František Liebisch, Praha (printer)

History

Company was established in 1841/1858.

... Em. Ed. Kutschera, having obtained a license in Prague in 1841, established a lithographic institute where he worked on two hand presses, producing commercial prints, visiting cards, and mainly autographs for official authorities.

In 1858, the business was taken over by F. Liebisch, a German native of Rumburk, who had joined the institute as an apprentice in 1844. He expanded the number of presses to five, engraved coins and medals for the remarkable work Böhmische Münzen und Medaillen, created chalk illustrations for school teaching aids, published many fine engravings by L. Hlaváka and V. Hrbek, and printed Vetters’ unsurpassed engravings for Barrande’s paleontological work, as well as many chalk lithographs for other publishers – all with the help of excellent printer Schulz.

In 1867–68, Liebisch published the magazine Die Heimat, for which painter Wachsmann drew the illustrations, and Liebisch reproduced them photolithographically in his own establishment.

Even earlier, Liebisch had experimented with photolithography together with photographer Helm, but due to Helm’s fault, these efforts were interrupted. In 1874, he installed a 'Swiderski' rotary press (the fourth in Prague?), on which he printed his educational materials in color and his large stock of colorful labels – and continues to do so to this day.

The lithographic establishment likely ceased operations sometime between 1900 and 1910. In the 1899 publication Pamětní spis české litografie, the company is listed as still active. In the 1896 publication Directory of the Royal Capital City of Prague, the lithographic workshop is listed at Masná 20 together with a stationery shop. However, in the 1910 directory, only the stationery shop of Ida Liebisch is mentioned at the same address.