The skill of Victorian portrait photographers was invariably reflected in the quality of the images they produced.
However, a number of other factors contributed to the overall look of the finished product supplied to customers.
Chief among these were the type of albumenised paper on to which the positive image was printed and the photographic card used to mount the print.
Among the leading suppliers to British studios of these products was the Berlin-based company of Trapp & Münch.
The firm had global ambitions as reflected in its presence at an international photographic exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876 pictured below.
By the 1880s, it had opened two offices in London; one described as ‘photographic mount makers’ and the other as ‘albumenised paper manufacturers.’
Among Trapp & Münch’s customers was the firm of Auty & Ruddock in Tynemouth near Newcastle upon Tyne.
Their short-lived photographic partnership from the late 1880s to 1892 was founded on producing high-quality merchandise.
As an example, a previous Pressphotoman post highlighted a 12-postcard booklet featuring the beaches and cliffs of North East England as they were being transformed by visiting holidaymakers.
Auty & Ruddock blogpost – 24th September 2024
The embossed front cover of the ‘Tynemouth’ booklet proclaimed that it had been ‘printed in Germany,’ which discerning patrons would have known was a mark of its distinction.
German printing firms were widely acknowledged as being world leaders in the production of photographic and colourised postcards whose heyday continued until around 1914.
As to Auty & Ruddock’s trading relationship with Germany, it would also have been informed by the River Tyne’s role in the movement of goods in and out of London as well as to ports in Europe.
This relationship is further borne out by a new addition to the Pressphotoman collection.
A rare Auty & Ruddock carte de visite credits ‘Trapp & Münch, Berlin’ in the bottom left-hand corner.
As ever, the verso is a work of art in its own right featuring Auty and Ruddock’s prizes awarded at a range of international photography competitions.
The subject of the portrait may also have been delighted with her carte de visite and ordered multiple copies to share with family and friends.
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