Müller & Strasburger Beginnings
The Müller & Strasburger doll manufacturing company began in 1806. This is learned from The Handbook of the Efficiency of the Entire Industry of Germany, Austria, Alsace-Lorraine and Switzerland with the listing: (translated) “Müller & Strassburger, papier-maché and porcelain factory.
Founded in 1806; Owner: the company owners.”
“Müller & Strassburger, Papiermaché- und Porzellanfabrik. Gegründet 1806; Inhaber: die Firmenträger.” Handbuch der Leistungsfähigkeit der gesammten Industrie Deutschlands, Oesterreichs Elsass-Lothringens und der Schweiz.
According to the Museum für Thüringer Volkskunde or Museum of Thuringian Folklore, Johann Friedrich Müller received permission on July 16, 1805 to manufacture and sell papier-mache goods.
In various listings of this company one can find different spellings of the Strassburger name (Strasburger, Straßburger).
Müller & Strasburger in the Commerce Listings
The German Address Book of all Countries in the World for Merchants, Manufacturers, Tradesmen, Landowners, etc. in 1859 mentioned Fr. Müller-Strassburger as merchants in Sonneberg with a factory for doll heads and papier-mâché goods.
1862 Müller & Strassburger Listings
In 1862 Müller & Strasburger advertised selling educational materials. Their listing read, (translated) “2658. MÜLLER, FR., & STRASBURGER, merchants and manufacturers, Sonneberg. Agent. Petit & Willborn from Paris, residing at H. B. & G. Lang, 5 Dunstans Hill, City. An assortment of samples of papier-mâché doll heads, porcelain doll heads, leather and cloth dolls, baptism candidates.”
Weltausstellung in 1862 (the official catalogue of the industrial department for London) listed them for chinaware and toys.
Also that year Special catalogue of the Zollverein-Department listed them advertising the selling of an assortment of paper maché and china dolls’ heads, leather and cotton-dolls, crying babies.
1863 Müller & Strasburger Successor
In 1863 the firm makes the announcement “Friedrich Müller & Strassburger in Sonneberg. (H.-
Ges.). Proc.: Oscar Heuschkel (23 Jan.).”
1868 Müller & Strasburger Peruvian Marble
The Deutsche Industrie-Zeitung in 1868 mentions the Müller & Strasburger company with others of the unique toys manufacturers of Sonneberg with the interesting mention beside their name of peruvian marble.
Müller & Strasburger in a Collective Exhibition
In 1873 they participated in a collective exhibition of Sonneberg toys, Saxony-Meiningen represented by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The exhibition included toys of all kinds, dolls, animals, figures, caricatures, dummies, wicker and reed baskets, wooden boxes, slates and styluses, glass beads, scissors.
That year one can find them listed in the German Address book of Export Businesses. “Müller, Frdr., & Strassburger in Sonneberg. Seite 141 I. Lfrg. I. Bd.”
The book carries an ad for them on page 141 that reads, (translated) “Fr. Müller & Straßburger, Sonneberg in the Thuringian Forest. Export of all products of the local industry. Factory of masks, dolls and heads made of paper, wood pulp and porcelain, bathing children, baptism candidates etc.”
1876 Handbook of European Commerce
The Handbook of European Commerce. What to buy and where to buy it lists the company in 1876 along with other Sonneberg toy manufacturers such as Cuno & Otto Dressel, Julius Dorst, and others.
A Christmas Charity in Leipzig
According to the Leipzig Newspaper in 1882 many toy manufacturers contributed toys as gifts to the poor children of Leipzig. Among the many were A. Fleischmann & Crämer, J. R. Süsselberger, Fr. Müller & Strassburger, Louis Lindner & Sohn, Gebrüder Fleischmann, Hermann Diez, Joh. Chr. Lindner. A. Lüge & Co., Cuno & Otto Dressel, Herm. Balter, sämmtlich in Sonneberg; Sam. Krauss in Rodach near Coburg, A. Wislizenus in Waltershausen near Gotha, the Porcelain Factory in Limbach near Alsbach, Gebrüder Heubach in Lichte near Wallendorf, Carl Moris in Taubenbach nearWallendorf, Fischer, Neumann & Co. in Ilmenau, and Arthur Kämpfe in Schmalenbuche near Neuhaus am Rennweg, and Sontag & Söhne in Tettau. The gift giving event occurred on December 27, a Wednesday, at 4 p.m at the Hotel de Pologne.
Nearing the End of Müller & Strasburger
In 1887 Leuchs’ Adressbuch der Export-Geschäfte advertised for Müller & Strasburger (translated as): “Fr. Müller & Strasburger Sonneberg in Thuringia, factory of all kinds of dolls, toys and masks. Specialties: dolls with unbreakable and washable heads, biscuit heads, leather frames and articulated dolls with biscuit heads, etc.”
Ludwig Christian Müller, born on March 40, 1812 in Sonneberg, merchant in Sonneberg, died on May 1, 1889. (He had become the new owner of the company in 1882 according to Cieslik’s German Doll Encyclopedia.)