Hertfordshire Postcard Artists, Photographers, Publishers, etc.

The Artist 'F. S.'

Draft Summary of Post Cards

 

Pictures

Artist: F. S.

The aim of this page is a draft summary of the the work of "F S" and the companies who published his pictures. A more detailed catalogue is planned

Tell Me

if you can add information - especially relating to first postal dates, publisher, and USA cards.

In trying to answer the question "Who was F. S." I decided to search online for examples of his work and found that his work was published by many different publishers - plus many examples with no publisher names. Some cards (especially those so far identified as being published in the United States) appear in two or more forms - sometime with and without the signature.

 

 

 


1. Printed in Saxony - Early Divided Backs

This section of the catalogue contains all the cards which have a wording relating to the restricted use of the divided back. Virtually all the backs are identical, and printed in Saxony, apart from the publisher name on the left side - which in very many cases is absent.

Publishers: Gale & Polden, London View Company, H Vertigen, B & D (Blum & Degan), J. W A???

These cards were probably published in 1906-7

 

2: London View Company   F S Comic Series

 

 

STAMP - PRINTED IN GERMANY

ADDRESS ONLY

WRITING SPACE

I have included here cards with identical backs in which the left hand edge is empty or has the words "The London View Co. Ltd." and/or "F S Comic Series". If I have not got details of the back but the card clearly belongs to a series it is included here.

Cards must have been published 1907 to 1908

 


3: Cards with LVC Logo

 These cards  must have been printed after the company became a limited company in 1907 and before it went out of business in 1908

 

Name and Address   -   Writing Space


4: "Crown" Series Postcards

 
 
 

A number of cards were issued in "The Crown Series" with "F S" signatures, and at least some have a back that suggested 1906, but I suspect they only appeared in 1907-8 been a bit later. Some of the pictures were later reprinted with and it is clear that the signature was sometimes omitted.

The location from which the cards were published is not known and more information on publication dates is being sought.

Crown Publishing Co., St Albans, Herts

It seems that shortly afterwards further "Crown Series" cards were published in St Albans, with following serial numbers, None are signed but are very much in "F S" style of drawing and topic selection.

Later cards were published with a frame, again unsigned.

Karaktus Post Card No 5, Crown Publishing Co., St Albans, Herts, 1909

There was also a very distinctive series of cards signed "Karaktus". The identity of Karaktus is not known - could it be F. S. using a simple style???

Karaktus Post Card No 24, Crown Publishing Co., St Albans, Herts, 1909

 


5: Published in the USA


6: No Publisher - Printed "Germany"

[No Inland postage warning]

These would appear, from the known publishing dates, to have been published after Crown Publishing, and reused some of the pictures

 

 


7: Unsigned Postcards (possibly by F. S.)

and other specials

H Vertigen & Co

"H B Series" - Hutson Brothers

 These cards almost certainly follow the closure of the London View Company in 1907, possibly by several years.

 

8: Cards waiting to be catalogued

 

These are card awaiting cataloguing  - which may involve finding out about their backs and/or better dating.


9  A Selection of Signatures