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Company name: Paul Suess AG (joint-stock company since 1896) fuer Luxuspapier-fabrikation until early 1915; successors: April 1, 1917: Mitteldeutsche Verlagsanstalt GmbH, Muegeln/ Heidenau; late 1923 converted into Mitteldeutsche Kunstanstalt AG, Heidenau.
Address: P. Suess used several rented facilities, by the mid-1890’s own factory at Blasewitzer Str. 23 until 1901. Moved into an existing factory site in Muegeln/Heidenau, Bismarckstr. 21. Factory was expanded. Successors stayed at same address, street was renamed during GDR years into “Ernst-Thaelmann-Str.”
In business from: 1886-1915 (Paul Suess) 1917-2002 Mitteldeutsche Verlagsanstalt, then Mitteldeutsche Kunstanstalt AG, from 1949 - 1964 GDR government controlled (MKH). Then put together with other printing trade companies to form “Graphischer Grossbetrieb Voelkerfreundschaft, Dresden”. After fall of the wall in 1989 renamed into “Mitteldeutsche Druckanstalt Heidenau”. Bought by an investor in 1992 and in business until 2002.
Printer: yes Publisher: yes
Means of production / workforce: Paul Suess started with 10 people. In 1907 they had 12 huge litho presses and employed 550 workers. By 1911 it were 725 workers and employees. Some 20 printing presses and over 100 other machines. Follow-up firms usually employed between 250 - 400 persons.
Trademark(s): 
Early cards up to circa 1903-04 show the word “ERIKA” set in caps. Then mostly with the illustrated trademark on. “Erika” stood for heather.
Specialised in: P. Suess was a typical deLuxe Paper Manufacturer with many other paper articles. Successors were typical commercial printers, but until WW2 continued to publish and print many greeting / subject / art reproduction etc post cards
Notes: An article on the “ERIKA” companies is found in TPA 24.
Illustrations (from top):
Paris 1900 World Exhibition. German pavillon, sign. Abeille ‘99, chromolitho. P/U August 1900. Publisher line reads: Editeur P.S. à D. ERIKA. Also known are collotype topo cards from Paris with this imprint.
”1902” with “ERIKA” set in caps and not the logo. P/U Dec. 31, 1901. Chromolitho. Also known are the cards “1900” and “1901”, all show the identical series no. 335a.
Name Day greetings, chromolitho, embossed, ERIKA logo without number, p/u May 1909.
Suess no 4045 with logo, halftone printed, signature illegible, p/u Sept 1909.
ERIKA no. 438, symbols of good luck. Chromolitho, p/u Dec. 1900.
ERIKA no. 6029, chromolitho with steel-engraved caption, for sale in Poland, p/u Dec. 1928.
ERIKA no. 1260, not signed, multicolour offset printed, not p/u, c. mid-1930’s.
A Suess card without number but ERIKA logo only. Patriotic Christmas card from WW1. P/u Dec. 1914.
An article on Paul Suess company including a hard to find view of the factory, is found in TPA issue 28.
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