)
South Yarmouth, MA
An important publisher of view-cards depicting New England scenes, especially of Cape Cod. He contracted out orders with a number of different printers. Many of his cards were hand colored.
Western Publishing & Novelty (1932-1970’s)
Los Angeles, CA
A publisher and distributer of California related tourist materials and postcards.
Wezel & Naumann (1885-1923)
Leipzig, Bavaria
An early printer of fine chromolithographic products including holiday cards, playing cards and calendars. They went on to produce many artist drawn postcards, which have characteristic heavy outlines giving them a cartoonish look. This was a technically innovative company playing an important role in developing the use of zinc plates in lithography.
C.E. Wheelock Co. (1907-1909)
Peoria, IL
A publisher of continuous toned, black & white lithographic view-cards of the American East. Many of their cards were hand colored. The company name usually appears within the stamp box.
J.D. White, Ltd. (1913-1965)
Dundee, Scotland
A publisher of view-cards in a variety of techniques, many under the name Best of All Series. Many cards were printed lithographically in black & white, sepia, and color using halftones. Some of their cards were made with Tartan borders. They also published many real photo postcards. While most of these were sepia toned, they were also hand coloring their photo cards into the 1960’s.
White Star Line 1863-1933
Liverpool, England
White Star was the popular name used for the steamships of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company. In 1902 the were purchased by the International Mercantile Marine Company in the United States, which kept the recognizable White Star name. Unlike other luxury lines they had three classes for passengers aboard their ships catering to the poor immigrant as well as the wealthy. They published a number of fine lithographic postcards for their passengers that also served to advertise their ships. Their most famous liner was the Titanic, and their cards of her are now the most desired. In 1933 they merged into the Cunard Line.
Whitney Valentine Co. 1866-1942
Worcester, MA
Originally a stationary store founded by George C. Whitney, they became an important publisher and printer of holiday cards including postcards. Whitney installed embossing and paper lace making machinery in his factory so he could manufacure all of his card’s components in the United States. They also manufactured many mechanical cards. Their cards either say Whitney Made or they carry a red W.
B.K. Wiener (1910-1913)
Vienna, Austria
A publisher of halftone lithographic artist drawn postcards. They seem to have produced many glamour cards but they are best know for their multi baby series.
Wiener Werkstätte 1903-1932
Vienna, Austria
Founded in 1903 by Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser as the Viennese Workshop and Production Cooperative of Art Works in Vienna. Within two years this artist cooperative had grown to over 100 members that in addition to creating many fine crafted objects, they designed, published, and printed their own postcards. These postcards have a simple yet very distinct style that can still vary considerably depending on the artist who designed it. Notables such as Gustav Klimpt, Oskar Kokoschka, and Egon Schiele were all members. Because their products were designed for a more exclusive audience their cards fetched higher than average prices. But as their work grew more organic over the years its popularity lessened in the face of newer geometric styles.
Wildt & Kray (1904-1915)
15 Lensden Place, London, England
A publisher of a wide variety of postcard types. These included many view-cards that were artist drawn. Those from Ireland sometimes had shamrock borders. They also produced many real photo cards, sepia art reproductions, greeting cards, depictions of dogs, and people in the form of vegetables. These cards were manufactured in England. Reinthal & Newman printed many cards with them.
Thaddeus Wilkerson 1909-1916
New York, NY
Photographed views and street life of New York City and turned many into real photo postcards. He published over 400 cards mostly of uptown Manhattan.
Stephen H. Willard (1914-1965)
Palm Springs, CA
An artist who produced many paintings and photographs of Western scenery, especially desert views. Willard latter published many of these same images as linen postcards, printed by Curt Teich.
Williamson-Haffner Engraving Co. (1905-1910)
Denver, Co
A publisher of lithographic souvenir books and view-cards of the American West. While their views were largely based on photographic reproduction, many scenes were artist drawn. They also produced comic postcards.
A.D. Willis (1886-1905)
Warganvi, New Zealand
Archibald Dudingston Willis was printer publisher and an early pioneer in in the production of Christmas and New Years cards. These chromolithographic cards were carried over into the postcard format when it became popular. In addition he produced a number of view-cards in the gruss aus style. These cards have a very bright pallet and elaborate montage design work on both fronts and backs. Willis may have also reproduced the work of local painters.
T. Willmett & Sons, Pty, Ltd 1870-1980
Townsville, Australia
Thankfull Willmett was not only a bookseller, stationer, and printer, he was partners in the North Queensland Newspaper Company and served as Mayor of Townsville for four terms. The business published a number of lithographic view cards, some with high gloss, of local scenes.
G.W. Wilson & Co., Ltd. 1852-1908
2 St. Swithin Street, Aberdeen, Scotland
George Washington Wilson began his career as a portrait photographer but gradually moved over to landscapes traveling all over Scotland in search of views. When he died in 1893 his studio was one of the largest publishers of photographs in the world. The company went on to publish many of these images as continuous toned lithographic postcards until it was liquidated in 1908. Tens of thousands of negatives had been produce and many were purchased by former employees such as Fred Hardie who used them to publish cards until 1920.
H.W. Wilson Co. (1900-1947)
Minneapolis, MN
A publisher of periodical indexes and literature reference books. In their early years they also published a number of local view-cards in halftone lithography.
Wilson & Co. (1910)
Orchard Road, Singapore, Straits Settlements
Photographers who created cabinet cards and published printed postcards depicting views and types of Maylay. These cards were produced in color lithography and as black & white and monotone collotypes.
John O. Winsch 1910-1915
Stapleton, NY
An important publisher of artist signed and holiday cards. They are especially known for their Halloween and Thanksgiving cards. Winsch used European artists to work directly with his German printers. Samuel L. Schmucker was one of their better known artists who created the Winsch Girl. Fred Kolb, Katherine Eilliot, Charles Levi, and James Frexas also created cards for them. They produced almost 4,000 different designs, many of which were issued in sets. Though most of their cards were manufactured in Germany, some were printed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Winter & Pond 1893-1945
Juneau, AK
Photographers Lloyd Valentine Winter and Edwin Percy Pond ran a photo shop together. They produced real photo postcards of native peoples and local scenery. Some of their photo images were also used to make printed cards.
Witten-Dennison Post Card Co. (1907-1913)
Maine
A publisher of view-cards and greeting cards. They moved to Auburn, IN in 1910 and changed their name in 1913 to the Auburn Post Card Mfg. Company. By 1929 they changed their name once again to the Auburn Greeting Card Company. In 1933 they were bought out by the D.E. Messenger Corp.
H.L. Woehler (1905-1913)
Buffalo, NY and Dresden, Saxony
A publisher and printer of regional views and holiday cards in lithography. These cards were printed in Germany.
Wolf Co. (-1917)
Philadelphia, PA
An American subsidiary of the International Art Publishing Company. Wolf published artist signed holiday cards.
Wolfrum & Hauptmann (1898-1902)
Nuremberg, Bavaria
A printer and publisher of chromolithographic postcards.
Woodward & Tiernan Printing Co. (1882-1928)
St. Louis, MO
A printer of various lithographic products including maps, tickets, labels, and railroad timetables. They went on to print a number of simple private mailing cards in halftone lithography.
Jesse Sumner Wooley 1902-1943
Ballston Spa, NY
A photographer of regional views. He published and sold real photo postcards from his store. He also turned many of his photographic images into color lithographic cards. Wooley became the official photographer of the Silver Bay Association and created many postcards for them.
F. W. Woolworth Co. 1878-1997
New York, NY
Frank Winfield Woolworth opened his first retail store in Utica, NY in 1878. He became a publisher and major retailer of postcards in 1912. These cards were sold from the company’s ever expanding chain of Five & Dime stores both in America and abroad. They had designed and published many of their own Christmas cards since 1879. As other publishers were forced to compete with their bargin prices the quality of postcards was forced downward. Many publishers blamed Woolworth for destroying the postcard craze by dumping cards on the market at prices set below profit margin.
Charles Worcester & Co., Ltd. (1904-)
5 Kingsdown Parade, Bristol, England
A publisher of postcards issued under the Chic Series name. This included views presented as line drawings, in sepia monotone, and most dramatically as continuous toned lithographs of pale moonlit scenes by the artist Elmer Keene.
World Post Card Co. 1903-1916
Philadelphia, PA
A publisher and printer of color and black & white lithographic view-cards. The company was founded by J. Murray Jordan who also produced postcards under his own name.
W.R. & S.
See William Ritchie & Sons, Ltd.
Wydawnictwo Salonu Malarzy Polska (1906-1907)
Krakow, Poland
This Salon of Polish painters published a variety of postcard types. View-cards were issued in both color and fine monotones as well as being hand colored. They also published real photo postcards of nudes. Poland was part of the Russian Empire during these years.
Evelyn Wrench 1900-1906
London, England
Publisher of a great variety of picture postcards in varying techniques. They produced lithographic series on famous houses, sports players, literary characters from Dickens, scenes from plays, ships and trains, pictures from Punch magazine, art reproductions, comic cards, and greetings, all printed in England. They also published many views-cards in color, sepia, and a black & white series depicting resorts on a cream paper printed in Saxony. Wrench became a Limited company in 1902 and in 1904 they changed there name to Wrench Postcards Ltd. Because they refused to distribute any postcards but their own, supply eventually outgrew demand and they were out of business within two years. Wrench went on to have a career with the Daily Mail.
Henry S. Wyer (1904-1911)
Nantucket, MA
An important photographer who published many of Nantucket’s earliest postcards in color, black & white, and in monochrome. His early lithographic cards are very soft in appearance due to the open halftone screen employed while his later monochromatic cards were printed in the sharper continuous tones of gravure.
