It is difficult to trace the history of the Mainzer animal cards with much accuracy. The cards were printed in Geneva, Switzerland in the mid 1940s under the Max Kunzli name and did not at that time bear the Alfred Mainzer imprint. The same views appeared later bearing the Kunzli name in addition to the Mainzer imprint, which implies that the Mainzer company purchased the plates and, for a time, continued to have them printed in Switzerland by Kunzli. These cards are easily recognizable by their slightly ragged-looking edges and usually softer colors. Yet another edition, presumably the next in the timeline, was printed in Belgium. This edition had lost not only the Kunzli name, but many (if not most) of the original Swiss views, presumably in the name of updating or modernizing the views to a more contemporary European look. While the Swiss edition often tended toward traditional home and street scenes reminiscent of small villages in the Alps, the Belgium views usually included more modern, metropolitan settings with vivid colors. The Belgian cards feature the well-known scalloped or "wavy" edges. Later card sets were printed in Spain, the United States, and Turkey, though the views and numbers appear to have remained more consistent with the Belgian edition. The most recent editions have been printed on cards with straight edges.
Collectors have theorized that the series, in some form, may have existed prior to the Swiss printings by Kunzli, based on a number of cards found which feature dressed cats, but no concrete evidence has been found as yet. Many of these cards, while bearing scenes reminiscent of Hartung's cats, are rendered in a style unlike the Mainzer cards.
The last name of the artist for the cards is thought to be Hartung, possibly the German abstract artist by the same name. The artist's mark appears as the little heart logo on the corners of the cards beginning with the Belgium set. More research is needed to verify this information.
The Mainzer company was founded by brothers Renate and Alfred Mainzer, who started the business in their New York City home in 1938. They began by pasting animal, scenic, and floral postcards imported from Switzerland onto folders to be sold as greeting cards. They did this work in the evenings after their day jobs. As the business grew, they expanded into greeting cards and other postcards and moved into a rented facility. As these rented rooms became too small, in 1955 they bought the company's current warehouse in Long Island City, NY. In 1977, an additional building was added to house the company's offices. This information is useful in dating the Mainzer cards. Those bearing the 118 East 26th Street, NY address on the backs of the cards indicate that the cards were printed in 1955 or before. The Long Island address indicates that the cards were printed after 1955 but before 1977. The split address, 27-08 40th Avenue, was used on the cards after 1977.
The Alfred Mainzer Company still exists and today sells a "collector series" of the Mainzer dressed animal postcards, which contains 100 views. The company is still located at 27-08 40th Avenue, Long Island City, NY. The company, which apparently does not enjoy replying to questions about the history of the cards, admits to the existence of more than 200 views. Collectors believe the number is much closer to 300, especially when one takes into account the views from the original Swiss edition which were not carried over into later, more modernized, editions.
The Mainzer company also printed or imported various other postcards, including real animal views of cats, dogs and horses.
*Many thanks to Sharon Sinclair of Paducah, KY for her Mainzer Company research