The Zaehnsdorfs (1842-1947) Craft Bookbinders

1986

Private Collection

Middlesex, England: Private Libraries Association

In July, 1890 the Zaehnsdorf business relocated to new bespoke premises in the Cambridge Circus area of Central London, near Charing Cross Road. Called ‘The Cambridge Works’, the building housed a basement, where the folding, sewing and collating (traditionally called ‘Women’s work’) took place; the ground floor with its showroom and offices; and the upper floors which included the forwarding, covering and finishing departments, all bathed in natural light from the many windows. Joseph William Zaehnsdorf retired in 1920 and his eldest son, Ernest (1879-1970), took over, having entered the business in 1896. Zaehnsdorf’s continued trading until its merger in 1983 with Sangorski and Sutcliffe, a binding business established in 1901.