Emil wishes
Emil Wünsche (born April 15, 1864 in Niederhelmsdorf ; † October 27, 1902 in Dresden ) was an entrepreneur in the German photo industry and founder of Emil Wünsche AG .
Life
Emil Wünsche was a trained businessman and later worked as an accountant in the Unger & Hoffmann dry plate factory. In doing so, he became aware of the value of photographic plates and other photographic items, and decided to start a business himself. In 1887 he opened a mail order business in order to cover a large group of customers with photographic articles in Dresden. However, he not only supplied the Dresden area, but also interested parties in many other places in the Kingdom of Saxony.
Since there was no presentation in the royal seat, Emil Wünsche opened a shop in downtown Dresden in 1889 with spacious sales and exhibition rooms at Moritzstraße 20. It was the first representative specialist shop for cameras and accessories in Dresden. He obtained the cameras from Hüttig AG .
In 1894/95, Emil Wünsche bought small businesses that were his former "home suppliers" in order to have a greater influence on the design of the production programs. The small businesses initially retained their legal independence.
As the demand for cameras and camera production increased steadily, Wünsche - inspired by the successes of Hüttig and Ernemann - decided to set up their own camera factory. In June 1896 the first groundbreaking took place in the open field in Dresden-Reick on Mügelner Straße. The new factory building was equipped and built with the most modern technical and social aspects for the time. All working machines were powered by a 120-hp steam engine.
In 1898 it was decided to convert the company into a stock corporation, with the aim of achieving greater financial flexibility. The previously acquired small businesses now lost their legal independence. Thereupon a targeted camera development began, which brought an increasing production and number of employees with it. In 1902 Wünsche AG was the second largest camera manufacturer after Hüttig AG, but before Ernemann.
In that year there was a decisive turn in the company: Emil Wünsche committed suicide on October 27, 1902, after which his business partner Louis Lang took over the management of the company.
In 1907 Ludwig Scheuermann took over the management of the Wünsche AG. At this time, the Wünsche AG got into losing deals due to the competitive situation and reacting too late to strike demands. In 1908 a small profit could be achieved again, but there was no longer an absolute upswing. Since talks for a merger of the Dresden camera companies were in progress, it finally came to a merger to form ICA AG . This was the only chance of survival for the Wünsche AG. This was the only way to guarantee the continued production of the cameras and the jobs of the employees.
Known products
- Mars-Camera - a magazine camera for 12 plates in the format 12 × 16.5 cm with a very well-made wooden housing
- Mirror Camera Bosco
- Mirror camera Ada
literature
- Richard Hummel: SLR cameras from Dresden - history, technology, facts of Lindemann . Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3895061271
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wishes, Emil |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German entrepreneur in the photo industry |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 15, 1864 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Niederhelmsdorf |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 27, 1902 |
| Place of death | Dresden |