Early Cards

Without a Frame

An Illustrated History of the Embroidered Silk Postcards is the standard reference book on embroidered silk postcards. It contains references to over 2600 different cards with over 270 illustrations. The section on Early Cards lists 25 cards. The cards listed below are additional cards discovered since the book was published. The latest additions are shown in RED.

Embroidered silk postcards without a frame form an important part of the history of the cards because they were the first to be introduced to the market. Framed cards came later.

The first embroidered silk postcards seen date from 1899, and were produced by Gebruder Schmidt (Smith Brothers), a publisher in Vienna, Austria. These cards are extremely rare and hardly ever come up for purchase. The cards were made by embroidering a simple design into the card using a Singer machine, with a backing paper for the address and to cover the back of the embroidery. I have identified thirteen different designs for them, but more were probably made. The last dated card seen was from 28th January 1901, so these cards were in production for a very short period of time. The cards were all designed with stylised flowers and foliage, and are in the horizontal format. As Vienna was the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at this time, the printing on the cards can be in German, Hungarian or Czech.

A few individual cards have been found that are also embroidered directly into the card, with no indication of a publisher. Most of them have a backing paper for the address, but two have no backing card, one of which is on a standard French printed postcard. They come from about 1904 to 1910 and it is possible that all these cards were experimental or amateur.

In my book, I attributed the first embroidered silk postcards to the Paris Exhibition of 1900, which is now clearly incorrect. These cards were made by by Buff & Mettler of Zurich, who seem to have developed the cards at about the same time, but independent, of Gebruder Schmidt. Their process involved embroidering into a layer of paper stuck onto material, with a backing paper for the address and to cover the back of the embroidery. The last card seen of this type was dated 1912, so it is likely that production ceased in about 1910, by which time the "normal" style of the embroidered silk postcard was fully established, with an outer frame of about 1.5 cm. enclosing a large embroidered silk panel.

As these early cards have no frame on the front of the card, they have a different appearance from most of what was came later.

Buff & Mettler published cards in their own name and most of these cards are numbered. They also licenced Adolf Grieder & Cie, also of Zurich, to publish their cards. These were probably also made by Buff & Mettler and they are not numbered. Consequently, this is a complex area where the same design was available from both publishers, some show no publisher's name, and a few have both publishers attributed.

Some Buff & Mettler style cards are also known from other publishers and it is probable that all of them were made by Buff & Mettler in Switzerland, who were the only company that had the technology.

To complicate matters further, there are two different types of Buff & Mettler embroidered silk postcard: Type 1. Made in three layers; and Type 2. Made in two layers. Most of the known cards are of Type 1.

For further information, see the separate article on Early (Pre-1919) Embroidered Silk Postcards that gives a more detailed description of the cards, the publishers and many more images of rare cards.

Images of a representative selection of cards are shown beneath the listings.

Information and images on this site are © Ian Collins 2021.

No part may be reproduced, stored, transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the author.

GEBRUDER SCHMIDT, VIENNA

This list describes all known Gebruder Schmidt embroidered silk postcards.

GREETING DESCRIPTION EMBROIDERY POSITION DATE

Gruss aus ...

Carnation with forget me nots Bottom right Undated

Daisy with bud and foliage Top left and bottom right 3.12.1899

Forget me nots Bottom left and top right 3.10.1899

Single daisy with foliage Left side and top right 9.7.1899

Stylised flower and foliage Left side and top right 2.10.1900

Stylised flower, bud and foliage Bottom right Undated

Tulip with foliage Bottom right 29.8.1903

Two carnations Right hand side 27.7.1899

Two carnations with bud and foliage Left hand side 2.12.1899

Two carnations with bud and foliage Lower centre 28.7.1899

Pozdrav z ...

Daisy and stylised flower and foliage Top left and bottom right Undated

Udvozlet ...

Bunch of five pansies Lower centre 23.9.1899

Three stylised iris and foliage Left side Undated

Two large and two small daisies Lower centre 4.2.1900

Two strawberries and flowers Bottom left and bottom right 2.10.1899

OTHER CARDS EMBROIDERED DIRECTLY INTO THE CARD

DATE CAPTION

1904 Stylised carnations

1906 Art Nouveau style carnations and foliage

Bunch of edelweiss and foliage

Single large blue flower and foliage

1907 Flowers radiating from a point

1908 Arum lily and foliage with ribbons

1910 Bunch of violets

Embroidered foliage, appliqued silk material rose and buds

BUFF & METTLER, ZURICH

TYPE 1. BUFF & METTLER CARDS (THREE LAYERS)

CARDS PUBLISHED BY BUFF & METTLER

EXPOSITION UNIVERSELLE 1900. SOUVENIR DU VILLAGE SUISSE PARIS (printed)

20768 Single rose bud with foliage

20769 Opening rose bud and two rose buds with foliage

20773 Carnation with bud and foliage

OTHER NUMBERED CARDS

20728 Edelweiss and foliage

20728 Edelweiss and foliage, Gruss aus Zurich (printed: ADOLF KRAMER, Blumengeschaft, ZURICH)

20729 Two pansies, buds and foliage

20766 Forget me nots with foliage

20767 Single pansy, buds and foliage

20767 Single pansy, buds and foliage, Gruss aus Zurich (printed: ADOLF KRAMER, Blumengeschaft, ZURICH)

20768 Rose and foliage

20769 Three rose buds and foliage

20770 Single pansy and foliage

20771 Cyclamen and foliage

20772 Opening rose bud and single rose bud

20773 Carnation with bud and foliage

20911 Union Jack with rose, thistle and shamrock

20974 Yacht on lake with trees and mountains

20978 Swiss chalet with mountains, lake and trees

20981 Swiss flag shield and edelweiss

21075 Swiss and Neuchatel canton shields with edelweiss

21225 Two pansies and foliage (printed: Oberuzwil Switzerland with H. Preschlin & Co.’s Compliments)

21323 Bunch of carnations, with 1901 embroidered (printed: Herzlichen Gluckwunsch zum Neuen Jahr)

210191 Swiss and St Gallen canton shields with edelweiss

210192 Swiss and Appenzell canton shields with edelweiss

210221 Hotel among trees (printed: Heinrichsbad)

210222 Swiss chalet among trees with mountains and a stream (printed: Seealpsee)

CARDS PUBLISHED BY ADOLF GREIDER & CIE, ZURICH (Using the Buff & Mettler process)

SOUVENIR DU VILLAGE SUISSE PARIS EXPOSITION 1900 (printed)

Carnation with bud and foliage

Edelweiss with foliage

French flag with entwined RF and laurel

Shrine amongst trees in mountains

Swiss chalet with Swiss shield, edelweiss and alpenrosen

Swiss chalet with mountains, lake and trees

Swiss chalet with steps, mountains and trees

Swiss chalet with trees

Swiss chalet with trees and bridge over stream

Swiss shield with edelweiss

Union Jack with rose, thistle and shamrock

United States flag with laurel

OTHER CARDS

A band of three edelweiss down the left-hand side

Church among trees with mountains

Church among trees with mountains (appliqued crest for Unterwalden)

Entrance to Village Suisse at Paris Exposition 1900 (gate with turrets, trees and forget me nots)

French flag, pointing left.

French flag, pointing right.

French flag pennant, RF and laurel (printed Souvenir Fete du 14 juillet)

French soldier with drawn sword, and French flag

Gentian violets in grass

Swiss chalet among trees

Swiss chalet among trees (printed Gruss aus der Schweiz)

Swiss chalet among trees with edelweiss and alpenrosen

Swiss chalet among trees with a Swiss shield, edelweiss and alpenrosen.

Swiss chalet among trees with mountains.

Swiss chalet among trees with mountains (printed Gruss aus der Schweiz)

Swiss chalet with steps among trees with mountains.

Tellskapelle among trees with mountains

Tellskapelle among trees with mountains (printed Gruss von der Tellsplatte)

CARDS PUBLISHED BY BUFF & METTLER and ADOLF GREIDER & CIE

SOUVENIR DU VILLAGE SUISSE PARIS EXPOSITION 1900 (printed)

20728 Edelweiss with foliage

20773 Carnation with bud and foliage

OTHER CARDS MADE BY THE BUFF & METTLER PROCESS, WITH NO PUBLISHER ATTIBUTED

Carnation with bud and foliage

Church with trees and mountains (hand printed: Burgkapelle)

Cyclamen with bud and foliage

Eagle stood on United States flag shield

Edelweiss and foliage

Edelweiss and foliage, with Gruss aus Zurich embroidered

Edelweiss and foliage with Swiss and Zurich shields

Forget me nots with foliage

Industrial Hall (printed: Glasgow Exhibition 1901)

Large building flying Swiss flags

Municipal shield of Vevey (printed: Souvenir de l’Exposition Cantonale vaudoise Vevey Juin - Septembre 1901)

Opening rose bud and two rose buds with foliage

Opening rose bud and two rose buds with foliage, Gruss aus Zurich

Pansies and buds

Pansy and foliage

Pansy, bud and foliage, with Gruss aus Zurich

Rose and foliage (embroidered on the right-hand side of the card)

Schaffhausen Cathedral

Strawberries and foliage

Swiss chalet by lake with trees and mountains

Swiss chalet by lake with trees and mountains (printed: Gruss von Trieb)

Swiss chalet with trees and mountains

Tellskapelle among trees with mountains

Yacht on lake with trees and mountains

THE ORIENTAL EMBROIDERY Co. Inc. BALTIMORE

This company published embroidered silk postcards made by the Buff & Mettler three-layer method. All of them have divided backs and only one is dated - 11th February 1907. They were all sourced from the United States. Although it is possible Buff & Mettler manufactured these cards in Switzerland, there is no indication of this, and none of the designs have been seen from any other publisher. All the captions are printed on the card.

Best Wishes Violets and foliage

Birthday Greetings Forget me nots and foliage

Greetings from Rose and bud on briar

Rose and bud with foliage

Greetings from Baltimore Carnations and forget me nots with foliage

Flower and foliage tied with ribbon

Eight-line printed verse Rabbit stood on hind legs with walking stick

J.W.N. Co. (United States)

A single card is known that was patented by J.W.N. Co, with the patent dated 3rd April 1906. It has a single pansy design identical to the Buff & Mettler card number 20770, except a hole has been cut through the three layers of the card to allow the insertion of a photograph. The back is then covered by a fourth layer of (undivided) paper for the address details. It is assumed that the invention in this card was the insert photograph.