A Merry Christmas from "Genealogy in Hertfordshire"

A Merry Xmas from Fred Spurgin

"F S" produced several different sets of Xmas cards. In 1906 they were published by the London View Co. Ltd. and  appeared with a holly border. The series "Kiss me under the Mistletoe" may have been published the same year.

In 1907 (after the London View Co had closed) the publisher (if any) was Vertigen and the message appears in a box surrounded with holly.

            

In 1908 (when the Crown Publishing Co, St Albans, existed he appears to have produced no Xmas Cards,

In 1909 Spurgin Xmas cards were published by Watkins & Krake and were signed using the name Dauber.

In 1910 similar cards were produced to the previous year, but published by the Avenue Publishing Co in the Paternoster series.

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After a rather disruptive year - when the Genealogy in Hertfordshire site, and this blog, got very neglected - I am now hoping, to get the "Catalogue of F S Post Cards" (related to the Crown Publishing Company of St Albans) into a better long term structure (see latest Updates). In addition I hope to include some updates on other projects relating to Hertfordshire.

Have a good relaxing Christmas

Chris

A Merry Christmas from "Genealogy in Hertfordshire"

Hi All

Enjoy your Christmas and keep up your own researches into family and local history.

Yes I am still here even if my web site and blogs have been rather inactive during 2018 Other matters have meant that I have not been as active on line as I would like. My top priority has been to keep fit and over the year I have relaxed by doing more walking in the wonderful countryside around Tring - and have lost over 10 kg. 

To remain mentally active I have been continuing to work on local history. I have been trying to identify the artist who published the "Karaktus" comic cards in St Albans 110 years ago. The story involves a young and highly innovative artist who sometimes signed his cards "F S" and a whole networks of mainly small short-lived companies (such as the Crown Publishing Company of St Albans). 

Recently I came across firm evidence that "F S" also published some comic cards (such as the one above) under the pseudonym "Dauber" and was also responsible for the Infantastic series of cards of round-faced children. Certain details make it virtually certain that "F S" is Fred Spurgin, who was one of the top comic card artists of the 1910s and 20s.

Over the holiday period I will be actively updating (and correcting) the information I have on the "F S" related comic cards in the light of the latest discoveries. Of course you are welcome to enter the world of Edwardian comic post cards by "F S" at any time as long as you don't mind the occasional "work in progress" warnings.

So relax and enjoy the Christmas break.

Chris

Ask a silly Question ? - Some unusual First World War Comic Cards

As part of my investigations into the short-lived Crown Publishing Co. of St Albans, and in particular the unusual cards by Karaktus I have been checking up on other comic cards published at about the same time which used a crown logo and which might represent the same company (and perhaps artist) before or after the short period in St Albans.

My attention was drawn to an artist who signed cards "Spatz." His cards had a crown on the back, and first appeared about 4 months before the first "crown" cards appeared in St Albans. So it was clearly worth investigating.

In fact it proved a false lead, and "Spatz" turned out to be a bank clerk living in Yorkshire who was called Fred Gothard. Fred later produced many First World War comic cards for the publishers E. Mack and/or J. Salmon cards signed ""F G". He also did some  WW1 cards for Tuck & Sons.

While these cards turn out to have nothing to do with Hertfordshire I know many who follow this blog are interested in the war - and might like to see some of the war work of a rather unconventional and less well-known comic artist.

See "Spatz" Cards

A humorous look at supplying milk to St Albans 100 years ago.

The Milkman who supplied families daily - probably by "F S" circa 1907

My Great Grandfather, Jacob Reynolds, ran Heath Farm Dairy which supplied milk to St Albans. He had a great sense of humour and his scrapbook contains many jokes about milkmen.

Some time ago I came across a comic post card by Karaktus showing a milkman which had been published in St Albans and I decided to investigate. I have still not traced who the artist was but the other artist was one who normally signed himself "F S". Recently I have spent far too much time tracking down "F S" and will be reporting on his probably identity later.

Unfortunately "F S" did not sign all his post cards but I am sure Jacob would have liked the above - where the grin on the face of the milkman makes one wonder whether he "supplied" the families who are following him down the road!

Milkman post card currently on sale on ebay

One issue that often came up was the quality of the milk, and the second card (no connection with St Albans) shows why people were worried.

The issue of whether the milk had been tampered with came up in 1881 when the St Albans Town Clerk, Issac Newton Edwards, (Featured in Hertfordshire Men of Mark) arranged to milk to be sampled and the test- as published suggested that some of the milk from Heath Farm Dairy had been tampered with. However it turned out that the town clerk had recently acquired a herd of cattle and was supplying milk to the town himself - and it was the tests that were suspect ond not the sample! MORE

Another sexist comic card published in St Albans circa 1908

 This is another example of one of the rather strange and often sexist "comic" post cards published around 1908 by the Crown Publishing Company.  These cards take a very different view of women to the suffragette inspired cards that were also circulating at the time.

A typical card by Karaktus

One series of 30 cards is by an unknown artist who signed himself Karaktus (I am still trying to identify Nos 19 and 21). Some of the unsigned cards may have been by an artist who signed himself "F S" (said by some to be someone I haven't traced called Fred Stone). "F S" cards were published by the London View Company. often in a special "F S Comic Series" until 1908  - when the LVC company closed down.

See other Crown Publishing Co. Cards

Any help in identifying the artists Karaktus and "F S" - or further cards by the Crown Publishing Company would be appreciated.

Two more "Crown Series" comic cards from St Albans circa 1908

I have now located two more of the unusual comic cards that were being published by the Crown Publishing Company in St Albans in about 1908/9. I am still trying to identify the artists involved. One signed his name Karaktus and many of the others are in the style of "F S" who published many comic cards for the London View Company which closed in 1908.

The London View Company and its possible connections with Hertfordshire and Karaktus.

In the first few years of the 20th century there was an explosion of postcard collecting - and many firms rushed to the market. One of these was the London View Company, which was founded in 1905, expanded rapidly - became a limited company in 1906 and failed in 1907 or 8. While it published view cards from all over the country the only ones I have so far traced relating to Hertfordshire are of Watford.

Swiss Cottage, Watford - London View Co.

More about comic post cards published in St Albans

In 1908 a company called Crown Publishing Co appeared in St Albans and published some very distinctive comic post cards by an artist using the name of Karaktus. In addition they published a number of unsigned cards in the "Crown Series" by an unknown artist.

I have still not succeeded in identifying Karaktus, but have found some earlier history for the company - and the other unidentified artist could well be a known comic card artist called Fred Stone.

In 1905 the London View company was established in London and while it concentrated on view cards it also produced a number of comic cards, many of which were signed "F. S." (for Fred Stone) - and most of the rest were stylistically by the same artist. In 1908 the company closed.

Comic cards have been identified in the "Crown Series" numbered 1008 and 1009 which very closely resemble those of the London View Company - and one carries the signature "F. S."  The cards are not labelled "London View Company" but may have been produced by them as it seems that a number of their cards did not carry their name or any logo. [I will be monitoring ebay for other examples - and earliest posting dates.]

Towards the end of 1908 The Crown Publishing Co. of St Albans started to publish cards in the "Crown Series" with the earliest sequence number so far identified being 1026. These are similar to the cards published by the London View Company - and are probably by the same artist. At about the same time they started publishing the Karaktus cards. The company appears to have published no more cards after 1909.

For more information see the bottom of the Karaktus page on the Genealogy in Hertfordshire web site.

Another Karaktus (St Albans artist) card found

See other post cards by this distinctive artist

Post Cards

St Albans

With the purchase of two more examples I have now identified 27 of the 30 distinctive post cards by Karaktus, published by Crown Publishing Ltd, of St Albans, in 1908/9. The missing numbers are 19, 21 and 22 and any help in locating copies will be appreciated. Details of any of the other cards published by the company at the time are also wanted.

However the big mystery remains - Who was Karaktus?

Some more Karaktus humour - but who was he?

Another Karaktus post card

Recent Post Cards

Karaktus produced comic post cards in St Albans in 1908/9 and I have now posted three new examples of his work, and some other minor updates. However I have made no progress in discovering who the artist was. Has anyone any ideas?

Who was Karaktus, of Crown Publishing Co, of St Albans?

Karaktus, Card No 27, Crown Publishing Co, St Albans, 1909

Post Cards

St Albans

My great grandfather, Jacob Reynolds, was a major milk producer in the St Albans area and employed a number of delivery milkmen who went round the city supplying milk at the door. I was amused to see the following post card - especially when I discovered that it had been published in St Albans. So I decided to investigate and found a whole series of comic post cards by Karaktus from 1908-1909. I also came across a mystery - the company that published it appears to have only existed for a couple of years - and no-one knows who Karaktus was. See KARAKTUS, Crown Publishing Ltd, St Albans, 1908/9 for many more examples of his work - and some other comic post cards published by Crown Publishing. And please tell me if you have any information that could help to identify him.