Michael Spörlin

Michael Spoerlin, lithograph by Franz Eybl , 1845

Michael Spörlin (* 1784 in Mulhouse ; † June 22, 1857 in Vienna ) was an industrialist and economic functionary.

Life

Spörlin, the son of a Protestant pastor, trained in the wallpaper factory of his brother-in-law Jean Zuber in Rixheim . In 1805 he also became a partner in this company. From 1802 he traveled a lot on business and got to know a lot in Europe. So he got lots of ideas for new wallpaper designs in Paris.

With another brother-in-law, Heinrich Rahn, he moved to Vienna in 1808. After retiring from the Zubers company, he founded the paper wallpaper factory Spörlin & Rahn with Rahn in Gumpendorf . In this factory he produced wallpapers and colored paper for the first time in Austria on a large scale. As early as 1813 he received the title of imperial court paper wallpaper manufacturer .

Spörlin continued to train himself in the chemical and mechanical sector. In 1816 he made wallpapers with the so-called iris effect for the first time . This was further developed by his brother-in-law in Rixheim. This effect is also used in calico printing .

He also further developed the production of wallpapers with iris printing and received a patent for it in 1823 . He also invented continuous printing and a method that enables wallpaper to be attached to the wall without an underlay.

In 1830 Spörlin & Rahn set up a branch in Warsaw . When Rahn died in 1836, Heinrich Zimmermann joined the company, which was subsequently called Spörlin & Zimmermann. Zimmermann's daughter Katharina and later his grandson Gustav were also in the company.

In addition to his work as an entrepreneur, Spörlin was also involved in the organization of trade exhibitions in Vienna in 1835, 1839 and 1845, as well as in the Great Exhibition in London in 1851.

Together with Rudolf von Arthaber and Theodor von Hornbostel , he played a key role in founding the Lower Austrian Trade Association in 1839. In 1843 and 1844 he was also its vice-president and initiated the establishment of the drawing and weaving school of the trade association. At the newly founded Vienna Chamber of Commerce , he became the first senior president.

literature

• Slokar, Wurzbach, WF Exner: The wallpaper and colored paper industry , 1869.
• Constantin von Wurzbach : Spörlin, Michael Ritter von . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 36th part. Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1878, pp. 209–215 ( digitized version ).
• 50 years of commercial endeavors , 1890.
• H. Mayer: 100 Years of Austrian Economic Development 1848-1948 , 1949
• G. Chaloupek: Economic History 1740-1938 , 1991.
• J. Mentschl:  Spörlin Michael von. In: Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 13, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 2007–2010, ISBN 978-3-7001-6963-5 , p. 44 f. (Direct links on p. 44 , p. 45 ).