The early history of Pomeranians is patchy, though fortunately the archives of the Royal Family do provide some clues.
Pomeranians derive their name from Pomerania, a former duchy in the region now shared between eastern Germany and western Poland. The breed originally came from there, presumably derived from a Spitz breeding line. Queen Charlotte (German wife of King George III) imported a pair into Britain in 1767. She named them Phoebe (Phebe) and Mercury. Queen Charlotte lived in Kew, West London, which was also home to Gainsborough. He also took an interest in the breed and several paintings he made of the Royal dogs are to be found in London. From these paintings it is clear that these Pomeranians were substantially larger than the modern variety - weighing perhaps 12 kilos compared to the modern day 2.5 kilogram average.
The involvement of Queen Victoria was of enormous importance to the breed. Though she was Queen Charlotte's granddaugher, she appears not to have come across the dogs until 1888 whilst travelling to Italy. She seems to have obtained several dogs in Florence, most notably Marco, and she soon developed a particular affinity to the breed, similar to the present Queens' patronage of corgis. Her favourite Pomeranian Turi was at her side when she died. One particular aspect of Queen Victoria's interest had an impact on the evolution of smaller dogs - her Pomeranians weighed about 6 kilograms.
Queen Victoria's popularity increased as she got older, and public interests in Pomeranians grew with it. The Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1870 but until 1900 there were relatively few Pomeranians competed in shows. But in the period leading up to the Thirties, Pomeranians often constituted the largest number of entries to Crufts, Britain's national championship. It was during this time thatthe breed quickly developed towards the modern Pomeranian standard. The size of the dogs came down to 4 kilograms, the coat developed its characteristic deep frilling, and a wider range of uniform colours became available.
The first Pomeranian recorded by the American Kennel Club (AKC) was Dick in 1888. The AKC recognized the breed in 1900,and Pomeranians in the United States soon grew in popularity. Shows in the 1930's were well attended and a sophisticated series of breeding lines developed. In the 1994 list of new AKC registrations, Poms were in position number 10.
The modern breed has now developed to maturity. It is unlikely that the dramatic size and coat developments of the early part of the Twentieth Century can be continued. On the other hand the American, British and European lines have separated out, so there may be some scope for futher improvements to the breed. Britain is free from rabies and maintains strict quarantine regulations to keep the disease out. Consequently the British breeding lines have developed in slightly different directions from other countries.