J. Salmon Limited

Salmon is the oldest established post card and calendar publisher in Britain.

The company was founded in 1880 when Joseph Salmon, who had been a bookseller in London, acquired a stationer’s shop with a general printing business at 85 High Street, Sevenoaks in Kent. He continued the business in its existing form until, in 1898, his son, also Joseph Salmon, took over when his father retired.

By 1890, Joseph had become interested in the potential of printing and publishing pictorial post cards and produced a collection of twelve black and white post cards of Sevenoaks and district. This was followed, by a small collection of coloured post cards of local scenes. Such was the success of these early cards that in a very few years the range had been widened to include comic cards. Around 1912 Joseph Salmon also started to publish post cards featuring the work of Alfred Robert Quinton, a famous association that was to last until the artist’s death in 1934.

Also at this time Salmon started to publish a small series of local view pictorial calendars with coloured illustrations of English scenes, towns and regions. The earliest calendars were in a turnover style although as techniques developed both turnover and panel style calendars were produced in increasing numbers.

By the end of the First World War, the business had outgrown its original site and a new factory was built in Sevenoaks. With subsequent additions and extensions this site has remained at the heart of the business ever since.

The company has remained in the ownership of the Salmon family and today is run by Charles and Harry Salmon, the fifth generation of the family to be involved in the business.

   Read about 100 Years of Salmon Calendars