Sewing machine hand operated, Gritzner c. 1930 (SB).

Sewing machine maker, active 1872-1957 (when sold to Pfaff)

One of the giants of German sewing machine manufacture was the Gritzner Company. The firm was established by Maximilian Gritzner at Karlsruhe, Durlach in 1872 with the first machines being modelled on the Singer 12.  The business grew rapidly, then in 1881, a fire devastated the factory which had to be substantially rebuilt but within months the firm was back in production.  
 
In 1886 the company went public with Max’s sons Rudolph and Julius as board members, the new company continued to expand and not content with producing sewing machines the company  diversified in 1897 when it started producing bicycles and then in 1903 motorcycles. This makes its production figures quite remarkable as by 1902 a million sewing machines had been produced with the two million mark being reached just eight years later.  
 
In 1925 Gritzner took over one of the few other major German sewing machine manufacturers Frister & Rossmann before merging with Pfalzische Nahamaschinen & Fahrradfabrik formerly Gebr Kayser. The company survived the Second World War and continued to develop new machines before being sold to Pfaff in 1957. 
 
We don’t know when the company entered the British market but as Gritzner & Co. Ltd they were advertising machines such as the Model A and Original Graziosa (Model D) in the 1880’s The company later changed its name to The Gritzner Machine Company Ltd and Ad. Ries & Co., 45 Hatton Garden, London were the company’s wholesale agent for many years before being replaced by Fred Dickson, 23 Bucklersbury, London by the early 1900’s.
Sourced from http://www.sewmuse.co.uk/Gritzner.pdf, accessed 4 Sept 2019

Gritzner

Durlach, Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe district, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Europe

H9440 Sewing machine, hand operated, metal / wood, Gritzner, Durlach, Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, c. 1930

POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Glitzner hand operated sewing machine

Object No. H9440

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