[Pat R]

Originally Posted by G1911

I suspect Julius Bien & Co. and Julius Bion & Co., lithographers with a specialty in producing maps, are the exact same thing, and this is just another example of inconsistent spelling.

Under the name Bien, instead of Bion, this firm is clearly active in 1909. Government printing office reports continue to refer to them in 1911 (https://www.google.com/books/edition...sec=frontcover), and in 1914.

Evidently, Bien/Bion was bidding against American Lithography for government contracts in 1911, and losing. If this is the same man (I have a hard time believing there was a Julius Bion, Julius Bien, and Julius Bionter all in the same industry in management roles of some kind at the same time, can't say for sure but it seems very likely), he, like we have continually found with these lithographers, seems to both be competing with American Lithography and also working with them, and with other lithographers. We have Old Masters, Brett 100% doing some of the printing, Bien designing brands and marketing materials, American Lithography. The traditional claim that AL and the ATC were the solitary partners on the American Tobacco companies cards certainly does not seem to be the case.

Yes, it didn't dawn on me when I posted the clips but after I went back to look at some of the additional information last night I came to the same conclusion as you.