Carl Julius Aller (25 November 1845 – 23 August 1926) was a Danish publisher of the late 19th and early 20th century and founder of

Aller Media Aller Media is a magazine publisher in the Nordic countries, headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. It publishes ''Elle'', ''Cafe'', ''Familie Journalen'', ''Femina (Denmark), Femina'', ''Allers'' and ''Se og Hør''. History Aller Media was fo ...

, the largest publisher of weekly magazines in the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

and still controlled by the Aller family.

Early life and education

Carl Aller was born in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

on 25 November 1845, the son of brewer Christian Hansen Aller (1797–1852) and Juliane Christine Geschel el. Gechel (ca. 1806–72). He apprenticed as a lithographer in C. F. Aamodt's studio.

Career

In am early age, Aller invented a new photolithographic method of image production. In 1869, he was awarded the Ørsted Grant for his invention. Together with his wife, Laura Aller, he founded Carl Aller's Etablissement in 1873 and in 1874 they began the publication of ''Nordisk Mønster Tidende'' (later Femina). In 1877, they launched a new magazine '' Illustrated Family Journal'' (Danish: Illustreret Familie Journal), with Laura Aller as

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

. The magazine experienced immediate success, partly due to the high quality of its illustrations. Aller improved printing techniques by transferring them to a lithographic stone and was for a long time the only publisher in Denmark to offer illustrations in nine colours. The company expanded fast, both through organic growth and acquisitions of numerous other printing businesses. Swedish Aller (Svenska Aller AB) was founded in 1894 and Norwegian Aller (Norsk Aller A/S) in 1897, both under the leadership of one of Carl and Laura Aller's sons.

Popularizing art

From 1897, Illustrated Family Journal came with an art supplement. This contributed to bringing art into the homes of the wider population and popularizing both artists and artworks. The first art supplement was a reproduction of

Otto Bache Otto Bache (21 August 1839 – 28 June 1927) was a Danish Realist painter. Many of his works depict key events in Danish history. Biography At age eleven he received a dispensation and was admitted into the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, ...

's equestrian portrait of King

Christian IX of Denmark Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 15 November 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg. A younger son of Frederick William, Duke of Schlesw ...

Private life

Aller married Laura Christiane Bierring (14 January 1849 - 9 October 1917), a daughter of merchant Lauritz Jørgen B. (1816–54) and Christine Clausen (ca. 1817–71), on 20 October 1871 in St. John's Church in

Nørrebro Nørrebro (, ) is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It is northwest of the city centre, beyond the location of the old Northern Gate (''Nørreport''), which, until dismantled in 1856, was near the current N ...

. Carl Aller bought the

Sophienholm Sophienholm is a former manor house and exhibition venue located north on the shore of Lake Bagsværd in Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. The main building was originally a country home built in 1769 ...

estate north of Copenhagen in 1880. He died at Sophienholm on 23 August 1926 and is buried at Copenhagen's Western Cemetery.

Honours and awards

Aller was awarded a Knight in the Order of the Dannebrog in 1915.

References

External links

Det Moderne Gennembrud 1870-1890
modern breakthrough in Danish media (in Danish)
Source
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aller, Carl 1845 births 1926 deaths Danish magazine publishers (people) 19th-century Danish publishers (people) 20th-century Danish publishers (people) Businesspeople from Copenhagen Danish mass media owners Burials at Vestre Cemetery, Copenhagen Danish magazine founders