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Alois Senefelder Facts & Worksheets

Alois Senefelder was a German playwright and actor and the inventor of lithograph.

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Alois Senefelder was a German playwright and actor and the inventor of lithograph. His invention allowed 18th-century artists to easily reproduce their works multiple times.

See the fact file below for more information on the Alois Senefelder or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Alois Senefelder worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

  • Johann Alois Senefelder was born on November 6, 1771, in Prague.
  • His father was an actor at the Royal Theater of Munich.
  • Alois received his early education at Munich. He then received a scholarship that enabled him to study at the University of Ingolstadt.

CAREER

  • In 1791, his father died, forcing him to stop his studies and help support his family.
  • He ventured into dramatic writing after a failed attempt at becoming an actor.
  • One of Senefelder’s successful works is entitled Connoisseur of Girls.
  • While working on his play Mathilde von Altenstein, he encountered problems with the play’s printing and subsequently fell into debt.
  • He found it hard to get a publisher that he could afford for a new play that he wrote, so he attempted to create his own means of printing his productions.
  • He conducted a series of experiments in printing with copper plates and etching.
  • His experiment on the copper plates was unsuccessful, but an accident led him to the possibility of using stone as etching material.
  • Alois used a new etching technique that utilized Solnhofen limestone and a greasy, acid-resistant ink.
  • Senefelder later figured out that the technique could be used to print from the stone without etching.
  • In 1799, Alois joined Johann Anton André and his family of music publishers and progressively made his technique into a practical form.
  • Senefelder perfected the special form of printing press required to use the limestone and the chemical process involved in his technique.
  • He called his process “chemical printing” or “stone printing”, but “lithography” became more widely used.
  • In 1796, he partnered with Franz Gleißner, a German composer, and founded their publishing firm using lithography.
  • The first people to recognize Senefelder’s new technique were land surveyors from offices across Europe.
  • They took delight in the cheap and precise reproduction process that the technique provided.
  • In 1809, Alois was appointed as the Inspector of the Lithographic Institute in Munich.
  • Other institutions of the same discipline were built in Berlin, London, Paris, and Vienna. These were all under Senefelder’s supervision.
  • In 1818, he published the results of his experiments on his Vollstandiges Lehrbuch der Steindruckerei.
  • Alois also secured patent rights for his work and invention.
  • Senefelder published A Complete Course of Lithography, which combined a history of his invention and a practical guide to lithography.
  • He was also able to utilize lithography as a potential medium for art.
  • This was due to the fact that lithography had textural variety and greater accuracy, unlike earlier printmaking techniques.
  • Lithography was desirable because it enabled artists to draw directly on the plate using pens they were familiar with.
  • In 1803, André started publishing a portfolio of lithographs from artists.
  • Lithography was further developed, and in 1837, it was already possible to print in full color by using multiple plates.

AWARDS AND LEGACY

  • Alois Senefelder was awarded by King Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria.
  • Senefelder has a statue in Solnhofen, where quarrying of lithographic stone is still done.
  • In 1892, sculptor Rudolf Pohle erected a statue of Alois Senefelder in a square then called Thusneldaplatz, Berlin.
  • In 1894, the square’s name was changed to Senefelderplatz.
  • A U-Bahn that was opened in 1913 was also named after Alois.
  • Senefelder’s contribution had such an innovative effect that it is ranked alongside the inventions of Friedrich Koenig, William Ged, and Ottmar Mergenthaler.
  • Senefelder’s lithography made printing cheaper and accessible to more people.
  • It also became more essential to newspaper and art printing.
  • Senefelder lived long enough to see his invention become widely used both as the leading technique of pictorial reproduction and for art printmaking.
  • Alois died on February 26, 1834, in Munich, Germany. He was 62 years old.
  • He was buried at the Alter Südfriedhof.

Alois Senefelder Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Alois Senefelder across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Alois Senefelder worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Alois Senefelder who was a German playwright and actor and the inventor of lithograph. His invention allowed 18th-century artists to easily reproduce their works multiple times.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Alois Senefelder Facts
  • Alois’ Life
  • Life of Printing
  • Messy Prints
  • Lithography Needs
  • Self Mark
  • Match Playing
  • A Lit Sale
  • Metallic Wood Print
  • Printing Error
  • Persons of Novelty

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Use With Any Curriculum

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