Description

Franziska Klähr (1774 – 1850) was born in a middle class family and took over her late husband’s workshop a master metalworker / locksmith, an unusual profession a for a woman at the time. Described as “determined, energetic, smart and untiring” she earned a small fortune through her metalwork business. During the Napoleonic Wars she helped financially as well as with medical care to heal hundreds wounded Austrian and Russian soldiers. For her work Khlär was awarded with medals by Francis II, Holy Rioman Emperor, Frederick William III of Prussia and Alexander I of Russia.

The almanac also includes portraits and biographies of Ignaz Edler von Würth (1747–1834), a silversmith and goldsmith, as well as a statesman from Vienna, Josef Moser (1779 – 1836) a pharmacists, who in 1816 installed the first gaslight in a shop in Vienna, and Franz Leibenfrost (1790 – 1851) a Viennese wine and coffee merchant and a philanthropist.

The publication also includes history of various Viennese buildings, customs and holidays, and other educational articles. The introduction mentions, that the almanac was meant to be different from other similar publications and calls authors to submit more articles. Unfortunately only one more issue of the title followed the next year.

The printer and publisher of the almanac was Elisabeth Pichler, née Praller (1783–1865), who took over the business after the death of her husband Anton Andreas Pichler (1770 – 1823). In 1852, she was joined by her son Franz Pichler (1808–1891). Elisabeth Pichler was a sister-in-law of an Austrian intellectual and author Caroline Pichler (also Karoline 1769 – 1843). The publishing house is still active under the name Hölder-Pichler-Tempsky.

The almanac is very rare. Worldcat mentions the title with no institutional examples (OCLC 1366471991).

950 EUR