Franz Richard

Franz Richard on his scaffolding in front of Heidelberg Castle, 1864.

Franz Richard (* 1838 ; † 1901 in Munich ) was a German photographer .

Life

The origin, the exact date of birth and the education of Franz Richard are not known. Around 1860 Franz Richard opened a photographic studio in Heidelberg between the museum and the Lyceum. From around 1862 he specialized in city and architecture photographs. He became famous for his photographs of Heidelberg Castle. He erected scaffolding up to 30 m high in order to depict the facade of the palace without distortion. His work was recognized early on. In the early years he was appointed court photographer for the grand ducal Baden. Richard presented his work at the world exhibitions in London (1862) and Paris (1867) . At the International Photography Exhibition 1865 in Berlin received a prize medal. He was honored with a gold medal by the King of Prussia in 1866. In the 1880s his studio experienced a decline. In 1892 Franz Richard was sentenced to five months imprisonment for embezzlement. In 1901 Franz Richard died in precarious circumstances in Munich. His current reputation as a pioneer in architectural photography is based on his innovative Heidelberg photographs.

literature

• Facts: photography from the 19th and 20th century; Agfa collection in the Museum Ludwig Cologne. Museum Ludwig. Agfa Foto-Historama Steidl, 2006, Figure 152.
• Münchner Stadtmuseum: "Germany in early photographs 1840-1890." Schirmer / Mosel Verlag, Munich.

Web links

Commons : Franz Richard  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Heidelberg Castle: Subject of architectural photography for 150 years. In: Die Stadttredaktion (Heidelberg), July 19, 2016.
• Press release Heidelberg Castle, July 8, 2016.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Illustrierte Welt, 1867 p. 498.