The Albertype Company was founded in 1889 as Wittemann Brothers by Adolph Wittemann and his brother, father, and the uncle of Hermann L. Wittemann, who died in 1952, at which point the business closed. Both generations of Wittemanns were themselves photographers. They also acquired prints from other photographers, including publication rights. The company's output eventually reached several million pictures per year; it also distributed postcards and souvenir booklets.
