Boxes full of photographic history

Our objects of the month are historical boxes for photographic glass negatives and photographic papers. With their vibrant colors, ornamental lettering, and carefully designed brand marks, they evoke a time when even the packaging of photographic materials was crafted with great care.

The boxes come from various manufacturers, including Mimosa in Dresden, Kranseder in Munich, Eisenberger Trockenplattenfabrik, Agfa in Leverkusen, and the Leonar-Werke in Hamburg-Wandsbek. They contained light-sensitive glass plates and photographic papers in various formats and surfaces. Together, they illustrate the diversity of products and companies for analog photographic materials in the 20th century.

The sturdy, light-proof photo boxes were rarely thrown away. Photographers often used them for many years to store negatives, prints, and other working materials. Particularly glass negatives, even after exposure and development, are often still stored in them today.
Thus, these beautiful boxes are not only testimonies to a bygone product and design culture; as reused containers, they are also part of the practical work of a photo archive.