| Activity | Tring correspondent.
Carl Hentschel (1864-1930) was a key figure in the new era in visual representation that came into being during the 1890s. Born in Lodz, Poland, in March 1864, Hentschel arrived in England with his parents at the age of five. His father, August Hentschel, professed to have worked with Louis Daguerre and trained his son in a number of reproduction techniques that August had devised. In 1887, at the age of twenty-three, the young man set up his own business, Carl Hentschel and Company, specializing in line reproduction of pen-and-ink illustrations through a combination of mechanical and manual techniques. The blocks
produced by the new photomechanical techniques required considerable adjustment and retouching by hand. The services of an experienced process house and a knowledgeable art editor were therefore important. For instance, Hentschel worked closely with Joseph Pennell on his experiments in reproducing illustrations for the daily press.
Carl Hentschel and Company became the largest reproduction firm in England and claimed to be the largest in the world. The firm adopted the latest technologies and business methods, including electric lighting, telephones, an extensive clerical organization, and an active sales force. By 1894, Hentschel’s staff of seventy was based in three “factories” in Fleet Street, turning out 60,000 blocks per year. The Company produced engravings for newspapers, periodicals, and books, with important clients.
Hentschel was one of the three men in Jerome K Jerome's "Three men in a Boat" |