Opened Folder, Left: This is a fine surviving example of an opened folder cover for the second collected issue of Die Kunst in Der Photographie, 1902. (Lieferung 2) The folder cover- with some fading- still retains its original light green color. Printed in red ink at top of page is INHALT | Contents, with right margin and bottom of page embellished with floral motif artwork originally etched in 1896 by Swiss artist Hermann Hirzel. (1864-1939)
Believed to be living in Berlin at the time he created this artwork, Hirzel’s folder designs were featured in Die Kunst in Der Photographie in all issues from 1897-1903.
These issue folders acted as letterpress, with a listing of plates included for that particular issue. The hand-pulled photogravure plates were individually listed: name of artist followed by respective city and title of work: KUNSTBEILAGEN IN GRAVURE: | ART SUPPLEMENTS IN ENGRAVING:
This was in turn followed by a list of mounted autotypes (halftones) for the respective issue:
KUNSTBEILAGEN IN AUTOTYPIE: | ART SUPPLEMENTS IN AUTOTYPE:
Anchoring the page are credits for the plate reproductions, as well as for the overall issue printing and compilation:
Heliogravuren: Georg Büxenstein & Comp. und Meisenbach, Riffarth & Comp, Berlin.
Autotypien: Georg Büxenstein & Comp., Berlin.
Druck: Buchdruckerei des Waisenhauses, Halle a. S.
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Heliogravures: Georg Büxenstein & Comp. and Meisenbach, Riffarth & Comp, Berlin.
Autotypes: Georg Büxenstein & Comp., Berlin.
Printing: Orphanage printing house, Halle a. S.
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Opened Folder, Right: translated: The work, which has been published since January 1897, The Art in Photography intends to create a periodically published collective sale of the finest photographic prints in order to bring together the beautiful fruits produced by the young art of amateur photography.
Anyone who leafs through the numerous photographic journals, who visits the photographic
exhibitions, will find – scattered in the former, and only brought together for a short period of time in the latter – such rich and beautiful material of the most outstanding achievements of amateur photography that the idea of creating a work with the sole purpose of collecting art prints of this kind was a natural one.
“The Art of Photography” is intended to complement the existing specialist journals in this respect.
While the specialist journals have sown the seeds, while they bring new friends to amateur photography every day and provide them with the means and ways to create artistic achievements, while they have helped to raise amateur photography to the heights it occupies today in all areas of art and science, we want to use the Art in Photography to bring out the results of these efforts.
However, our work is not intended only for amateur photographers, we are rather addressing all those in whose home the cafè is a caretaker; we do not want to remain within the borders of our fatherland, but to roam through all cultural countries – and photography is at home in all of them – and through the “art in photography” make the best products a valuable common good.
Every month a booklet with 6 art sheets is published, and each booklet is to have a special character: We publish booklets with the most select art sheets from home and abroad in a colorful series; those that contain pictures of only one nation in order to express artistic inclinations and national character in photographic images; booklets arranged according to the character of the images (portrait, landscape, genre, etc.); Issues that we dedicate to an artist or amateur association whose artistic efforts we want to honor; finally, some issues should also contain the most beautiful photographs that have received general recognition at amateur photography exhibitions. When making the selection, we will endeavor to give only the best from the wealth of material. The reproduction will be entirely worthy and in keeping with the character of the picture.