| Repository: | Western Reserve Historical Society |
| Creator: | Printz-Biederman Company |
| Title: | Printz-Biederman Company Photographs |
| Dates: | 1910-1948 |
| Extent: | 0.20 linear feet (1 container) |
| Abstract: | The Printz-Biederman Company was a Cleveland, Ohio, coat manufacturing company established in 1893 by Moritz Printz, his sons Michael and Alexander, and his son-in-law Joseph Biederman. The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union tried to organize its employees in the 1930s. It closed in 1978. The collection consists of a group portrait of employees and managers, East 61st Street building opening; candid and posed photographs of services provided to employees; interior views of office and payroll departments and manufacturing processes; and views of displayed clothing. |
| PG Number | PG 461 |
| Location: | closed stacks |
| Language: | The records are in English |
historical sketch courtesy of the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
The Printz-Biederman Company is one of the oldest American manufacturers of women's apparel. It was organized in December 1893 in Cleveland, Ohio by master tailor Moritz Printz. A native of Austria, Printz came to Cleveland in 1872 to work for his brother-in-law, cloak manufacturer David Black. The head designer for D. Black and Company, Printz stayed in Cleveland when Black moved his company to New York in 1894. Along with his sons, Alexander and Michael, and his son-in-law, Joseph Biederman, Printz founded the Printz-Biederman Company as a partnership. The company incorporated in 1904 with Alexander Printz as president, a position he held until 1954.
Operating from a loft at 102 St. Clair, Printz-Biederman grossed $100,000 in its first year of operation. In 1903 the company moved to 71 Bank Street (1213 West 6th Street) and remained in that area until 1934, when it built a new plant at 1974 East 61st Street. Sales reached $6.44 million in 1922, and the firm merged with H. Black and Company that year. By 1933 it had sales offices in New York, Boston, and Chicago in addition to Cleveland. When Max Reiter, co-founder of Ritmore Sportswear Company took over Printz-Biederman in 1954, it employed 1,000 workers, two-thirds of them in Cleveland, and annual sales were $8 million. During the 1960s and 1970s the company lost business. In the late 1970s, its line of products was limited to ladies' suits and coats, and the firm employed only 40 Cleveland workers. The Printz-Biederman Company closed in 1978.
click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Printz-Biederman Company
The Printz-Biederman Company Photographs, ca. 1910s-1948, consist of a group portrait of employees and managers, East 61st Street building opening; candid and posed photographs of services provided to employees; interior views of office and payroll departments and manufacturing processes; and views of displayed clothing. The collection includes 30 black and white photographs of varying sizes.
This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of the garment industry in Cleveland, Ohio, in the first half of the twentieth century. It will also be useful to researchers studying the history of the Jewish community in Cleveland.
None.
Related MaterialThe researcher should also consult MS 3870 Printz-Biederman Company Records.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] PG 461 Printz-Biederman Company Photographs, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gift of Helene Printz in 1993.
Printz-Biederman Company Photographs ca. 1910s-1948 |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Group portrait of employees and managers, East 61st Street building opening 1934 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Interior views, office and payroll 1910s-1936 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Candid and posed views of services provided to Printz-Biederman employees, including cafeteria, medical facilities, and employee council 1910s-1920s | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Interior views of manufacturing processes, including laboratory testing of wool fabrics, Designing Department, cutting, sewing, pressing, and hand finishing 1910s-1930s | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Interior views of final examining and display of Printzess clothing 1930s-1948 | |||||||||