Auguste Peltz
Auguste Peltz , b. Simon (* December 21, 1824 in Schneeberg in the Erzgebirge ; † January 12, 1900 there ) was the founder of the doll factory in Schneeberg.
Life and work as a doll manufacturer
Auguste Peltz was the second daughter of Traugott Friedrich Simon, a resident citizen, trimmers and trader in Schneeberg and his wife Juliane, a born Nebel. On July 29, 1841, she married the surgeon Abraham Louis Peltz, who was born in Schönheide and was ten years her senior. As a young married woman, Auguste Peltz was also employed. In 1842 the “Gemeinnützige Erzgebirgischer Anzeiger für alle Stestand” (Gemeinnützige Erzgebirgischer Anzeiger für alle Stestand) reported the following:
"Auguste Pelz, b. Simon, who lives with the master hat maker Loos in Grießbacher Gasse, recommends a well-assorted stock of tulle, blonde and negligee caps, lined collars, embroidered gauze and blonde collars of the latest cutting-edge cuts, knitted lace, blonde and tulle of all widths, as well as pieces of tulle and flowers according to the latest taste. The same hoods are also washed and prepared according to the latest form and real and punctual service is assured. "
Their first son Magnus Adalbert was born on May 16, 1843. Two years later, on March 4, 1845, Auguste's second son, Louis Magnus, was born. At the age of less than 21, Auguste had a household of four to manage. It is still unclear when exactly the young mother started making dolls and whether her job was commercial right from the start.
The doll factory was probably founded around 1849.
There is evidence that Auguste Peltz also moved into the Leipziger Messe . In the Leipzig address books, however, from 1854 to 1859 she was not referred to as a doll manufacturer, but mentioned with the sale of flowers (certainly fabric flowers) and “new R.”. She was only represented at the fair with her doll production since 1868. In the Leipzig address book from 1868 it is recorded with “new R.” and “factory dressed dolls”. From 1880 there are no more details and for the years after that there is no longer this form of evidence in the archive.
In addition to her work as a doll manufacturer, Auguste Peltz has also been involved in helping the people around her.
On May 17, 1876, at the age of 51, she stopped working as a doll manufacturer. In a note from the Royal Court Office it is stated that Ms. Auguste Peltz is leaving the A. Peltz company. Since she continued to move into the trade fairs as a doll manufacturer, one can assume that she may have officially handed over her factory to her son Louis Magnus at this point, but was still a leading force in the company. The company name will also be used in the following period. The secondary school teacher Heinrich Jacobi described the doll factory in his commemorative sheet for Schneeberg for the 400th anniversary celebration in 1881 as follows:
“A. Peltz's doll factory, now in the former mountain warehouse with very interesting furnishings; employs around 500 people in and out of the home, developed from a small beginning around 1845. "
The year 1883 brought severe disappointments for Auguste Peltz. The newspaper "Erzgebirgischer Volksfreund" reported on April 10th:
"Bankruptcy Proceedings. On the property of the businessman Magnus Peltz, in Schneeberg, sole owner of the company A. Peltz there, bankruptcy proceedings will be opened today on April 7, 1883, at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. "
In the middle of 1885 there were finally foreclosures on Magnus Peltz's real estate. For his and above all Auguste Peltz, former doll factory in Schneeberg, things continue. The founding of the company Nöckler & Tittel was mentioned in the city's commercial register as early as 1883. The owners are the merchants Johann Christian Karl Nöckler and Ernst Otto Tittel. To what extent the business of the doll factory has been maintained over the entire period or whether a new establishment has taken place remains unclear for the time being. If you consider that Emil Paufler was also successfully running his doll factory in Schneeberg at the same time, you can imagine the importance of this branch of production as an employer for the city.
Auguste Peltz witnessed yet another change in her former doll factory. In 1893 the businessman Armin Grüning and the businessman Gustav Götze take over the Nöckler & Tittel company.
In 1900, eight years after her husband, Auguste Peltz, the successful founder of the doll factory in Schneeberg, died. She receives an extensive obituary in the magazine "Erzgebirgischer Volksfreund":
"Today, Dr. Peltz in Schneeberg was laid to rest after a hard work and blessing. What Barbara Uthmann our top industry, Clara Angermann geb. Nollain of our drum embroidery, that was Dr. Peltz of our Erzgebirge doll production ... A doll that emerged from the hand of the now perpetuated was considered the finest and most precious gift at that time. How many children's hearts have been made happy by their dolls! In Schneeberg there are now 2 large factories developed from the Peltz shop, which deal with the production of dolls and employ hundreds of hands. Miss Dr. Peltz has made a lasting memory and her name will be cherished in the history of our domestic industry. "
History of the doll factory after 1900
In 1929 the Nöckler and Tittel doll factory went bankrupt. In the process of foreclosure on March 5, 1930, the company Wagner and Eisenkolb was accepted to take over. The businessman Hermann Albin Wagner and the businessman Theodor Eisenkolb founded their joint company for the manufacture and sale of dolls and toys on December 27, 1929. In 1934 the existing company was dissolved and Hermann Albin Wagner continued the business under the previous company name. In the spring of 1936, the dissolution of the company was now also indicated by the renaming of the company. On May 11, 1936, a change was made in the land register:
"As a result of the departure of the co-partner and the change of company to Hermann Wagner, the businessman Hermann Albin Wagner in Schneeberg is the sole owner."
Herrmann Albin Wagner died on December 7, 1947. The sole heir and thus also the owner of the Hermann Wagner company was his wife Agnes Wagner, born Arrogance. From 1947 Paul Schwenke acted as managing director, from 1951 in general power of attorney, later as operations manager. On December 31, 1975, the Hermann Wagner doll factory was closed and the property was sold to the Auer cutlery and silverware works in the Unimewa Aue combine.
With the demolition of the factory building in 2007, the last visible sign of a once globally known and successful doll production disappeared from the townscape of Schneeberg.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Baptismal register from 1822–1828, Schneeberg Church Archives, No. 266
- ↑ Traubuch from 1841–1846, Schneeberg Church Archives, No. 54
- ↑ Non-profit Erzgebirgischer Anzeiger for all stands, No. 11, from March 16, 1842
- ↑ Leipziger Adress-Bücher, born 1868–1879, State Archives Leipzig
- ^ Ore Mountains friend of the people. Schneeberg No. 119, May 24, 1876
- ↑ Jacobi, Henry: 1481-1881 Schneeberg. A memorial sheet dedicated to the 400th anniversary celebration of the dear hometown. Schneeberg 1881
- ^ Ore Mountains friend of the people. Schneeberg No. 80, April 10, 1883
- ^ Ore Mountains friend of the people. Schneeberg No. 129, June 7, 1885
- ↑ a b c d land and mortgage files on the property folio 981 of the land and mortgage book for Schneeberg, sheet 1
- ↑ Death book 1898–1904, Schneeberg Church Archives, No. 14
- ↑ Erzgebirgischer Volksfreund, No. 12, January 16, 1900
- ↑ Main State Archives, File 30134, District Court Schneeberg and predecessor, No. 128
- ^ Letter from Prof. Dr. Sörgel, Chemnitz, July 6, 2004
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Peltz, Auguste |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Auguste Simon |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Founder of the doll factory |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 21, 1824 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Schneeberg in the Ore Mountains |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 12, 1900 |
| Place of death | Schneeberg in the Ore Mountains |