When searching for the origin of the two postcards with the Lion Spitz, a helpful tip from Facebook was the basis for further research. The key word was "Caesar and Minka".
Since there is a lot of interesting information about Caesar and Minka, but it would go beyond the scope, read on here: Caesar and Minka - breeding and trading (Zahna, Prussia)< /u>
Caesar and Minka - the Lion Spitz
The breed breeder, actually one of two dog wholesalers of his time, offered dogs of various "genres" as well as dog food and accessories. Only later, from around 1905, did the postcard collections of Dog Types" go on sale. The original photos were taken by the "court photographer" Oscar Strensch directly in the kennels in Wittenberg.
One of many advertisements by Caesar and Minka
with mention of the postcards:
The Löwenspitz did not appear verbatim in the advertisements, but in the offered book Des noble Hunds - Aufzucht, Pflege und Dressur by Otto Friedrich (1889) a separate chapter.
Lion Spitz
Among the breeds of dogs kept for guarding the yard and house, the spitz ranks first; he combines with an irritable, restless, yappy personality an untiring vigilance, which cannot be diminished even by the greatest hardships. How convinced the spitz is of its job as a watchman is shown by its peculiarity that it cannot and does not want to get used to a certain resting place. Sometimes he is accustomed to pitching his bed on the manure heap, sometimes in some corner of the stable, sometimes in front of the house or yard door. He must be able to roam freely and unbound in the territory assigned to him for guarding, so that he can reach the top floor as well as the deepest basement of the house. He also inspects the stables and the gardens, and if he really goes into the field with his team of horses, his place is where the clothes of the people who work in the field lie. Just as faithfully he guards the wagon of the freight driver driving on a lonely road, and at the time when the freight wagon was still in bloom, a good Spitz was a very sought-after and well-paid dog.
The lion spitz is the largest of the spitz species, a variant of the large smooth-headed spitz. It almost reaches the size of a fox, but is stronger and more muscular than the latter. The head is flat, the muzzle pointed, the ears narrow and erect, which is a key characteristic of breed purity. Pointers with their ears half folded are not as valuable as those with their ears erect. The hair is very rich, and while it is close lying on the face, ears, and feet, it lengthens on the neck, which must be short and strong, and on the chest, into a dense mane; the back is straight and the tail is a full, bushy tail, which is mostly carried curled. Pants are formed on the powerful buttocks. For the most part, the color of the spitz is white, white-yellow and bread-yellow, other varieties are rare, so that the all-black spitz is a great rarity. [2]
Arthur Seyfarth and the lion spitz
Another source for the lion spitz of his time was Arthur Seyfarth's kennel.
He acted with a similar offer in Köstritz (Thuringia) and showed that he was founded in 1864, the first large noble breed breeder with his own breeding facility.
His advertisements contain lion spitz and silk spitz (See Seidenspitz). In addition to a price catalogue, Album noblerrasse-Hunde, he has also published a book:
The dog and its breeds. Instructions for knowledge of dog breeds, rational breeding, education, care, training and healing of diseases. (published in 1900) [3]
Price catalog and race album by Arthur Seyfarth
On the right is a white Spitz:
Wolf Spitz & Lion Spitz
The Wolfsspitz, "Löwenspitz", also known as the Pomeranian Spitz, is an extremely robust, lively and alert dog. He has a smooth face, pointed ears, a rich, full coat of hair, a thick mane and a flagpole curled on his back. His exceptional alertness, due to his keen hearing, is proverbial. Every imperceptible noise alters him, he pricks up his ears, jumps up and strikes. The dense, full fur protects him from the cold and wet. The Spitz is therefore very suitable for spending time outdoors, for guard duty, whereby its facilities come into their own, but at the same time it is also a very pleasant room and house dog. Because of its wolf-grey color it is called Wolfsspitz, the white or black Spitz are called "Löwenspitzer", Friesländer, also Pomeranian Spitz. [3]
Colours: black, pure white, wolf grey, fox red, brown
Size: 40-50 cm
Weight: 10-15 kilos
Sources:
[1] Lexicon of photographers, from the Thiel - Melerski collection: Hof-Photograph Strensch
[2] The noble dog's rearing, care and training, Otto Friedrich, 7th edition 1889 (self-published)
[3] Album of noble breed dogs. German edition, self-published, Arthur Seyfarth, 1905