Cuno and Otto Dressel named their company after themselves in 1873 and registered their first trademark in the district of Sonneberg May 3, 1875 for toys, dolls, doll heads, knick-knacks, glass, porcelain, stoneware, marbles and other items. The mark had an oval that read HOLZ-MASSE with a helmet with wings.
The Dressel Family
(NOTE: the following information is taken from German text and translated. There may be information that is lost in translation. Family members and relationships for such as Carl Dressel should be left to a German reader. Apologies are made for any mistranslation. Please see the links for the primary German resources).
Both men were sons of Ernst Friedrich Dressel († April 14, 1870) and Elisabeth Bischoff († March 22, 1876); and grandsons of Johann Philipp Dressel.
Johann Philipp Dressel family acquired “Dressel-hofes” (a free from taxes farm for refugees) the Dressel estates, on Easter of 1757 where they had already started a toy business. The Dressel toy business was one of the first representatives of the Thuringian toy industry. (Schriften des Vereins für Sachsen Meiningische Geschichte und Landeskunde. Hildburghausen: Kesselring. 1911). Other records say he purchased it in 1764.
The Privilegium
Different publication mention the special privileges of the land but sometimes with different dates. Heinrich Hensoldt describes the land privilege thus: “The country was treated with special princely favor and grace, and in anticipation of its still-to-be-achieved industrial importance, sought to regulate the existing conditions, on February 24, 1789, the local merchants were granted a statute, the so-called Privilegium, in which the separation of trade and Trades were pronounced, the proper learning of business and proper business operations were made compulsory for those involved, and everything was recommended that was only able to contribute to the development of an honorable, intelligent and in every respect efficient trading class at that time. The following are recognized as real merchants in this privilege: Georg Michael Bischoff; Chr. Justus Heubach; John Phil Dressel;” (and others.)
In 1798 Johann Philipp Dressel along with a Kilian Diez Wittwe advertised in a book called “Fabriken- und Manufacturen-Addreß-Lexicon von Teutschland,” or translated “Factories and Manufacturers Address Lexicon of Germany and Some Neighboring Countries” (Gaedicke, Johann Christian.) They advertised manufacturing and selling “Sonnenberger” goods, namely black, tin-plated and nails, glass beads, slates and pens, abrasive grinding stones, shotguns, organs, wooden goods of all kinds manufactured in Sonnenberg near Coburg. To Johann Dressel’s name was added the selling of parasols, souvenirs and other goods.
That year Joh. Phil. Dreszel is listed along with a John Paul Dreszel manufacturing wooden goods in Sonneberg near Coburg. It is possible that the name was spelled differently but refers to the same Dressel.
Joh. Phil. Dressel & Sons
Johann Philipp Dressel formed a business name under “J. Ph. Dressel und Sohne.” An advertisement appeared Der Verkündiger in the April 1, 1808 issue that read (translated) “Traveler, looking for orders. A young German merchant who has already made several business trips is making a trip this spring through Swabia, Bavaria and Tyrol to Italy. He will spend some time in Venice, Livorno, Rome and Naples. In the event that wholesalers want to entrust him with business either in the purchase or sale of goods for a cheap commission on his travels, he may wish to address them as soon as possible in postage-free letters to the trading house of Mr. J. Ph. Dressel and Sons in Sonnenberg near Coburg, which not only provides sufficient information because of the travelers themselves, but also has him provide it through well-known houses in Nuremberg, Augsburg, Frankfurt and Leirpzig.”
Friedrich Bickes mentions buying cheap nails from the factory of “Dressel and Sons” in his book from 1850 “Darstellung der künstlichen Sattler.”
Ernst & Carl Dressel
Ernst Dressel took over the toy company naming it “Ernst & Carl Dressel” in 1830. Johann Philip Dressel’s son, Ernst Dressel, was considered a “meritorious industrialist.” Ernst Dressel died April 14, 1870.
The name Carl may also refer to Otto Dressel. One publication claims that Carl was Johann Philipp Dressel’s grandson born on July 30, 1931.
Philip Lanhammer, a doll manufacturer who died in 1912, worked as an apprentice for a time under the firm of Ernst & Carl Dressel.
Cuno Dressel
Older of the two brothers, Cuno was born March 3, 1829 and passed away on February 1, 1893.
Otto Dressel
Otto was born on July 30, 1831 in Sonneberg. He attended private school from 1837-1844 there and the Meiningen secondary school from 1844-47 when he joined his father’s wholesale toy business in 1848. Later he trained in Paris in 1850, went to London in 1851 to study in England and Scotland.
In 1856 Otto joined the Ernst & Carl Dressel company.
Otto Dressel died on July 24, 1907 at the age of 77. An obituary described Otto as (translated) “a great in the realm of industry, who knew how to turn his house into a world house with a far-sighted eye, in-depth knowledge of the economic conditions of the sales areas, daring and restlessly active work together with his sons raise.”
When Otto Dressel died in 1907, his two sons (Otto Dressel and Ernst Friedrich Dressel, great grandsons of Johann Philip Dressel) donated 20,000 M to build a new school in Sonneberg.
1843 Sonneberg Federation of Trade
Ernst Dressel founded and worked with a federation of Sonneberg merchants to look for overseas trade opportunities. This effort may have contributed to the appointment of Louis Linder as Consul from the U.S. to Sonneberg in 1851.
1862 Leipzig Fair
Otto Dressel attended the exhibitions in Vienna, Paris, Berlin Nuremberg, and Leipzig, where he sometimes acted as a judge.
1870 events
The fluctuating economic policies due to war caused the toy industries to suffer. This came from a reduction in demand for toys in Austria, Russia, France, Italy, Denmark and Sweden especially due to the increase in tariffs.
Cuno & Otto Dressel official form their company in 1873. They proceed to make great efforts to market the company especially to prepare for the World Fair in Philadelphia in 1876.
1875 First Trademark
In 1875 when Cuno & Otto Dressel registered their first trademark, The New York Herald featured a lengthy article about the doll and toy industry in Sonneberg called “The Home of the Dolls.” The article praises the showrooms of Cuno & Otto Dressel and Messr. Fleischmann for the thousands of varieties of toys.
1876 Philadelphia World Fair
At the World Fair of 1876 in Philadephia Cuno & Otto Dressel had a listing they claim they manufacture toys, dolls, and model wax dolls. You can view their half page ad on page 122 in the German official catalog of the World Fair of 1876 in Philadephia. The shows their first trademark with the words HOLZ MASSE and the ED with the backward E which stood for their father’s initials Ernst Dressel. They call themselves “Manufacturers and Exporters of German Toys and Dolls” with toys and dolls of every description: wood, papier mache, solid paste glass, wax, china etc. They also advertised baskets, glass beads, masks, musical instruments, slates, slate-pencils, and marbles. The ad can also be viewed here.
Cuno and Otto Dressel were also featured along with 20 other manufacturers for Sonneberg and the surrounding area in the 1876 book, “Handbook of European commerce. What to buy and where to buy it; being a key to European manufactures and industry.”
Cheap Dolls
Sonneberg became famous for manufacturing cheap dolls. An advertisement appeared in 1877 that read, “Cat. No. 340. CUNO & OTTO DRESSEL, Sonneberg. Spielwaaren (toys), Puppen (dolls). Especially heads, with good looking features. Great variety, solid material, and cheapness.” (The ad was found in the German publication called the Reports from the International Judges on the Exhibition Items of the Award-Winning German Exhibitors: World Exhibition in Philadelphia 1876. Compiled by the Reich Commission.)
1882 New Owners
Otto Dressel’s two sons Otto Jr. and Ernst Friedrich take over the business in 1882. During this time Otto Sr. becomes Kommerzienrat of Sonneberg on June 20, 1883. (Otto Dressel served as the municipal councilor for 27 years.)
1883 Cuno & Otto Dressel in Leuchs’ Adressbuch
The full page ad found on page 59 of Leuch’s Addressbook in 1883 features the Dressel factory. The ad reads, “Cuno & Otto Dressel. Sonneberg (Thuringia). Manufacture and export of all types of dolls and toys (Dolls and Toys) made of wood, papier-maché, glass and porcelain etc. Slate boards, styluses and marbles, glass beads and Christmas tree decorations, porcelain, dolls, bathing children, services, knick-knacks, basketware, musical instruments, terracotta goods, paint boxes, masks. Specialties in: Dolls and doll heads of our own manufacture: solid mass (unbreakable) dolls, finest wax model dolls, daddy-mummy dolls with improved speaking mechanism according to a new system; dolls with heads and limbs made of terralith. Awarded at the exhibitions: Vienna 1873. Philadelphia 1876. Melbourne 1880. Frankfurt a M. 1881.”
1893 Chicago World Fair & Uncle Same Dolls
Cuno & Otto Dressel attend the 1893 World’s Fair Exposition in Chicago along with several other representatives of Germany’s toy industry. The group of Sonneberg doll makers formed the “Collective Exhibit of the Toy Industry of Sonneberg” as listed in Germany’s official catalogue of its exhibits at the “World’s Columbia Exposition” of 1893 in Chicago. Handels-and Gewerbe-Kammer of Sonneberg acted as business management for the group.
During this time the company manufactured a series of dolls to resemble the American character of Uncle Same who came in various costumes including as a Santa Clause or farmers. Click here to see the doll once sold at Theriault’s auction house.
1897 Leipzig Fair
The Address Book of the Leipzig Fair (Leipziger Mess-Adressbuch) of 1897 advertised “Cuno & Otto Dressel, Sonneberg (Thuringia), dolls and toys, dummies, Christmas tree decorations. O.-V. Ross-Str. 2 (Hotel Hauffe).”
Loss from War and Expansion
The Dressels had taken far reaching precautions that allowed them to survive the impact of the loss from World War I. The Dressel factories suffered loss from the war, but rebuilt on a larger scale. They even expanded their exhibition for the 1917 fair in Leipzig and an expansive show room on Peterstrasse called “Three Kings” covered 325 square meters.
Carl Stahl of Rittenstrasse 85 represented the company in Berlin in 1918.
1928 Ad in the German Toy Newspaper
An ad for Cuno & Otto Dressel appears in the 1928 Spielwaren-Zeitung that reads (translated) “CUNO & OTTO NUREMBERG. DRESSED URESSEL SONNEBERG GRÜNHAINICHEN BERLIN ® • The 1928 collection contains the finest and most viable products from our industry. We also bring excellent innovations that are real hits: D. R. G. M. children’s vacuum cleaner, working automatically, new tower track, wave track, nigger jazz phone, new mass-produced item, baby friction street scooter, special Krahn. Request a sample offer! Permanent sample warehouses: BERLIN SW 68, Alexandrinenstrasse 27. DUSSELDORF, E. Zurkuhl, Steinstrasse 48. VIENNA VII. 2, Max Felix, Schönbrunner Strasse 109. To the Leipzig Trade Fair: “THREE KINGS”, Petersstrasse 32, III. Floor, Stand 301, 317 and 320.”
Cuno & Otto Dressel Doll markings
As stated earlier, their first trademark consisted of a winged helmet. This helmet may appear with the words HOLZ MAZZE or sometimes with the initials COD in plain written text or with a large capital D that encompasses the previous CO. Sometimes the helmet appears with only the word Germany above it. Later dolls appear with only the initial C and the word Germany.
The backward E with a D as I mentioned earlier was in the first trademark. Sometimes only this mark is found.
Cuno & Otto Dressel worked with Simon & Halbig for manufacturing doll heads so sometimes the name Dressel or their initials appear the S&H.
Some Dressel dolls have the word Jutta, Bambina, Hexe, and Mercurius.
A lady shaped bisque socket doll with jointed composition body found marked “1469 C. O. Dressel Germany 2″ stood about 14 inches tall. She is usually one of the more sought after and higher in value Cuno & Otto dolls. Very rare face mold number 1468 was a similar lady face doll made by Simon & Halbig for Cuno & Otto Dressel.
**See some other antique German doll marks here.
Read about a German doll manufacturers Müller & Strassburger in Sonneberg much older that the Dressel company that also made papier mache doll heads.