T220 Silver - Uncut Edition

[G1911]

Great stuff, he seems to have accomplished a lot. Another hobby of mine happens to be firearms, I have a number of books and documentation on 19th century shooting sports. I will see if I can find anything further in my library on this rifle championship he won.

Some of the gents in the main board may have material on the Grammercy team. It’s really seeming to me like Fullgraff is a major part of the T card history in general, and not just to a couple sets.

[Pat R]

Your panels have uncovered some fascinating information (at least to me).

Here is some more info on Brett Lithograph from my copy of the color explosion book on 19th century Lithograph. A lot of the info was in the link I posted earlier but some of it is new.

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I think that Fullgraff might have worked for Brett Lithograph is a possibility to consider.

[G1911]

You aren't alone, this stuff is fascinating. Fullgraff must have worked for Brett to be speaking for them in contracts and using their letter head, but he also worked for whoever Old Masters is at this time. I don't have much in the wya of books or documents on Lithographers, but I will keep digging and see if I can find anything to tie these firms to American Lithographic or disprove a connection.

I found a June 1904 copy of the New York Athletic Club's Journal (https://books.google.com/books?id=yz...20club&f=false, page 34). He was apparently into boating as well. Harry Hillman, a T218 subject, is in the issue as well.

The Larchmont Yacht Club and the Columbia Yacht Club, both of which he was a member of in 1904 according to this, are found in the 4th series of T59 flags.

It seems many of these T cards, among popular subjects and figures of the day, featured his friends and associations.

These NYAL journals are probably a good source on some of his activities. I believe the NYAL still exists and may have something in their records on Mr. Fullgraff.

[G1911]

According to this edition, Fullgraff joined the club as a full resident member in 1896, membership #1499 on page 71: https://www.google.com/books/edition...sec=frontcover

His previous Athletic endeavors may have been under a different organization.

[G1911]

Google Books is amazing. From an 1898 book titled "Club Men of New York
Their Occupations, and Business and Home Addresses: Sketches of Each of the Organizations: College Alumni Associations", we get an occupation and address.

"Fullgraff, Frank G., clerk with J. Bien & Co., 140 Sixth Av. - Lty, NYAth, HorseSHY. 266 W 23"

NYAth is the New York Athletic Club, one of 3 organizations he was a member of. LTY could be Larchmont Yacht.

J. Bien & Co. = the lithographic company of Julius Bien (1826-1909), who was centered in New York? I don't know lithography well, perhaps J. Bien & Co., means something more to you Pat than I'm searching.


https://www.google.com/books/edition...J?hl=en&gbpv=0

[G1911]

And, here is the gold. From the "Biographical Directory of the State of New York", published in 1900, we have the attached paragraph on page 150. Fullgraff's athletic memberships are again listed, and is listed as a Salesman connected to American Lithographic. His house address matches the previous link. He was born in 1851 (I think this means he is probably the man in a database here, who died in 1943 in Manhattan: https://www.ancientfaces.com/person/...1943/110083839)


https://www.google.com/books/edition...sec=frontcover

A salesman for American Lithographic, detailing production for Old Masters, and working for Brett securing contracts, with at least the last 2 being at the same exact time. I am now pretty positive these companies were indeed shadow subsidiaries of American Lithographic, multiple locations but not really multiple independent businesses printing the T cards. It makes sense for 1910.

[Pat R]

Nice find on the American Lithograph connection Greg.

[Pat R]

Originally Posted by G1911

Google Books is amazing. From an 1898 book titled "Club Men of New York
Their Occupations, and Business and Home Addresses: Sketches of Each of the Organizations: College Alumni Associations", we get an occupation and address.

"Fullgraff, Frank G., clerk with J. Bien & Co., 140 Sixth Av. - Lty, NYAth, HorseSHY. 266 W 23"

NYAth is the New York Athletic Club, one of 3 organizations he was a member of. LTY could be Larchmont Yacht.

J. Bien & Co. = the lithographic company of Julius Bien (1826-1909), who was centered in New York? I don't know lithography well, perhaps J. Bien & Co., means something more to you Pat than I'm searching.


https://www.google.com/books/edition...J?hl=en&gbpv=0

Here's the info in the book I have on Bien they were at that address from 1892-1915 when the company was sold. Interesting connection with Audubon and all the bird images considering the different bird series tobacco issues and the ones in Fullgraff's book.

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[IMG][/IMG]

[G1911]

This book you have is gorgeous. Perhaps another connection to the cards.

I found a lawsuit from Fulgraff suing Brett Lithography in 1919 over $2,657.69 of unpaid work. It's a few hundred pages of information, but it includes some letters between Brett, Fullgraff, American Lithographic and R.J. Reynolds among others in the early 1910's. I haven't read the whole case yet, but the business relationships seem closely intertwined.

Included is a 1914 letter from Brett to American Tobacco certifying that Fullgraff has worked for them for five years, done good work, and they are okay with him working as a salesman for American Tobacco (who he already worked for years before, as we know from the earlier link) because their business has shifted interest and it would be a disservice to Fullgraff's 'customers'. It is an odd letter considering what else we know of Fullgraff's business life, reads kind of like a formality being handled with a deal already worked out. This case begins at page 608 in the downloaded .pdf here: https://books.googleusercontent.com/...fr4lkgzLdUshSA

this letter is plaintiff exhibit 31.


Page 5 of the case, page 618 of the .pdf, has Fullgraff switching to commission only basis for lithography orders to Brett in March, 1910, at apparently a 10% rate (10).

In plaintiff Exhibit 3, in a 1911 letter from Brett Lithograff by Fulgraff to R.J. Reynolds, he says "I have been doing business with the American tobacco company for twenty-five years and have gotten out several new brands, one of which is the Turkey Red, and I have printed millions of cigarette and show cards for them"

Plaintiff exhibit 9 has Brett paying Fulgraff $3 per thousand silk cards printed as commission in July, 1911.

He's sending artwork he's apparently made to R.J. Reynolds in several of these, for some kind of promotional work it seems. In Plaintiff exhibit 15 is a letter in which he sends Reynolds images from the "Forbes Lithography company", while signing off as an employee of Brett and apparently speaking for them. Exhibit 17 specifics they are pictures of Indian heads

Fullgraff just gets more interesting. He's a designer of some kind for Brett. He's doing similar work for Old Masters. He's a salesman for Brett and Forbes Lithography. He's worked for American Lithography in the past, and seeks more work for them in the 1910's, although he already seems to be involved with them. He's not only doing art design and print jobs for American Tobacco, he's naming and creating cigarette brands for them, which seems bizarre for a business partner at another company, a lithography company at that, to do. And he's worked with hem for 25 years, long preceding his apparent employment at Brett beginning in 1909. After the ATC breakup he's trying to interest R.J. Reynolds in lithographic advertising or possibly even cards again.

The defendants first exhibit has 21x17 lithographic orders for images of several people, including John L. Sullivan, just to route back to boxing here.

Fullgraff seems to do everything, and to know everyone in the lithography and tobacco industries, working for many of them, apparently often simultaneously. The conflicts of interest in his business life seem to be numerous, but they all write favorably of him in the court admitted correspondence and repeated references are made to his character and virtuous conduct. What's here only hints at what all he was really doing, the focus is on his sales job at Brett for the unpaid money, but this doesn't seem to be his only job or his only employer. He's a very interesting guy, even outside of my card interest.

I have not finished the full, lengthy read yet, but there's a lot in here on the players of the cigarette card world, even if they aren't really in here directly very much as the focus is on Silks and some other non-card contracts Brett didn't pay up for.