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Carl Hentschel papers

 Collection
Identifier: D.406

Biographical/Historical note

Carl Hentschel (1864-1930) was a leading figure in illustrative print technology at the turn of the 20th century. Born in Lodz, Poland, Hentschel immigrated to England with his parents at an early age and studied the print trade under the tutelage of his father. He eventually went on to invent the Hentschel-Colourtype process and to found Carl Hentschel, Limited, a reproduction firm that produced engravings for numerous forms of printed media.



Hentschel was also prominent in theatre-going circles in London and claimed that he very rarely missed a first night. He was a founding member and president of the Playgoers' Club and became the founder (later serving as president) of the O.P. Club when he, along with several hundred other members, left the Playgoers' over policy disputes in 1900. He produced several publications related to the theatre, including The Discomforts of Playgoing (1903), and served as proprietor and editor of The Playgoer (1899).



Hentschel's interests were varied, and he was an active member in a number of clubs in addition to those mentioned above, including the New Vagabond Club and the Bartholomew Club. He served as President of the City of London Tradesmen's Club (1902) and as Chairman of the Guildhall School of Music (1905) and was a member of the Corporation of the City of London. Jerome K. Jerome, a close friend, used Hentschel as the inspiration for the character of Harris in his Three Men in a Boat (1889).

Scope and Contents

The Carl Hentschel papers are primarily made up of correspondence, which has been indexed and described at the item level, and which makes up the first series. The second series is comprised of non-correspondence materials, including papers related to Hentschel's printing businesses, other papers related to theatre life and goings-on, and a photograph.



Many of the correspondents whose letters make up the bulk of the Carl Hentschel papers serve as something of a who's who of the British theatre world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The majority of the letters consist primarily of responses to invitations to various O.P. Club (and, to a lesser extent, Playgoers' Club and New Vagabond Club) social and charitable events, providing a record of the many prominent attendees at their gatherings and insight into an often undocumented facet of life in theatre-going circles at the time.



The collection also offers glimpses into the opinions of various individuals concerning stage censorship, the sway of popular opinion over theatre critics, and whether or not actors should mingle socially with audience members. The sometimes surprisingly complex inner workings of clubs of play-goers and the difficulties involved in attempting to bring various entertainments to London (seen in, for example, Hentschel's letters from an unidentified correspondent concerning a possible engagement-- ultimately unsuccessful-- with the Royal Danish Opera Company) are also documented. One finds snapshots from the war years in brief references to blackouts, public morale, politics, and evidence of the prejudices Hentschel faced as a man with an ostensibly Germanic surname (Hentschel was actually of Russian extraction) living in a country at odds with Germany. Hentschel's considerable organizational skills and numerous efforts on behalf of various charities-- including those to assist actors during World War I and, in his capacity as Joint Secretary of the Royal Horticultural Society, to aid Europeans in need in the war's aftermath-- are recorded, as are his friendships with such theatre notables as Cecil Raleigh, Clement Scott, and J.T. Grein. Beyond Hentschel's social activities, the collection offers information concerning the success of Hentschel's print business, the superiority of his engravings in the eyes of his contemporaries, and the formulas he used to produce illustrations of such quality.

Creator

Dates

  • Creation: 1884-1929

Language of Materials

English

Extent

3 box(es)

Access

The Carl Hentschel Papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], Carl Hentschel Papers, D.406, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Genre / Form

Geographic

Occupation

Topical

Related Materials

Sources used:



"Mr. Carl Hentschel." The Times. 10 Jan. 1930. The Times Digital Archive, 1785-1985. Web. 14 May 2012.



Nicholas, Jeremy. "Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the Bummel: The Story Behind Jerome's Two Comic Masterpieces," The Jerome K. Jerome Society. The Jerome K. Jerome Society, 2007. Web. 14 May 2012.



Who Was Who, Vol. III: Who Was Who, 1929-1940. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1941. Print.

Title
Carl Hentschel papers
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
Date
undated
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • July 2022: This finding aid was revised in July 2022, to incorporate item-level information from the decommissioned Hentschel Correspondence Database, and also to build out the arrangement and scope and content notes.

Library Details

Part of the Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation Library

Contact:
Rochester NY 14627-0055 USA