The Invention of Lithography Part 4

Greatly as my suspicions were increased by this, I hoped that everything was due merely to misunderstanding, and I proposed to Herr Andre to let me go to Vienna, where I would inform myself thoroughly and make strong efforts to obtain the franchise. He denied my request, saying that there was nothing more to do in Vienna, as the Government had turned both women away, and the whole plan was spoiled as the whole art and copper-etching trade had become apprehensive and was united in opposition to the new process. He said that I should rather go quickly to work to transfer his music from zinc plates to the stone, because he had an excellent opportunity to sell his entire stock of zincs, which would give us a new capital of forty thousand gulden for the greater enterprises.

I realized the good sense of this, but would not admit that a delay of three or four weeks could interfere with it, as the entire transfers could not be completed in less than a year, and the slight delay, therefore, could be made up by additional work or by engaging a few more a.s.sistants. I insisted on my demand, all the more as I had spent seven months in England on his account. In the heat of the succeeding dispute he reminded me of the helpless position in which he had found me, and said that as partner in his business, I owed him all my present fortune.

Conscious as I was of my honest intention to help him to the best of my ability, and also of the unbounded trustfulness with which I had imparted to him far more than was called for in our contract, I was so deeply hurt that I forgot myself and tore up our agreement, which had been signed only the day before and which a.s.sured for me one fifth of all profits of the Andre business. I threw the pieces down with the exclamation that I did not wish to make my fortune through his means.

This was one of the most important moments in my life, and in the process of lithography. It gave my work an entirely new direction, hurled me into a ma.s.s of troubles, and brought it about that Herr Andre himself did not gain anything like the expected profits from the new art. Indeed, he lost heavily in London and France, whereas, had we remained together, lithography might now be highly perfected in both these countries and produce no small wealth for its users.

When Andre saw that I was determined to go to Vienna, he yielded, but a.s.sured me that I would go in vain and achieve no result.

The lawsuit between Madame Gleissner and my mother, which Herr Andre considered the greatest obstacle in his way, still continued; and in order to get it out of the way once and for all, I took my brothers, George and Theobald, who had been dismissed by Herr Andre, to Vienna with me to combine with me. Andre told me afterward, after our relations had reached final rupture, that this act had annoyed him most, and that it was the main reason for giving up all dealings with me, because it was inconceivable to him how any one, without the utmost weakness of character, could forgive such treachery as theirs. He did not reflect that I, who knew selfishness only by name, had not felt their affront so keenly, and that my brotherly affection excused it and made me trust that it never had been their intention to shut me out entirely from any gains they might make.

PART II

FROM 1800 TO 1806

It was in August, 1800, that I went to Vienna with my brothers. In Regensburg we met my mother, who had come to visit one of her daughters because the decision of the Imperial Austrian Government had been delayed too long for her patience. She a.s.sured me that when she pet.i.tioned for the privilege she had named not only my brothers but me, too, and had asked it for us three.

This a.s.surance gave me great joy, and I determined absolutely to urge Madame Gleissner to accept my brothers as partners. I thought that if we three worked industriously and unitedly, we would succeed much better and more quickly. I entered Vienna with excellent hopes, based mostly on a letter from Madame Gleissner, saying that the influential man who was interested in our cause had promised to advance us six thousand gulden.

But these fine things retired into dark shadows when I learned, in my first conversation with her, that all these promises were made dependent on conditions.

The whole understanding rested on the following: Madame Gleissner lodged with a prominent family. Andre himself had told her that she was to live well and exhibit no lack of money, because she was much more likely to obtain the franchise if the Government were led to expect that it would bring wealthy people into the country. Therefore Madame Gleissner considered it necessary to take part in all amus.e.m.e.nts and fas.h.i.+ons of her hosts. Her monthly expenditures were beyond the sum considered necessary by Herr Andre's friend in Vienna, who had been authorized to pay her an allowance. Friendly solicitude caused him to write to Offenbach that Madame Gleissner knew nothing of economy, and that it was to be feared if the franchise were not granted in Herr Andre's name, he would have too little power to check her extravagance in the future. He added that judging from her utterances and her present behavior, with the franchise still in question, it was only too likely that she intended to spend Herr Andre's money for show and society instead of for the business.

Therefore, he advised that, unless Andre was sure that Senefelder had enough character to oppose her with the necessary firmness, we be treated solely as subordinates and thus be prevented from using his credit to his loss.

Well meant as this counsel was, it simply furnishes an addition to the thousands of cases where exaggerated timidity, coupled with secrecy, does more harm than good.

Andre knew my intense grat.i.tude to Herr Gleissner and his family, and he suspected that I would always live in a certain dependence on them and would pay little attention to their financial doings. The Gleissners had awakened a fear of their extravagance in him before this time. He knew, for instance, that I had kept little of the money he had paid me for the secret of our process, but had turned almost all over to them. Again, he had granted us the sum of one thousand six hundred gulden for our support in Offenbach until the business should be in operation. Of this Herr Gleissner was to draw six hundred gulden and I one thousand gulden.

I was a bachelor and did not need so much as a family. Therefore I reversed this, and gave Herr Gleissner one thousand gulden, keeping six hundred for myself. But the latter also went into the Gleissner treasury, because Herr Andre, who had come to like me very much, made me live in his house and eat with him. He even kept a horse for me, that I might have the exercise necessary for my health, and if he bought himself a new article of dress I was sure to get one like it; and I had to take part in all the amus.e.m.e.nts of his home, though many times I would rather have worked.

Thus I had absolutely no needs and did not require money. All the more did Madame Gleissner require. She strained everything to be very elegant and could not get along with the money she received, but asked for further, quite considerable advances while I was in London, and Herr Andre granted these willingly through friends.h.i.+p for me.

Therefore Andre's suspicions seemed well founded; and as in his heart he was firmly determined to treat me as a brother, he believed that a mere outward formality and my hitherto quite unknown name would make no real difference, but rather that the Vienna undertaking would benefit if it had his own well-known name and excellent credit at its head in the very beginning.

So he wrote to his friend in Vienna that he agreed with him, and he gave authority to him to act as he thought best for the mutual good.

This gentleman told Madame Gleissner at once that Herr Andre had decided to ask for the franchise in his own name to give value to the undertaking, and that she was to appear before court and declare that she withdrew her pet.i.tion and turned it over to him. She suspected a trick and refused. A dispute followed, and there came rebukes for her heavy expenditures. The climax was reached with the threat that, if she insisted on her refusal, Herr Andre would cease from that moment to let her have any money and would let her support herself.

This last, which Madame Gleissner wrote me in a very bitter letter, outraged me; for I held it cruel to send a woman to a strange city where she had no relatives or friends, and then to tell her: "Now do my will, or I will leave it to bitter necessity and your own helplessness to tame you." To be sure, it was only a threat, and surely it never lay in Herr Andre's mind. His friend never ceased to give her money. But the harm had been done.

Madame Gleissner appeared at her host's table with signs of tears that aroused the sympathy of her host, Herr von Bogner, a most worthy and reputable merchant. She told him everything, complained bitterly about my gullibility, and generally painted everything in such colors that Herr Bogner could not well help thinking that Herr Andre did not consider promises any too sincerely. It was only then that he learned Madame Gleissner's business and was told that the new art promised a great profit.

Herr Andre's far-reaching plans for foreign exploitation seemed to him to confirm what she said. Herr Bogner thought that Herr Andre would not invest so much money if stone-print were not a valuable invention, and he asked Madame Gleissner, point-blank: "Why do you need Herr Andre at all? Try to obtain the Austrian franchise for yourself, and then, if you choose, you can take him into the company. Then he will be obligated to you and will have to meet your wishes, whereas now the reverse is the case."

Madame Gleissner interposed that Herr Andre had the capital necessary for establis.h.i.+ng the process on a large scale, to which Herr Bogner responded that it was better to begin modestly. "A good thing," said he, "grows of itself. And you must not imagine that we here in Austria have no appreciation of useful inventions and undertakings. There are many who will a.s.sist the arts and industries. There is even a special fund from which as much as one thousand gulden may be advanced to develop an invention that has proved itself to be of merit. I myself might not be disinclined to become a partner after I have examined the matter properly; also I can recommend a very enterprising, active man, who has much weight with the Ministers and even with His Majesty the Emperor, and who has obtained exclusive franchises for others. He is named von Hartl, is Imperial Court Agent, and is a very sensible and honorable man, who will surely tell you at once whether or not anything can be done here with the process."

Herr von Bogner kept his promise, and introduced Madame Gleissner the very next day to Herr von Hartl. She explained our relations with Andre and described the new invention, wherein, to be sure, she did not fail to boast of its advantages and beauties. Among other specimens she produced a piece of cotton which I had printed in Offenbach.

This was very pretty, the print being so sharp and clear that it seemed to exceed the best English work. It happened that just then a great company with a capital of one and one half million gulden had been formed by Herr von Hartl to introduce English machine-spinning in Austria. They had secured a very skillful English mechanic named Thornton, who had been under contract to erect similar machines for a Hamburg merchant. They had paid a great sum to have him released from this contract, had bought his machines, and had done enough sample work so that it had been resolved to push the enterprise through even if several more millions were needed. The chief objection that was urged at that time was that an adequate sale of the products was doubtful because of the widespread business that the English controlled. The reply was that they must seek to work up a great part of their product themselves,--that is, combine with their spinnery the industries of weaving, dyeing, and cotton-printing.

As soon as Herr von Hartl heard that the new invention promised great advantages for cotton-printing, he pledged himself to lay the matter before His Majesty at once, and he promised that if I would come to Vienna and produce the necessary proofs he would surely get the exclusive franchise for me. Furthermore, when Madame Gleissner told him, in reply to a question, that we would need about six thousand gulden in the beginning, he announced his readiness to furnish that sum himself if I could convince him that a real benefit was to be produced by the new art.

Madame Gleissner wrote to me, but withheld the condition of Herr von Hartl that I must convince him. I would have taken care not to give such greedy heed to her, for I knew from experience how difficult it is to convince most people. But, I was determined to show my friend Andre that I and my art were by no means at a loss without him. Besides, I always had the royal Bavarian franchise to fall back on. His secrecy had shaken my confidence, and I was determined to find out everything for myself.

Many years later, when I reviewed everything calmly, I was sufficiently convinced that Herr Andre always had meant honestly by me; and I count myself fortunate to have him still as my friend. But at that time various misunderstandings brought it about that he did not give me full knowledge of everything, before he took steps contrary to our agreement and without my cognizance that could not fail to impress me as strange, since I was ignorant of the circ.u.mstances. Besides, he defended himself against my accusations in a manner that affronted my vanity deeply, for he gave me to understand plainly that my past weakness in the matter of the Gleissners' extravagance proved that I should always have to dance to their tune. It angered me that he should turn against me, as weakness, my recognition of the patient faithfulness of the Gleissners through the many sorrows that had overwhelmed us since the beginning of the process; and the more so as I was giving them merely that which I did not require and which was my own undisputed property. According to that, I would have earned the reputation of being a firm, strong man had I used my superfluous earnings to buy a few watches, a ring, or some garments, rather than to use it to pay a debt of grat.i.tude! Besides, whatever Herr Andre had advanced to them was something that had been done without my knowledge; therefore I accounted all his charges as being only empty words, used to cover a proposed piece of trickery.

After my first conversation with Madame Gleissner, but more especially with Herr Andre's representative in Vienna, I realized that the latter could not be censured for his measures of prudence, and I repented that I had so easily given way to my quick sensitiveness. The _franchise_ evidently was very uncertain. The only hope for it lay in the a.s.sistance of Herr von Hartl, and, therefore, depended on my ability to convince him. I had spent my money traveling, and instead of finding Madame Gleissner in funds, as I had a.s.sumed from her letter, I found her ill with only a few guldens, and in addition I had two brothers on my hands who also were penniless and looked to me for their support.

Madame Gleissner a.s.sured me that Herr von Hartl would a.s.sist us and that I could reckon also on help from her host, who had counseled her to part from Herr Andre and seek the privilege for herself. I mustered up sufficient courage to explain our situation to the latter gentleman and to ask him if we could count on his help for the beginning. This request must have been unexpected by Herr von Bogner, as Madame Gleissner's manner of living had indicated anything rather than lack of wealth.

However, he liked my frankness, and promised active aid. He gave me a handsome room, and I and Madame Gleissner ate at his own table. He paid, also, for the lodging of my brothers in another house.

Two days after our arrival, I and my brothers visited Herr von Hartl in his country residence in Dornbach. We were received most kindly, and he promised me his aid if I could give satisfactory proofs. So far as the franchise was concerned, however, he showed me that it could be taken out only in my name, and this, he explained, would be difficult enough, as all the art dealers were against it. To ask for it in the name of three brothers was out of the question. Neither, said he, would it be necessary, as I could make a separate contract with them through which they could be partners with me.

Herr von Hartl, who, as Court Agent, naturally knew all that was to be done, would not have said this without good reason. My brothers, however, were highly incensed, and declared that they would not be dependent on me, but would be their own masters. Had they possessed the money necessary to travel they would, no doubt, have carried out this resolve at once, for they had been angered already by the fact that Herr von Bogner kept only me as his guest. My representations were without effect. They told me that they would return to Munich and practice the Bavarian privilege in my name if Herr von Hartl would give them the journey money; otherwise they would be forced to listen to the proposition of several Viennese art dealers and sell them the secret of the stone-printing art.

As this would have destroyed all chance for getting an exclusive privilege, Herr von Hartl gave them the money, and Theobald and George Senefelder returned to Munich, after making a contract with me which permitted them to establish a printing business and, if possible, an art business, my share in which was to be one third of the net profit after deducting the cost of their own support. This contract was necessary to authorize them to practice under my privilege.

Meantime I had a small hand-press made and produced several pieces of work for Herr von Hartl, which gave him a clearer idea of the new art, and convinced him finally that it was worth while to risk something on it. He made a full contract with me, in which he bound himself to furnish money and everything necessary, and use all his influence to further the business, while I was to give all my time and knowledge. The profits were to be divided into two equal parts, one of which was to be his, while the other was to be divided between myself and Herr Gleissner. He allotted a proper sum for my support, told me to rent a comfortable residence, and authorized me to buy some large presses. He told me frankly that the use of stone for cotton-printing had the most interest for him, and that he cared about the other forms of printing only as paying for our expenditures. When the big spinning-shops were ready, said he, he would give me so great an opportunity that I could let Herr Gleissner have all the art- and music-printing to himself.

What glorious prospects opened themselves to me! What could I think except that it would require merely industry to become a famous, happy man in a short period?

Here I must interpolate the account of a happening that brought about a total rupture with Andre. Until now our relations had not been wholly severed. His last word was that I would, no doubt, go to Vienna in vain, and in that case I should return to him, as he would receive me with open arms. When I saw his correspondent in Vienna and learned from him that he had orders to let me have money if I wanted it; when I perceived further that Madame Gleissner had been too hasty, and that all the tangle was caused by misunderstandings, I dismissed all anger and wrote to my friend Andre at once, telling him that I had found things not nearly so bad in Vienna as he imagined. It was true, I said, that the two women had failed to obtain the franchise, but mostly because they could give no demonstrations. It was quite different, now that the inventor himself was pet.i.tioning for it, especially as Herr von Hartl had promised absolutely to take our part. If, therefore, Andre were willing to spend at most one thousand gulden for a press and to pay for our support and necessary working expenses for six months, there would be absolutely no doubt of fortunate outcome.

Had I had the happy thought to ask Herr von Hartl to add a few lines, my letter might have had the intended result. But I considered my word sufficient, and unluckily my letter reached Offenbach when Andre was absent, and was answered by his brother in about the following fas.h.i.+on:

His brother, he said, was absent; but as he knew his opinion exactly, he would not keep me waiting. I must not be offended, but he believed that my ready trustfulness, caused by my good-heartedness, had played me a prank again. He was completely convinced from the advices of their Vienna friends that the privilege would be granted only if his brother removed bag and baggage to Vienna and had himself naturalized there, something which his affairs did not permit. I would discover, soon enough, that the lovely promises made me were nothing but air.

Then he went on to say that even if the sum of one thousand gulden really were only a trifle, it would not produce the desired result.

Madame Gleissner, said he, had incurred debts of one hundred and fifty gulden since she had broken with his brother, and as she had used this sum not for his good but rather for his harm, it was only fair that she pay it herself. I, probably, would be in debt nearly one hundred gulden, now that I had been in Vienna some weeks with my brothers. If I wanted to build a press in Vienna where wood is dear, it would cost easily one hundred and fifty gulden. Then there would be one hundred gulden for stones, etc. I would need a dwelling, for which I would have to pay at least one hundred gulden in advance. This would leave only four hundred gulden. The winter was at hand, neither my brothers nor Madame Gleissner had the necessary clothing, everything would be needed. In brief, he a.s.sured me, before many weeks the one thousand gulden would be spent and in the end there would be no press, no stones, and no specimen work.

Therefore, he concluded, I should not feel affronted if he told me his heartfelt thoughts. The aspect of the Vienna matter would, probably, be different if my over-great good-heartedness did not put fetters upon me that must prevent anybody from placing full confidence in my advice. I would better, therefore, dismiss the plans, and be sure that n.o.body meant it more sincerely with me than, etc.

It may be supposed that this letter gave me little pleasure; and I made up my mind to show Herr Andre that he had made a mistake and had thrown away a great profit idly. I made the contract with Herr von Hartl, and we went to work actively at once. I had a large lever press built and asked the Austrian Government to appoint a commission to examine the process. This was done, and besides the Mayor, there appeared the factory inspector, Herr von Jaquin, who was a Professor of Chemistry, and the director of the academy of copper-plate engravers, Herr Schmutzer. I showed them the various methods of printing from stone on paper, cotton, and calico, and explained the difference of my process from all others. My demonstrations were applauded, and the commission certified most heartily in favor of my pet.i.tion for the exclusive privilege.

In addition, Herr von Hartl went with me to a meeting of the Imperial Councilors, then to the Imperial Counsel of State, von Gruber, to Count Lazansky, and, finally, to His Majesty, the Emperor himself. Everywhere I had to make demonstrations with my little hand-press, at which time Herr von Hartl, to my great joy, always acted as cicerone and eagerly described the manifold advantage which the new art had for so many branches of the arts and sciences.

Everywhere we received praise and were promised the speedy issuance of the privilege. As, however, the matter had to take a regular course, and it was evident that some time must elapse, we pet.i.tioned meantime for a mere license to work, which we received within a few weeks, so that I was able to begin printing without further delay.

Herr von Hartl became more friendly each day, and opened for me the most beautiful outlook on the future. My easily moved imagination interpreted his speeches as brightly as possible, and I imagined that I saw fortune and position close at hand. I worked all the harder, therefore, to fulfill his expectations; and as his chief object was printing on cotton I threw myself zealously into the study of color, as absolute permanence was needed besides beauty of printing.

During this time Herr Gleissner had left Offenbach and had returned to Munich with his children. As I was in partners.h.i.+p with him, and he could make himself useful in the printing of music, Herr von Hartl decided to have him come to Vienna, and his wife took it on herself to get him and arrange for an extension of his leave of absence. She found him in the saddest of circ.u.mstances. In his ignorance of such things, he had sold all the furniture in Offenbach for a mere joke of a sum. Most of this money had been used to defray his traveling expenses, and she found the family stripped of even necessaries. What was to be done? Her husband and children needed clothing that they might not make a bad impression in Vienna, her husband's debts had to be paid, and then came the traveling expenses. The money advanced by Herr von Hartl was not nearly enough for all this. She wrote to me to ask him for an additional sum of three or four hundred gulden.

This was exceedingly unpleasant for me. I should have to tell him the truth, and thus place Herr Gleissner in a bad light right in the beginning. Furthermore, he had received no too favorable a report about the domestic management of the two, either from Herr Andre's friend in Vienna or perhaps from Herr Andre himself. It was torture for me to ask him for money, especially if it was to be used for something not absolutely necessary for the business in hand, as I knew his opinions in that respect. Willingly as Herr von Hartl gave money when it was needed to achieve a useful object, so reluctant was he if he deemed that it was to be wasted. In my embarra.s.sment I dropped a hint as to the situation to our hostess, Madame von Tannenberg. She counseled me at once not to ask, as the family would lose the respect of Herr von Hartl entirely, and offered voluntarily to advance Madame Gleissner four hundred gulden herself, if I would guarantee the payment of it in half a year. Nothing seemed more certain to me than that I could save such a sum in that time. I accepted her offer and sent the money to Munich on the same day.

I would not mention this apparently trivial matter, if it were not for the fact that in the end it was the cause of the ruin of all my hopes in Vienna.

The dealers had spared no pains to oppose my franchise in the beginning, before they knew of my connection with Herr von Hartl, and while they still considered me an unimportant foreigner, who had neither friends nor influence. When they discovered the truth, their noise became clamorous, for they had to fear in earnest now that their trade would suffer, since so eminent and rich a man was a.s.sociated with the new art.