JOSEF LOBMEYR (1792-1855): 
GLASS MERCHANT, GLASS MANÜFACTURER, GLASS EDITOR 
Compared with Ludwig Lobmeyr, the life and works of the Company 
founder Josef Lobmeyr are for the most part very obscure. In his Stan 
dard work written in 1925, Robert Schmidt leaned heavily on the auto- 
biography of Ludwig Lobmeyr to portray the first period of the Com 
pany under Josef Lobmeyr. The oldest surviving accounts book (star- 
ting with 1823) and the 18 volumes of production drawings, which 
Ludwig Lobmeyr dedicated to the Austrian Museum for Art and Indus- 
try in 1882 and 1892, served him as sources. Only in very few in- 
stances does Schmidt draw upon documents in the Company ar- 
chives trom the Biedermeier period, aithough these particular 
sources are extremely informative. 
They contain paper patterns in the original measurements and the in- 
scriptions (frequently giving details on function, decoration, tech- 
niques, the number to be produced, the glassworks making the pro- 
duct, the refiners, dates, etc., s. ills. 8-10, p. 15) on them provide Infor 
mation barely known previously. The attempt has been made in this 
publication to decipher the severeiy abbreviated notations (s. 
pp. 401 -403), however many of them still remain a puzzle. 
In the first surviving book of accounts by Josef Lobmeyr, containing 
the years 1823-24 and labeied with a “B” at the beginning, we find the 
names of several important business partners of the time: Rösier 
(s. pp. 92-94), Hafenbrädl, Blechinger, etc. We find further details 
about their businesses and other refiners and glassworks mentioned 
in the Lobmeyr patterns, along with their locations, in Contemporary 
publications and maps (s. pp. 406-415): 
“In the Silberberg works and Bonaventura works. Factory directonMr. 
Barth. Rössler. Crystal glass. fine colored glass in all colors. cutting 
and chalk glass; in the Bonaventur works: Sideboard and mantel clock 
glasses. also cyiinders.../ Domain Krumau. In Ernstbrunn at Christi 
anberg. Mr. Johann Blechinger, hollow, table and refined giass wares 
.../ At Heraietz, the authorized lease-holder: Mr. Ignaz Hafenbrädel, 
table glass.”{Handbook 1844, p. 718). 
Josef Lobmeyr, whose own production in the Slavonic glass works of 
Marienthai and Zvecevo we have so far not been able to identify, got 
most of his glasses from specific Centers of the Bohemian glass in- 
dustry. Among them were the Haida-Steinschönau glass refinery 
district in northern Bohemia and the Harrach Glassworks in Neuweit 
(s. p. 415, ills. 832, 833). In Southern Bohemia they were the areas 
north of the Austrian border around Gratzen with the Bouquoy glass 
works at Silberberg and Schwarzthai and the Meyr's Nephews works 
in Adolph, Winterberg, Eleonorenhain and Ernstbrunn (s. p. 411, 
ills, 827, 828). Then, farther to the west, the Bergreichenstein area 
with the Vogelsang works and the Goldbrunn works (s. p. 410, 
ill. 826), along with other glassworks specialized in specific products. 
Part of the seiection of wares during the first period of the Company is 
illustrated in representative examples on a business card (p. 141, 
ill. 344): Services, centerpieces, hanging lamps and chandeliers. 
More detaiied information is provided by a Viennese address book 
from the year 1849: “Hr. Lobmeyer Joseph, owner of the glass facto- 
ries in Marienthal and Zwechewo in Slavonia, a Citizen, glazier and 
glass merchant, presents his extremely rieh and brilliantly stocked 
glass wares factory outlet from the most ordinary to the finest refined 
crystal in all colors, painted and gilded, made for the most recent de- 
mands of industry. art. fashion and luxury; table and dessert Services 
of all types for between 6 to 50 and more people; all kinds of the most 
beautiful toilet items of the finest taste and to the latest models. A 
special seiection of all sizes of flat French cylinder and English cut 
and ordinary pocket watch glasses along with other types of larger 
clock glasses, all kinds of curved showcase panes, ordinary and fine 
window glass panes of white and colored glasses; also oval and other 
bells with and without pedestals, pressed glass objects of all kinds in- 
X 
v 
8 Papierschnitt aus der Mappe „Gas- & Rauchschalen, Aeltere“, KEK (wohl 
Kittls Erben, Kreibitz), 1853; MBE (= unbekannt), 1852: MN (= Meyr's Neffen), 
1852; Länge: 215 cm, Höhe: 7.4 cm, bez.: „KEK 24/6 1853 / RS3 / MBE/ 1 /10 
852, / MN / 539/852 / etwas weniger stark ausgebogen“ 
8 Paper pattern from the portfolio “older gas and smoke lamp shades,” KEK 
(= probably Kittl's Successors, Kreibitz), 1853; MBE (= unknown), 1852; MN 
(= Meyr’s Nephews), 1852; length: 21.5 cm, height: 7.4 cm 
'S* 
/'S sA/J 
9 Papierschnitt aus der Mappe „Gas- & Rauchschalen, Aeltere“, KEK (wohl 
Kittls Erben, Kreibitz), 1853; MBE (= unbekannt), 1852; MN (= Meyr’s Neffen), 
1852; Länge: 17.8 cm, Höhe: 6.2 cm, bez.: „KEK 25/6 1853/ RS4 / MBE / "1/10 
852. / MN 540/852 / etwas weniger ausgebogen“ 
9 Paper pattern from the portfolio “older gas and smoke lamp shades“,” KEK 
(= probably Kittl’s Successors, Kreibitz), 1853; MBE (= unknown), 1852; MN 
(= Meyr’s Nephews), 1852; length: 17.8 cm, height: 6.2 cm 
3 
•'S" 
'ÄT? ...... 
//Z'/FF" 'S ^ l 
As*s 
10 Papierschnitt aus der Mappe „Gas- & Rauchschalen, Aeltere“, AKET (= 
probably A. Kittels Erben, T?.), 1853: CJB (= C. Janke, Blottendorf); Länge: 
13 cm, Höhe: 5 cm, bez.: „AKET 10 21 /4 1853 /CJB 313 22 /9 " / 70. Stük / 
Glanz / 20 ax 24“ 
10 Paper pattern from the portfolio “older gas and smoke lamp shades,” 
AKET (= probably A. Kittel’s successors, T?), 1853; CJB (= C. Janke, Blotten 
dorf); length: 13 cm, height: 5 cm 
cluding mounted and unmounted diamonds, also artificial eyes for hu- 
mans and animals. All relevant Orders in this area will be accepted 
and filled most punctually at the factory outlet. city, Kärntnerstrasse 
940, corner of Weihburggasse.” (Gottfried 1849, Address Book, 
pp. 268-269). Already in 1839, Lobmeyr took part in the “second gen 
eral Austrian industrial products exhibition” with a rieh palette of items 
(s. ills. 282, 283, pp. 112,113). 
Josef Lobmeyr traveled extensively. In addition to making the obliga- 
tory visits to his own glass works, he also cultivated reiations with 
15