Herbert Thannhaeuser

Biography

Publicity, type design, book design. Born 2 December 1898 in Berlin. Trained as a porcelain decorator, then (largely self-taught) as advertising designer at the publisher Ullstein. From 1925: art manager at the printing firm Max Krause. By 1928: art director for the Berlin printer Erasmus Press (see Schriften, below). Early 1930s: with Paul Scheurich, designer of packaging and publicity for Lohse (perfumes). 1933-40: art manager of the typefoundry Schelter & Giesecke, Leipzig. 1940-46: military service. September 1946: released from prisoner of war camp. October 1951-63: art director of VEB Typoart, Dresden, succeeded on his death by Albert Kapr. 1960: awarded Art Prize of the DDR. Among the typefaces he designed: Adastra (1928, Stempel), Parcival (1930, Schelter & Giesecke), Girder (1931, Stempel), Werbedeutsch (1933, Schelter & Giesecke), Thannhaeuser (1929-34, Schriftguss), Hermann-Gothic (1934, Schelter & Giesecke), Thannhaeuser Fraktur (1938-9, Schelter & Giesecke), Kurier (1939, Schelter & Giesecke) and Erler capitals (1953, Typoart), Technotyp (1946-53), Meister-Antiqua (1952), Liberta (1957). Died 12 April 1963 in Kleinmachnow, Berlin.

Writings by

  • ‘Drucker und Künstler’, Gg,, 1925, 12, pp. 22-3 (with self-portrait)
  • Schriften, type specimen book (designer), Berlin: Erasmusdruck, 1928
  • Pattern book of lettering (type specimen book for Erasmus Druck), in Gg, 1929, 1, pp. 49-64.

Writings about

  • Die Reklame, Sept. (2) 1925, cover ii (Erasmusdruck ad)
  • Die Reklame, Oct. (2) 1925, cover ii (Erasmusdruck ad)
  • Die Reklame, Dec. (2) 1925, cover ii (Erasmusdruck ad)
  • DdW, 1927
  • note on typeface Adastra, Gg, 1928, v. 11, p. 73
  • H.K. Frenzel(?), ‘The first work’, Gg, 1929, 1, esp. pp. 7, 49-64 (includes Erasmus Druck type specimens)
  • note on typeface Thannhäuser-Schrift, Gg, Jan. 1929, p. 75
  • note on typefaces Parcival Antiqua and Parcival Kursiv, Gg, Feb. 1931, p. 79
  • ‘Samples from the D. Stempel A.G. Typefoundry’, Gg, Dec. 1931, pp. 54-7
  • Konrad F. Bauer, ‘Bericht über neue Schriften’, Imprimatur, 1931, pp. 65-85, esp. pp. 71, 72
  • Hans Bockwitz, ‘Junge deutsche Büchkunstler’, AfB, Nov. 1934, pp. 699-784, esp. pp. 702, 710
  • Otto Bettmann, ‘Herbert Thannhaeuser’, AfB, Sept. 1934, pp. 489-519
  • W. Puttkammer, ‘Parfumerie Lohse Berlin’, Gg, July 1935, pp. 2-11
  • H.K. Frenzel, ‘Herbert Thannhaeuser’, Gg, Sept. 1935, pp. 24-32
  • Emil Wetzig, ‘Das Schriftgestalten und Schriftschaffen der deutschen Giessereien seit 1933’, AfB, Dec. 1935, pp. 602-16 (esp. p. 606)
  • showings of Rhythmus-Werkschrift and Thannhaeuser-Fraktur, Deutscher Drucker, Jan. 1938, p. 141
  • note on typeface Thannhaeuser, Gg, April 1939, p. 66
  • ‘Die neuen Schriften des Jahres 1937’ (Thannhaeuser), Deutscher Drucker, Jan. 1938, p. 141
  • Klimschs Jahrbuch, 1939, p. 144 (showing of Thannhaeuser-Fraktur)
  • AfB, 1939, p. 638 (logo)
  • Gutenberg Jahrbuch, 1940, p. 529 (Schriftguss ad for Thannhauser)
  • Erler capitals, Druck und Papier, Nov. 1953, p. 167
  • Erler capitals, Druck und Papier, March 1955, pp. 37-44
  • Walter Richter, ‘Für die schöne Gegenwartsform der Schrift’ (HT’s typefaces
  • HT awarded Art Prize), Bildende Kunst, 1960, 8, pp. 541-6
  • Vollmer, 1962
  • Walter Bergner, ‘Entwurf und Herstellung von Schrifttypen in Ostdeutschland. Zur Geschichte des Betriebes Typoart in Dresden’, Leipziger Jahrbuch zur Buchgeschichte, 1996, pp. 405-36
  • www.klingspor-museum.de.