Christmas ornaments were made of cardboard between 1880-1914 mainly in Dresden, Leipzig and Berlin. These companies catered for a variety of card decorations needed for the popular pageants, costumes, carnival and Christmas decoration markets that took place throughout the year.
Dresdner Pappe (paper board) was slightly different than the heavier cardboard which was used for boxes in France and Germany. Paper is quite technical I found! Anything under 150g/m2 is paper anything above 150g/m2 up to 500g/m2 is classified as cardboard. The paperboard was dampened and pressed together put into heated metal embossed dies and pressed. It required a two part embossing for the front and back. The surface was then colored or laminated in silver or gold leaf, bronze powder or wafer thin metal layers.
Producing metal papers was a profitable business the most notable factories in Furth and Nuremberg as many as 150 companies produced these papers from 1850 up to 1950. After decorating, the two embossed shells were glued together and sent to homeworkers to embellish with paint, mica, glitter and perhaps thin wire.
All sorts of forms and shapes were made, figures, animals, objects like a rifle! boats, tanks, etc., etc. The bigger card figures were used as table decorations and one large deer has glass eyes It is easy to find flat card figures often referred to as Dresden ornaments but technically they are not. Dresdens are always three dimensional. These flat ones of which I have many were used for costumes, scrapbooks, and hat decoration for carnival times.
Dresden ornaments fetch ridiculously high prices as they are rare and very desirable and can sell in the thousands. Most now are found in America as they were a very popular export product.
The industry did not survive WW1. The metal dies were melted down for the war effort and by 1920 times in Germany had changed. The carnivals and festivals were over, the German people had moved on. Whatever may have existed into the 1940s in Dresden did not survive WW2. Happily the craft has been revived and wonderful forms can be found at the Puppenfest and in shops and flea markets, but do not be fooled, these are repros and should be priced accordingly.
I should mention the communist rule in the 1930’s produced 2-dimensional card small ornaments in all manner of shapes, very garish with shiny paper decoration. It is worth buying a few as they are cheap and show the ongoing history of a collectible. We have to marvel and appreciate the contribution Germany has made to our collecting field-toys, dolls, paper, card, doll houses.