Alois Senefelder
Senefelder ( born November 6, 1771 in Prague, † February 26, 1834 in Munich) is the inventor of lithography. He was also a playwright, singer and musician and composer.
Family and youth
Senegal was the son of the king of Mayrhofen originating in Franconia Munich court actor Peter Senefelder and his wife Catherine, born of people. Senegal was born in Prague, because his parents made guest appearances there.
His school, he graduated in Munich and received next to the piano and singing lessons by renowned musicians, such as the court organist Anton Ferchl. In the years from 1789 to 1793 studied at the University of Ingolstadt Senefelder Law, where he graduated with honors. During his studies he took pleasure in acting and tried as a writer. After the end of the study, he joined at times a moving theater company, but operated increasingly as a writer. Success was his first major piece, the comedy "The girls connoisseurs ". It was premiered in Munich Court Theatre and appeared as a 1792.
Professional career
1796 Senefelder met in Munich at the court musician Franz Gleissner, in which he was free room and board. In return he gave his daughters piano lessons. Gleissner and his wife, who both believed in the applicability of the new printing technology, supported him financially and encouraged him " to self-abandonment ." 1797 built Senefelder a usable rack or gallows press for the new printing process and made experiments in multi-color printing. His invention he called chemical printing or lithographic printing. 1797 published 12 pages of " Poisonous Plants for Schools". In France it was called since about 1803 lithograph. His brothers Theobald, George, Charles and Clement assisted him with that. 1799 was the first commercial application of lithography in Offenbach am Main, after the music publisher Johann Anton André Senefelder of the patent right for the " To print ... mystery, notes and pictures on stone ... " had acquired to the new process to use for music printing. Senegal self taught in Offenbach one of the first five stone presses and dismissed the employee André personally in the use of machinery a. André realized the importance of invention and left shortly afterwards, in 1800, by his brethren immediately branches of the publishing house - set in Paris and London - under backup of the Patent Rights. Mozart's piano concertos appeared from 1800 as the first lithographic printed music.
About this earliest lithographic workshops soon was also the pressure of artist graphics after the use of lithography - had been identified - for example, for the reproduction of drawings without distortion of the respective artistic handwriting. Senegal named his first lithographs itself Polyautografien. The original of his rod press is in Munich in the German Museum. In the House of History in Offenbach am Main, there is a functional replica of the bar press, numerous early stone printing plates, mostly from the collection of André 's manufacturer, and early rock -pressure products in the same print shop.
1809 Senefelder inspector of the royal Steindruckerei. 1818 wrote Senefelder a complete textbook on Steindruckerey. His first lithographic masterpiece were copied after Albrecht Dürer's original drawings marginal drawings in the prayer book of Emperor Maximilian. These were honored among others, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. For its advanced invention to use, instead of stone slabs metal plates for printing, Senefelder received on 22 January 1818 by " Sr. royal. Majesty of Bavaria, " a six-year " privilege ", ie a patent. 1818 Lithographic Institute of the property tax cadastre was established in Vienna to Munich model. These Senefelder was summoned to Vienna, and he took over the building.
1826 succeeded Senefelder the printing of color motifs and 1833 the pressure on stone transmitted oil painting on canvas. His metallographic attempts to print from steel, zinc, brass and copper plates, were later the basis of offset printing.
Senefelder's grave is located on the Old South Cemetery in Munich.
Invention of lithography
During a walk on a rainy day in 1796, he noticed that a sheet had imaged on a limestone. This observation led him to the idea of etching on stone. Lack character knowledge of trained musicians tried to reproduce this technique Sheet music. " A piece of extremely poorly printed sheet music from an old hymn book aroused at once the idea that I could deliver far more beautiful than leaden letters with my new Print and music. " Back in July 1776 appeared Senefelder first work, " XII songs with accompaniment of the piano by Franz Gleissner ". Quick aroused by the new printing technology " attention at home and abroad because of the beauty and clarity of the writing, because of the smoothness of the print on the paper and the surprising cheapness ".
Solnhofen Limestone ( Upper Jurassic ), a very fine-grained limestone was well suited as a basis for the printing process. Senegal recorded first on the flat ground stone slab with fatty ink or chalk reversed to print batches, making these sites were water repellent. Then he wet the printing plate with an aqueous solution of gum arabic and dilute nitric acid, which caused the unlabeled points water stopped and so bold were repellent. The third step is applied with a roller fatty ink adhered only to the water-repellent games. Finally, a sheet of paper was placed on the stone and transfer the ink by strong pressing.
The invention of lithography meant a great technical innovation, as these prints could be made much cheaper. The creation of sheet music in the lithography cost only a fifth of engraving used until then.
Other applications of lithography
Another field of application opened up in 1802 for lithography. In a cotton spinning and weaving in Pott village near Vienna, which was operated by the Englishman John Thornton, Senefelder able to be cost -effective printing method also in calico printing.
Honors
- On May 17, 1808, the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and his sister Charlotte visited the workshop of Senefelder and had him show the new invention. There, the title primus auctor he was awarded
- By 1808 his bust was made and placed in the hall of fame in Munich.
- The International Senefelder Foundation was founded in 1971. It awards the International Senefelder price.
- In Berlin is a place with a monument
- Several streets were named after him, among other things since 1871 in Vienna-Favoriten the Senefeldergasse, in Bremen as in over 50 other cities in Germany. In Offenbach, where the first commercial application of lithography was carried out, as is a street named after him
- The comprehensive school in Treuchtlingen named Senefelder school.
- The vocational training center for printing and media technology in Munich named Professional School Center Senefelder
Writings
- Complete textbook of Steindruckerey, Munich 1818.
- Full textbook of Steindruckerey. containing a correct and clear instructions to the different species of the same manipulation is in all its branches and manners with the necessary pattern sheets together with a preceding detailed history of the art from its production at current time. 2nd edition: Munich 1821 Link Google Books