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We can often tell where an image comes from, if it is not specified, by assesing the image. Items such as cars, home styles, clothes, land mnarks, ethnicity all provide valuable clues. Another helpful indicator is the brabd of photographic paper. This is erspecially useful in Europe. Maby compoanies, even small countries, had companies manufacturing photographic paper. It was not always printed on the back, but in many cases it was. Of course where the image was printed is noit necesarily wjhere the phoytoigraoh was taken, but often they were. It is this one more useful indicator. Here we will list the paper manufacturers aling with any information we have been able to acquire about them. .
Agfa Lupex or sometimes just Agfa was German produced paper. Agfa was a major company like Kodak which sold paper to many countries, especially in Europe and South America. Agfa Lupex is the pre-World war II and War-time paper. After the War the marking was just Agfa.
Brovira was also German produced paper. It was marked both Brovira and Agfa Brovira. It was pre-World War II paper, but some of it was shot in the 1950s from pre-War stocks. Agfa Brovira is still manufactured but is marked Aagfa Brovira Speed.
Gevaert Ridax or some times just marked Ridax is Belgian (Antwerp) produced paper.
Kodak is an American company anf the paper is produced in America. Kodak film, chenicls, and papers dominted the Ameican market. Kodak paper and other products were widely sold in other countries. There were important competitors in Europe, but Kodak products were also widely sold in Latin America and Asia.
Leonar is German produced photograpic paper. This does not mean, however, that the printed photographs were German. Leonar was founded as a partnership between a chemist and a businessman manufacturing and selling photographic chemicals (1893). Aftr the ininial succes, the parners expanded into printing-out (POP) papers, a popular format, and the production of cameras. They did not begin manufacturing developing-out paper until after the turn of the century (1907). They capitalized on the huge expansion of the ndustry with the introduction of easy to take family snapshots launched by Kodak. Germany at the time was a tecnological powerhouse, a European leder in chemistry. Leonar was part of the businesses that followed. After World War I they introduced new types of paper coatings and emulsions (1920). This established Leonar as a major participant in the photographic industry during the inter-War era. Leonar introduced mass production methods to its factories whih helped and expanded its markets throughout Europe. Werke AG went public (1932).
Asa result, some of the most widely used photographic papers in Europe were produced by Leonar Werke AG. The main plant was in the Wandsbek, a Hamburg neighborhood. There were several branded papers with special qualities. Brands included: Rano, Lumarto, Imago and Leigrano. The popularity of Leonar papers througout Europe means that we can not be sure the prints are German, but a good any were. Hamburg including the Leonar factory was deveastated by American and British bombers during World War II (1943). Hamburg because f its location was the most vunerable of all the major German cities. After theWar, the company rebuilt and modernized. Leonar merged with Agfa (1964) which in turn merged with the Antwerp-based firm of Gevaert. The separate identity of Leonar disappeared (1970s).
Mimposa was German produced paper.
Selo was British produced paper. Selo manufasctured and exported paper before the War, mostly to Europe. This we see both British and other European photograoks on Selo paper.
Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863–1944) was a Belgian chemist who invented Velox photographic paper (1893) as well as Bakelite (1907). This was an inexpensive, nonflammable, versatile, and popular plastic named after Bakeland. It was essentially the strt of the modern plastics industry. Baekeland was employed by the Anthony company for 2 years. He then began working as an independent consulting chemist (1891). A variety of problems including an illness and disappointing earnings caused him to refocus his work, returing to the productiin of photograpohic paper, an old iknterest. He saw the nbeed for a a photographic paper that would produce good resylts in artificial light. He worked on this problen for 2 years.
The result was a new paper which he caslled Velox. It was the first commercially successful photographic paper. But there were initial difficulties. Belgium is a rasther small country. Bakeland decided to focus his effort on the United States.
The United states which was the largest market for photigraphic material at the time was in recession. And Bakelsnd had trouble finding both investors and buyers. Baekeland formed a partnership with Leonardi Jacobi and established the Nepera Chemical Company in Nepera Park, Yonkers, New York. Baekeland met George Eastman (1899). Eastman offered him $1 million for the Velox process. Baekeland accepted and purchased "Snug Rock", a house in Yonkers, New York, and set up his own well-equipped laboratory. Velox thus became a part of the Kodak product line. Eatman made immediate use of the Velox process. Kodak sold Velox paper both in North america and Europe. We note Velox photograohic paper done with podtcard backs. A British reader writes, "I remember Velox paper when I was first introduced to home developing after World War II in the 1940s."
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