Deck manufactured by Bernard J. Dondorf

Bernard J. Dondorf was born in Frankfurt on 19th March, 1809, the son of Jewish immigrants. After serving his apprenticeship at C. Naumann printers, he opened a lithographic printing business in 1833. His first packs were produced in the 1840s by steel engraving and stencil-coloured lithography. In 1853 he purchased a steam engine and gradually increased his output of playing cards under the name “B. Dondorf, Frankfurt a. M.” In 1871 Dondorf opened a new factory in Bockenheimer Landstrasse. In 1872 Bernhard Dondorf retired leaving the business in the hands of his sons who continued to expand the business and build new factories.