Draeger frѐres printing collection, 1897-2025

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Summary

Creator:
Draeger frères
Abstract:
Draeger frères was a French printing and publishing company founded in 1866 by Charles Draeger and active until around 1980. Collection includes advertising and promotional materials; commercial trade catalogs; government propaganda posters including materials relating to World War I and the Vichy period of World War II; maps; educational books; art books; and other printed materials. Companies represented include Berliet, Cognac, Coty, Hermès, High Life Tailor, Nicholas Wines, Peugeot, Printemps, Renault, Royal House, and Samaritaine. Includes the work of artists and graphic designers such as Charles Martin, Edouard Garcia Benito, George Barbier, George Martin, Georges Lepape, Joseph Hemard, Leandre, Leonardo Cappiello, Leopold Franz Kowalski, Mariette Lydis, Maximilian Fischer, Paul Colas, Poulbot, R. Ernst, René Vincent, Sem, Willette, and the photographers Man Ray and Robert Doisneau. Text features contributions from writers including André Maurois, Charles Péguy, Jean-Henri Michel, Miguel Zamacoïs, and Pierre MacOrlan. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising, & Marketing History.
Extent:
9.5 Linear Feet
Language:
Materials in French, English, Spanish, German, and Portuguese.
Collection ID:
RL.13158

Background

Scope and content:

Collection includes advertising and promotional materials; commercial trade catalogs; government propaganda posters including materials relating to World War I and the Vichy period of World War II; maps; educational books; art books; and other printed materials.

Companies represented include Berliet, Cognac, Coty, Hermès, High Life Tailor, Nicholas Wines, Peugeot, Printemps, Renault, Royal House, and Samaritaine.

Includes the work of artists and graphic designers such as Charles Martin, Edouard Garcia Benito, George Barbier, George Martin, Georges Lepape, Joseph Hemard, Leandre, Leonardo Cappiello, Leopold Franz Kowalski, Mariette Lydis, Maximilian Fischer, Paul Colas, Poulbot, R. Ernst, René Vincent, Sem, Willette, and the photographers Man Ray and Robert Doisneau. Text features contributions from writers including André Maurois, Charles Péguy, Jean-Henri Michel, Miguel Zamacoïs, and Pierre MacOrlan.

Biographical / historical:

Draeger frères was a French publishing company founded in 1866 by Charles Draeger. Originally named Draeger & Lesieur, Draeger frères adopted its current name and brand after Charles Draeger died in 1899 when Amélie Bagdassard, Deager's wife, took over management of the company and renamed it Draeger frères. By the 1920s, Draeger frères was one of the premier printing houses in France, known for its proprietary printing process, Procédé 301.

Draeger frères reached its peak as a leading French firm for advertising and printing in the decades between the two world wars. During the German occupation of France (1940-1944), Drager frères was one of the few publishing companies to remain in operation, producing propaganda material for the Vichy government. In the postwar period, the firm produced photo books celebrating the French liberation movement including a commemorative book compiled by the city of Paris. In 1968, Claude Draeger launched Draeger Editions that produced large-format art books. In the late 1970s, the company was acquired by the Gaillard-Motel firm and converted to a printer of wallpaper. Publishing activity ended around 1980 and the company was defunct by 1990.

Draeger frères produced work for a number of companies including Coty, Hermès, Renault, Printemps, and Ford. The firm contracted with many prominent artists, graphic designers, and photographers including George Martin, George Barbier, Georges Lepape, Edouard Garcia Benito, René Vincent, Charles Martin, Joseph Hemard, Poulbot, Maximilian Fischer, Sem, Willette, Leandre, Leonardo Cappiello, Leopold Franz Kowalski, Mariette Lydis, Paul Colas, R. Ernst, Robert Doisneau, and Man Ray. Draeger Frères had a long-term relationship producing catalogs for the Nicholas Wine Company, considered the first French company to sell wine by the bottle from a storefront.

Acquisition information:
The Draeger frѐres printing collection was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase from Marc Selvaggio Books Ephemera in 2024-2025.
Processing information:

Processed by Brandee Newkirk, November 2025.

Accessions described in this collection guide: 2024-0078 and 2025-0112.

Arrangement:

Organized into the following series: Collection Reference Catalogs and Readings; Advertising Materials: French Industry; Art Books; Celebration of French Industry: Commercial Work; Commercial Trade Catalogs; Company Promotional Materials; Educational Works; General Poltical Printings; Medicine Collection; Military and War Printings: WWI and WWII; Nicolas Wines Collection; Various Printed Ephemera; and Vichy Propaganda Collection.

Materials arrived in multiple accessions accompanied by detailed catalogs prepared by the vendor. Items are organized by a number which corresponds to the number of the item as it appears in the vendor catalog. Items relating to the vendor's supplemental catalog have an "S-" prefixed to the catalog number to distinguish it from a similarly numbered item in the main vendor catalog. To facilitate cross-referencing individual items to their respective catalog descriptions, materials have been further organized according to main or supplemental catalog references. In addition, each item has been assigned a unique item number at processing to facilitate metadata management during digitization.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Draeger frѐres printing collection, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m12n0f