Militarism and Imperialism

Popular poster lithographs by Wissembourg printer Wentzel & Burckardt.

From 1845, the workshop had nearly a dozen hand presses and called on labor from France, Germany and Switzerland. When Jean Frédéric Wentzel died in 1869, the company owned eighteen lithographic presses, including one steam-powered, three typographic presses, two textile printing presses and five engraving presses. It employed twenty-six typesetters, sixteen draftsmen and lithographers and more than one hundred and twenty colorists, mainly women and children.

With an output of two million images per year, Wissembourg became one of the three largest printing houses for popular prints in Europe with a world wide circulation.

In 1871 the Alsace experienced annexation by Germany, evidenced now by the production of many portraits of kings, generals and soldiers from various countries and emperors such as William II and Frederick III.

All these are of life-size formats and in brilliant litho colours, fresh as at the day of printing.