Blum and Degen were pioneer post card publishers whose first known card were published in 1895. They covered a wide range of subjects, but only the company history and the Hertfordshire view cards are discussed on this page here, and they fall in a narrow date range. For some of the later comic cards see the "F S" Project.

The earliest I know of were standard sized cards with undivided backs, and while they do not carry the publisher's name they have a distinctive heading on the address side and leave white space for a message on the picture side. The cards are unnumbered and the earliest I have seen was posted in 1903. None of the ones I have seen are coloured.

The first divided back cards are similar. The had a smaller area for messages than for the address on the address side (labelled "Writing space for Inland use only"), and retained a smaller area of white space for messages on the picture side. Later the space on the address side was enlarged and white space vanished from the picture side. These card would have typically been produced about 1905. All cards were given a number, and some were coloured.

A distinctive trademark was introduced in 1905 and many "KROMO" series coloured views of Hertfordshire were issued. The company went bankrupt in October 1908 and there is no evidence of any further Hertfordshire KROMO cards being produced. Such cards would typically have been produced circa 1907.

In 1907 the company claimed to have a stock of ten million cards, but this high stock level lead to financial difficulties and in October 1908 the receiver was called in by Mr. Niven (see Klio Post Card Company).

Undivided Backs (circa 1903)

		Version 1 (as shown) with smaller picture to leave room for message.. Back printed in black. Unnumbered.
		Version 2 - as 1 but with wide message strip on picture side  and back printed in red.

Early Divided Backs (circa 1905)

		Version 1 (as shown) with larger area for address Picture has narrow "message strip"
		Version 2 - very similar but equal area for message and address, no message area on picture side
		Version 3 - very similar to version 2 but coloured picture and green writing on back and "Postcard" one word.

2685				London Orphan Asylum Watford		Version 1. Posted December 1905
3690				Queens Road, Watford		Version 1
3691				High Street, Watford		Version 1 Same image as coloured # 8118
3986				Hadley Green, near Barnet		?
6233				Mount Pleasant Lavender Field Hitchin		Version 2. Posted July 29 1913
8117				Market Place Watford		Version 3
8118				High Street Watford		Version 3. Posted 1907 Same image as uncoloured # 3691
8268				St Peter's Street St Albans		Version 3
10584				Parish Church East Barnet		Version 2. Posted September 23 1910
10959				Charlton		Version 2. Posted December 24 1912
10963				Ickleford		Version 2, Posted 1914 Identical image to a Frith card
15609				Knebworth House
15611				Hermitage Road Hitchin		Version 2. Not posted Identical image to a Frith card - see An Interesting Pair
16296				The Four Cross Roads Watford		Version 2. Posted October 1905 (also known in colour)
No Number				Cassiobury Park, Watford, Posted 1905		Version 2 Posted 1905

 

Kromo Series (circa 1907)

21545				River Lear & Lock, Ware		Posted 1908
21595				Old Mill, Cassiobury Park, Watford		Posted 1907
21640				Thorley Lock & River Stort		Posted 1908
21652				Market Place, Watford		Posted 1960 ! Also known uncoloured
22274				Cassiobury Park, Watford [Grand Junction Canal]		1911
52282				Waterfall, Grove Mill, Watford Cassiobury Park

[More examples of Kromo cards, plus some information on different backs,  will be added]