Johannes Michael Speckter (5 July 1764,

Uthlede Uthlede is a village and a former municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2014, it is part of the municipality Hagen im Bremischen. Uthlede belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, establishe ...

- 1 March 1845,

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

) was a German

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German ...

and graphics collector.

Life and work

His father was a teacher from

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

. Around 1785, he moved to Hamburg. Under the influence of the architect, , he initially studied architecture, but then switched to studying mathematics at the . In the 1790s, he turned to the business trades, but was also active as a collector and dealer of copper engravings and

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...

s. In 1818, he created the first lithographic firm in Northern Germany. Together with

Heinrich Joachim Herterich Heinrich Joachim Herterich (May/June 1772, Hamburg – 20 March 1852, Hamburg) was a German lithographer, painter and etcher. Life and work He studied with his father, Johann Andreas Herterich (1725–1794), who was originally from Bayreuth. I ...

, who brought a team of specialists from

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, he established "Hamb. Steindruckerei Speckter & Herterich" ("Speckter & Co" after 1829). The company proved to be very successful. Their regular clients included

Friedrich Carl Gröger Friedrich Carl Gröger (14 October 1766 in Plön – 9 November 1838 in Hamburg) was a north-German portrait painter and lithographer. One of the most respected portraitists of his time in northern Germany, his works are to be found in seve ...

and

Heinrich Jacob Aldenrath Heinrich Jakob Aldenrath (17 February 1775, Lübeck – 25 February 1844, Hamburg) was a portrait painter, miniaturist, and lithographer. Life Aldenrath was a pupil of Johann Jakob Tischbein and of Friedrich Carl Gröger, with whom he develo ...

, who brought their portrait lithographs there to be printed. In 1834, the company was taken over by his son,

Otto Speckter Otto Speckter (9 November 1807, in Hamburg – 29 April 1871, in Hamburg) was a German etcher and illustrator. Life and work He was the son of Johannes Michael Speckter, whose lithographic company he took over in 1834. His brother was the pai ...

. His other son, the painter Erwin Speckter, also briefly participated in the firm's operations. His extensive collection of copper engravings later served as the basis for the Kupferstichkabinett at the

Hamburger Kunsthalle The Hamburger Kunsthalle is the art museum of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany. It is one of the largest art museums in the country. It consists of three connected buildings, dating from 1869 (main building), 1921 (Kuppelsaal) and ...

Sources

* *

Alfred Lichtwark Alfred Lichtwark (14 November 1852 – 13 January 1914) was a German art historian, museum curator, and art educator in Hamburg. He is one of the founders of museum education and the art education movement. Background and career Alfred Lic ...

: ''Das Bildnis in Hamburg'', 2 Vols., Hamburg 1898, Kunstvereins zu Hamburg * * Dirk Moldenhauer: "Speckter, Johann". In: Franklin Kopitzsch, Dirk Brietzke (Eds.): ''Hamburgische Biografie'', Vol.1 Christians, Hamburg 2001, , pp.300–301

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Speckter, Johannes Michael 1764 births 1845 deaths German lithographers German businesspeople German art collectors People from Cuxhaven (district) 18th-century German artists