C51 C. Olesen A/S

International letter with perfin “C.O.” in the stamp. The letter is franked correctly with 20 øre, which was the rate for international letters from  October 1st 1907 to January 31th 1921. The stamp is cancelled March 29th 1917 with a whole letter cancellation machine type SP. 4B.K K 1 Bro III. The letter har also been opened by the British censor because of world war I.

The company C. Olesen was founded in 1892 by wholesaler Carl Ludvig Iver Olesen, born 1863, died 1927. In 1903 the company was transformed into Aktieselskabet C. Olesen with Carl Olsen as manager and Carl Levysohn as co-director

As a manufacturing company, the company started out with a major emphasis on carpets, upholstery and curtains, but also with linoleum, wax cloth, groceries, appliances and dress fabrics. The company later became sole distributor in Scandinavia of Staines linoleum and supervised linoleum factories in Russia.

In 1898 Carl Olsen also started the Danish Plys- og Møbelstoffabrik in Kastrup, which had exports to England and its colonies. In 1900, together with H. J. Heyman, he founded the sister company Aktiebolaget Heyman and Olesen in Stockholm. In addition, he purchased, reconstructed and resold a knitwear factory in Esbjerg, and later reconstructed Forshaga Linoleum factory in Karlstad and a linoleum factory in Libau.

In 1915 the company chartered the motor schooner Marienborg to sail linoleum from England to Finland, and in 1917 the motor schooner Danery to sail textiles from the UK to Denmark.

In 1892, the firm was located on the first floor of the Egholm estate on the corner of Østergade and Amagertorv. In 1897 the company moved into the corner property Højbro Plads 4 – Læderstræde, which Carl Olsen later bought together with Læderstræde 3. In 1916 he acquired a few old buildings in Gammel Strand, which in 1938 was replaced by a new building, Gammel Strand 28.

In 1968 the company moved to newly erected buildings at Avedøreholmen 46, but still had exhibition and exhibition rooms at Højbro Plads 10. In 2011, the company’s address is Bredholtvej 35, Sulsted.