In the early years of carte-de-visite production, photographers in Britain often made their own card mounts, cutting up sheets of white card by hand, but when the demand for carte-de-visite portraits increased dramatically during the early 1860s, professional photographers began to order pre-cut cards, printed with the name and address of their studios, from local printing firms. Very successful portrait studios in England (such as Mayall of London and Brighton), which might have been producing thousands of carte-de-visite portraits in a single year, were supplied with finely finished card mounts by photographic material dealers, lithographic printers and publishers such as Marion & Co. of Paris and London, Riddle & Couchman of London and Trapp & Münch of Berlin.

Marion & Co. of Paris and London

Marion & Co. was a firm which supplied photographic materials to many of the leading portrait studios in England. The founder of the firm, Claude Mames Augustin Marion, a stationer from Paris, established a London branch of Marion & Co. in London, during the early 1840s, at the dawn of the photographic age. Marion & Co. began as a firm of "manufacturing stationers", importing "French fancy goods" to be sold from their store at 152 Regent Street, London. In 1857, Marion & Co. introduced the carte-de-visite portrait format into England and by the early 1860s the firm was supplying carte-de-visite photographic card mounts and publishing "celebrity cartes" for some of the leading portrait photographers in London (John J. E. Mayall of Regent Street, the Southwell Brothers of Baker Street and Camille Silvy of Porchester Terrace). By 1863, Marion & Co. was operating from 22-23 Soho Square, London and throughout the 1870s dominated the supply of carte-de-visite mounts to photographic portrait studios. The specially printed card mounts were manufactured at Marion & Co.'s factory at Courbevoie, near Paris. Marion & Co. provided a wide range of carte-de-visite mounts at prices which reflected the quality of the card and its finish. (In 1887, Marion & Co.'s wholesale cartes described as "Second quality, ivory surface, cream" were priced at 8 shillings per 1000, while "Best superfine, enamelled surface with design on back, round corners and gilt edges" were priced at 23 shillings, 4 pence per 1000).

Trapp & Münch of Berlin and London

The German chemist Dr. August Heinrich Ferdinand Trapp (1836-1907) set up a factory producing photographic chemicals in 1861. After his marriage to Emma Muench (Münch) in 1862, August Trapp brought his brother-in-law, Theodor Muench (Münch), into the business to form the firm of Trapp & Münch. During the late 1870s, the firm of Trapp & Münch, which had its headquarters in Berlin, Germany [20a Culm Strasse, Berlin, W.]  established branches in England's capital city. London trade directories published during the early 1880s list Trapp & Münch as "photographic mount makers" at 65 Farringdon Street, London, E.C. and "albumenised paper manufacturers" at 1 Budge Row, London E.C.

W. Herrmann & Co. of Berlin and London

W. Herrmann & Co. was a photographic materials firm based in Berlin, Germany. In the early 1890s, the firm of W. Herrmann & Co. had its head office at Königin Augusta Strasse, Berlin, but was supplying printed carte-de-visite and cabinet cards to studios in England and France. It appears that W. Herrmann & Co. operated an office in London from the mid-1890s. Herrmann & Co.'s "Photo Mounts" were still being advertised in British photographic journals during the early 1900s.

[ABOVE] The imprint "Marion, Imp. Paris" which appeared on Edmund Wheeler's carte-de-visite cards around 1877.The photographic materials firm of Marion & Co. of Paris and London was the leading supplier of carte-de-visite mounts in Europe during the 1860s and 1870s.

The firm of Marion & Co. was established before 1836 by a French stationer named Claude Mames Augustin Marion (born c1794). Originally from Paris, Claude Mames Augustin Marion (generally known as Augustin or Auguste Marion) established a London branch of Marion & Co. in Mortimer Street, London, during the early 1840s, at the dawn of the photographic age. By the late 1840s, Marion & Co. had established a "fancy stationery" business at 152 Regent Street, London. The Post Office London Directory, published in 1852, lists Auguste Marion & Co. as a fancy stationer with stores at 14 Cite Bergere, Paris, and 152 Regent Street, London.

The firm of Marion & Co. showed an early interest in photography and photographic materials. In 1854, Marion & Co. began to stock "photographic papers" alongside the stationery and imported French fancy goods at their store in Regent Street:

In 1857, Marion & Co. introduced and promoted the carte-de-visite format for portrait photography. The following year, Claude Mames Augustin Marion, the founder of the firm, patented "Marion's Box", described under British Patent No. 2961, in December 1858 as "an improved box or case for containing and preserving sensitive photographic paper".

By 1860, A. Marion & Co. were advertising celebrity cartes-de-visite which could be purchased at a wholesale price and then retailed at print shops, booksellers and stationery shops. In 1862, George Bishop, who managed Marion & Co.'s London store, revealed that 50,000 celebrity cartes were distributed to retail outlets every month. During the 1860s, A. Marion & Co. were supplying supplying carte-de-visite photographic card mounts and publishing "celebrity cartes" for some of the leading portrait photographers in London viz. John J. E. Mayall of Regent Street, Maull & Polyblank of London, John & Charles Watkins of Westminster, the Southwell Brothers of Baker Street and Camille Silvy of Porchester Terrace. At the same time, A. Marion & Co. were promoting specially designed photographic albums to house carte-de-visite portraits.

By 1866, Auguste Marion & Co. had opened a warehouse and showroom at 22 & 23 Soho Square, London. At the end of August 1867, Claude Mames Augustin Marion, the head of Auguste Marion & Co., retired from the business and a new company was formed under the name of "Marion & Co." The firm of Marion & Co. was now controlled by three business partners - Auguste Leon Marion, Henry Edward Gery and George Bishop.

During the 1880s, Marion & Co. expanded its business by supplying photographic equipment and materials, including cameras and studio apparatus. Marion & Co. also had its own factory in Southgate, Middlesex, producing photographic plates and papers.

With the increasing interest in photography as a pastime activity following the introduction of "ready to use" photographic dry plates, Marion & Co. began to market their photographic equipment and materials to the general public. The publication of "Marion's Practical Guide to Photography" in 1884 encouraged amateur photography.

At the end of the 1890s, the managing partners of Marion & Co. consisted of  Auguste Leon Marion, Henri Louis Guibout, George Bishop, Frank Bishop and John Pattinson Kirk. The partnership was dissolved in 1901 and the company continued as a limited company. In 1921, Marion & Co. Ld was absorbed by A.P.M. (Amalgamated Photographic Materials Ltd).