Jefferson

Title

Jefferson

Description

Portrait of Thomas Jefferson. He was one of the founding fathers of the United States, the third American president from 1801 to 1809, the main author of the Declaration of Independence and one of the most influential state theorists in the United States. He was also the second American Vice President from 1797 to 1801.

ca. 1850

Artist

Mayer (1796-1856)

Carl Joseph Meyer (1796 - 1856 in Hildburghausen) was a German businessman, industrialist, publicist and publisher. He founded the Bibliographical Institute. On August 1, 1826, the Bibliographical Institute was opened in Gotha. The owner was Hermine Meyer; Joseph Meyer contented himself with the designation of managing director. His failed speculative deals had made him cautious and he wanted to offer his family security with this step. Meyer was one of the fighters who wanted to give the people a universal education. In 1826 he published the library of German classics (150 volumes), at low prices that had hardly been achieved until then and with high sales figures. An equally successful series of atlases followed shortly thereafter. Meyer was one of the first publishers in Germany to sell his books via subscription. Meyer soon realized that the company in Gotha was too small for his rambling plans. He planned to add a technical operation with printing and bookbinding to the actual publishing house and looked around for suitable buildings. The merchant Johann Erdmann Scheller from Hildburghausen, who had offered to be a partner, negotiated with the Duke of Saxony-Meiningen and his government and wrote that his institute could certainly become a company with world renown. The Bibliographical Institute moved to Hildburghausen in December 1828 and moved into what was then known as the Brunnquellsche Palais. Meyer moved the cabinet library and the miniature library of the German classics here.