Weidner Variants

This page illustrates the many types of changes Charles Weidner made to the details of his postcards over time. Weidner changed credits, captions, and layout, but unlike many publishers he rarely manipulated the card image. Weidner Catalog shows multiple variants of many cards.



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Weidner's earliest numbered postcards (late 1902) credit "Goeggel & Weidner, Publishers", revised to "Charles Weidner, Photographer" after their partnership ended in 1904. Stock numbers of Goeggel & Weidner cards are from 1 to 110.



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Weidner 35, Weidner credit, AutoChrom logo, printed in Germany credit, and pre-earthquake caption on front; undivided back.
Weidner 35, post-earthquake caption on front; Weidner credit on back, divided back; no printing credit.

These cards illustrate multiple variations:



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The AutoChrom logo identifies a lithographic printing process by German printer Louis Glaser in Leipzig. Both of these cards were printed in Germany (credit damaged on the card at right), but only the left card displays the AutoChrom logo. The earliest Weidner color cards with no AutoChrom logo date from mid-1905.



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When the end of the undivided back era freed the entire front side for the image, Weidner often modified the front layout by eliminating the white space left open for the message on undivided back cards. He initially retained the white borders around the front image, as in this example.



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Starting in 1907 with #230, Weidner updated his front layout format with a more modern look, covering the entire front with the image, eliminating white borders and stock number from the front, listing the stock number on the back instead. In a few cases, he recycled an old image for a new postcard with a new stock number, as above.



Steve's SF postcard pages: