I can become overwhelmed with the prospect of writing out a big project, assembling the evidence for presentation, etc. Usually, I plan it and plan it, and never find the time to complete it. So for this brief history of Godet, I decided simply to write out the narrative of things I feel very confident are true, and let the discussion lead us into whatever evidence needs to be presented and corrections need to be made. I think I will follow this up with a timeline of sorts, with proprietors, company names and addresses mapped against dates. The following information is based on my own amateur research over the past year. My sources included, first, this and other forums, the awards themselves, and also some period documentation.
Incidentally, this project originally began as an attempt to systematize and order Godet EK frames, cores, and marks. That project is still ongoing, and I will probably present it at some later date.
Your questions and corrections are warmly welcomed. Let's see what we can piece together between us. So, in narrative form, I present a very brief history of Godet, as I believe it to have occurred.
Godet
Godet was founded in 1761 by 29-year old Jean Godet. Their first known address, which I presume to have been their first address, was at Schlossfreiheit 4 in Berlin. Initially, the company made its reputation designing and manufacturing religious jewelry. Around 1796, Jean was succeeded as proprietor by his 26 year old son, Jean Jacques Godet. His son Jean Frédéric Godet followed. In 1828, under the stewardship of Jean Frédéric Godet, the firm was named the court jeweler to Wilhelm of Prussia, who was then the 31-year old Crown Prince.
In 1861, Wilhelm became King of Prussia, whereupon he designated Godet, by then run by Jean Frédéric's 38-year old son and successor Jean Pierre, official “Purveyor to the Court” of Prussia. Also sometime around this date, Godet was renamed Godet & Sohn, or Godet & Son.
In 1865, Jean Frédéric died, and left his son Jean Pierre sole proprietor of Godet & Sohn. The next year Jean Pierre had a son himself, and named him Eugene. It is Eugene Godet who brought Godet into the 20th C., and eventually sold his family's business.
In 1871, while Godet & Sohn was still based at their original location on Schlossfreiheit, Wilhelm I became German Kaiser in Versailles. The German Empire, or 2nd Reich, was born. It is during this time that Godet & Sohn is suspected of having designed and manufactured the "Type B" core to the 1870 Iron Cross. Certainly they manufactured Iron Crosses of both classes, as well as most of the well-known orders, decorations and medals of the Prussian state. They also began manufacturing orders and decorations of nations around the globe, as well as miniatures.
In 1877, the firm was renamed J. Godet & Sohn. This was the first of many name switches between Godet & Sohn, and J. Godet & Sohn, over the following 50+ years. I will not document every switch here, as they seemed to happen with some regularity and may in fact have been unimportant. In 1880, Jean Pierre Godet died. It is unclear to me, at this point, into whose hands the business passed at this stage, but under the stewardship of someone new in 1883, J. Godet & Sohn expanded their operations to include a ribbon manufacturing factory, also located at Schlossfreiheit 4. Three years later, in 1886, 20-year old Eugene Godet entered the family business for the first time, but not (at first) as proprietor.
In 1891 J. Godet & Sohn moved for the first time, to new premises at Schloß Platz 14. This move was temporary, however, and on 1 September 1893 they moved to new headquarters at 167 Friedrichstraße. In 1902, the company had a new device, a telephone, installed in their offices. Their new premises contained workshops for manufacturing orders, decorations, and medals, as well as those for weaving ribbons, in-house. Whether the older locations also had such facilities is not clear to me at this moment.
J. Godet & Sohn began advertising specifically for mounting services in 1904. Anyone with medals to mount, whether made by Godet or by anyone else, could bring them by the Friedrichstraße address to be mounted by their specialists.
J. Godet & Sohn was 150 years old in 1911. That year Eugene, now 45, took over as sole proprietor of the family business. Their Sesquicentennial Anniversary Celebrations were attended by Kaiser Wilhelm II himself. He used the occasion to name J. Godet & Sohn Royal Court Jewelers, certainly the highest honor that could be bestowed upon a jeweler during the height of Wilhelmine Germany. After 1911, most of Godet's products and advertising materials would carry the designation "Königliche Hofjuweliere."
In 1913, J. Godet & Sohn moved to larger headquarters at 55 Charlottenstraße, and in 1923 became a publicly traded company, or Aktiengesellschaft, with shareholders.
In 1929, for reasons that are still unknown to me, J. Godet & Sohn was sold to a competitor, J.H. Werner. The headquarters of J. Godet & Sohn were moved to 173 Friedrichstraße, the long-time premises of J.H. Werner, and the two firms began making and marketing products as Godet-Werner, including orders, medals, and mounted Ordensspangen.
However, Eugene and Jean Godet (presumably Eugene's brother) continued to lease a space at 55 Charlottenstraße, and founded a new firm, which they called Gebrüder Godet, in 1931. Apparently this was legally defensible by the terms of the sale of J. Godet & Sohn to J.H. Werner. Somewhat disingenuously, Gebrüder Godet advertised themselves as the "Oldest Orders Jewelers" in Prussia, while J. Godet & Sohn, now part of J.H. Werner, advertised, "Since 1761."
In 1932, Werner moved their subsidiary J. Godet & Sohn, out of their Friedrichstraße headquarters and into new premises at 12 Unter den Linden. Gebrüder Godet got a leg up when they were chosen to design the Hindenburg Cross for those who participated in the Great War. Apparently the cross was personally designed by Eugene.
With the coming of World War II and the founding of the PKZ and the LdO, it was Eugene's new company Gebrüder Godet rather than the old Königliche Hofjuweliere that received the licenses to manufacture the new awards, and in fact, although J. Godet & Sohn continued to exist, I do not personally know what they even made.
Incidentally, this project originally began as an attempt to systematize and order Godet EK frames, cores, and marks. That project is still ongoing, and I will probably present it at some later date.
Your questions and corrections are warmly welcomed. Let's see what we can piece together between us. So, in narrative form, I present a very brief history of Godet, as I believe it to have occurred.
Godet
Godet was founded in 1761 by 29-year old Jean Godet. Their first known address, which I presume to have been their first address, was at Schlossfreiheit 4 in Berlin. Initially, the company made its reputation designing and manufacturing religious jewelry. Around 1796, Jean was succeeded as proprietor by his 26 year old son, Jean Jacques Godet. His son Jean Frédéric Godet followed. In 1828, under the stewardship of Jean Frédéric Godet, the firm was named the court jeweler to Wilhelm of Prussia, who was then the 31-year old Crown Prince.
In 1861, Wilhelm became King of Prussia, whereupon he designated Godet, by then run by Jean Frédéric's 38-year old son and successor Jean Pierre, official “Purveyor to the Court” of Prussia. Also sometime around this date, Godet was renamed Godet & Sohn, or Godet & Son.
In 1865, Jean Frédéric died, and left his son Jean Pierre sole proprietor of Godet & Sohn. The next year Jean Pierre had a son himself, and named him Eugene. It is Eugene Godet who brought Godet into the 20th C., and eventually sold his family's business.
In 1871, while Godet & Sohn was still based at their original location on Schlossfreiheit, Wilhelm I became German Kaiser in Versailles. The German Empire, or 2nd Reich, was born. It is during this time that Godet & Sohn is suspected of having designed and manufactured the "Type B" core to the 1870 Iron Cross. Certainly they manufactured Iron Crosses of both classes, as well as most of the well-known orders, decorations and medals of the Prussian state. They also began manufacturing orders and decorations of nations around the globe, as well as miniatures.
In 1877, the firm was renamed J. Godet & Sohn. This was the first of many name switches between Godet & Sohn, and J. Godet & Sohn, over the following 50+ years. I will not document every switch here, as they seemed to happen with some regularity and may in fact have been unimportant. In 1880, Jean Pierre Godet died. It is unclear to me, at this point, into whose hands the business passed at this stage, but under the stewardship of someone new in 1883, J. Godet & Sohn expanded their operations to include a ribbon manufacturing factory, also located at Schlossfreiheit 4. Three years later, in 1886, 20-year old Eugene Godet entered the family business for the first time, but not (at first) as proprietor.
In 1891 J. Godet & Sohn moved for the first time, to new premises at Schloß Platz 14. This move was temporary, however, and on 1 September 1893 they moved to new headquarters at 167 Friedrichstraße. In 1902, the company had a new device, a telephone, installed in their offices. Their new premises contained workshops for manufacturing orders, decorations, and medals, as well as those for weaving ribbons, in-house. Whether the older locations also had such facilities is not clear to me at this moment.
J. Godet & Sohn began advertising specifically for mounting services in 1904. Anyone with medals to mount, whether made by Godet or by anyone else, could bring them by the Friedrichstraße address to be mounted by their specialists.
J. Godet & Sohn was 150 years old in 1911. That year Eugene, now 45, took over as sole proprietor of the family business. Their Sesquicentennial Anniversary Celebrations were attended by Kaiser Wilhelm II himself. He used the occasion to name J. Godet & Sohn Royal Court Jewelers, certainly the highest honor that could be bestowed upon a jeweler during the height of Wilhelmine Germany. After 1911, most of Godet's products and advertising materials would carry the designation "Königliche Hofjuweliere."
In 1913, J. Godet & Sohn moved to larger headquarters at 55 Charlottenstraße, and in 1923 became a publicly traded company, or Aktiengesellschaft, with shareholders.
In 1929, for reasons that are still unknown to me, J. Godet & Sohn was sold to a competitor, J.H. Werner. The headquarters of J. Godet & Sohn were moved to 173 Friedrichstraße, the long-time premises of J.H. Werner, and the two firms began making and marketing products as Godet-Werner, including orders, medals, and mounted Ordensspangen.
However, Eugene and Jean Godet (presumably Eugene's brother) continued to lease a space at 55 Charlottenstraße, and founded a new firm, which they called Gebrüder Godet, in 1931. Apparently this was legally defensible by the terms of the sale of J. Godet & Sohn to J.H. Werner. Somewhat disingenuously, Gebrüder Godet advertised themselves as the "Oldest Orders Jewelers" in Prussia, while J. Godet & Sohn, now part of J.H. Werner, advertised, "Since 1761."
In 1932, Werner moved their subsidiary J. Godet & Sohn, out of their Friedrichstraße headquarters and into new premises at 12 Unter den Linden. Gebrüder Godet got a leg up when they were chosen to design the Hindenburg Cross for those who participated in the Great War. Apparently the cross was personally designed by Eugene.
With the coming of World War II and the founding of the PKZ and the LdO, it was Eugene's new company Gebrüder Godet rather than the old Königliche Hofjuweliere that received the licenses to manufacture the new awards, and in fact, although J. Godet & Sohn continued to exist, I do not personally know what they even made.
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