Ignác Šechtl
Encyclopedia
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
photography (especially photojournalism
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
) and cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
. He moved from Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, to Kladno
Kladno
Kladno is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It is located 25 km northwest of Prague. Kladno is the largest city of the region and holds a population together with its adjacent suburban areas of more than 110,000 people...
, Plzeň, Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Prachatice
Prachatice
Prachatice is a town in the South Bohemian Region, Czech Republic.-History:The town of Prachatice has its origins in the 11th century, following the beginning of trade on the "Golden Path"...
and Nepomuk
Nepomuk
Nepomuk is a town in the Pilsen Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Mihovka River, some to the south-southwest from the region capital of Pilsen....
, and finally to Tábor
Tábor
Tábor is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. It is named after Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the place of the Transfiguration of Christ; however, the name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in the Czech language.The town was...
, where he established the photographic firm Šechtl and Voseček
Šechtl and Vosecek
The photographic studio Šechtl and Voseček was founded in Tábor in 1888 by Ignác Šechtl, who accepted his assistant Jan Voseček as co-member of his photographic studio....
, which survived for three generations.
Biography
Ignác Šechtl was born in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, on 26 May 1840, into the family of a miller. His father intended him to become a trader, and his first job was administrator for the business of Alexander Klier, in Prague. In 1863 he moved to Kladno
Kladno
Kladno is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It is located 25 km northwest of Prague. Kladno is the largest city of the region and holds a population together with its adjacent suburban areas of more than 110,000 people...
, to learn the art of photography, and in 1865 he was granted tradesman’s rights. Only a few of his cartes de visite
Carte de visite
The carte de visite was a type of small photograph which was patented in Paris, France by photographer André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri in 1854, although first used by Louis Dodero...
remain from that time, and these are now stored in the family archive.
In 1864, he moved to Plzeň, and opened his studio, the fourth in the town. Contemporary newspapers mention his photographing of the unveiling of the memorial to sculptor Wiltd, and describe it as being successful in spite of the inclement weather on the day. This is the first mention of Ignác Šechtl’s outdoor work.
In 1868, he went into partnership with photographer Franz Bergman. The two men later had a falling out, after which Šechtl and his wife Antonia left Plzeň and he became an itinerant photographer. He tried his luck in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
in 1871, and in Nepomuk
Nepomuk
Nepomuk is a town in the Pilsen Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Mihovka River, some to the south-southwest from the region capital of Pilsen....
and Prachatice
Prachatice
Prachatice is a town in the South Bohemian Region, Czech Republic.-History:The town of Prachatice has its origins in the 11th century, following the beginning of trade on the "Golden Path"...
. Several significant photographs remain from this period. One unique work that has survived is a photomontage
Photomontage
Photomontage is the process and result of making a composite photograph by cutting and joining a number of other photographs. The composite picture was sometimes photographed so that the final image is converted back into a seamless photographic print. A similar method, although one that does not...
, achieved by double exposure, depicting Ignác Šechtl both as laboratory worker and retouching a photo, in one picture. Also interesting are photos of towns, for example, shots of Prachatice
Prachatice
Prachatice is a town in the South Bohemian Region, Czech Republic.-History:The town of Prachatice has its origins in the 11th century, following the beginning of trade on the "Golden Path"...
, Jistebnice
Jistebnice
Jistebnice is a village and municipality in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 2,012 ....
, Tábor
Tábor
Tábor is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. It is named after Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the place of the Transfiguration of Christ; however, the name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in the Czech language.The town was...
, Žirovnice
Žirovnice
Žirovnice is a town in the Vysočina Region, Czech Republic. It is located at about .The small river Žirovnička flows through the town. There are many historical buildings in the town - the Castle of Žirovnice, St. Filip's and St. Jakub's church and others. Žirovnice has around 2,700 inhabitants....
and a panoramic photograph of Blatná
Blatná
Blatná is a small town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, with a water castle in the center of an artificial lake and a landscape garden around it...
.
In 1870, Ignác's daughter Antonia was born. Four years later, his wife Antonia died.
Later, on trips to Tábor, he met Catherine Štastná, housekeeper of Josef Němec, the husband of famous writer, Božena Němcová
Božena Nemcová
Božena Němcová was a Czech writer of the final phase of the Czech National Revival movement.-Biography:...
. Catherine later became his second wife. At 36, Šechtl finally settled in Tábor, and officially opened his studio in 1876, at house number 333 on Maria Square.
His son, Josef Jindřich
Josef Jindrich Šechtl
Josef Jindřich Šechtl was a Czech photographer who specialized in photojournalism and portrait photography...
, was born in 1877. Family tradition says that the same day, in a pub, Šechtl met the commercial traveller Jan Voseček, who very soon became a partner in the firm. The 1880 census reveals Voseček as Šechtl’s assistant.
Ignác documented with passion the evolution of the town of Tábor
Tábor
Tábor is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. It is named after Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the place of the Transfiguration of Christ; however, the name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in the Czech language.The town was...
, even though he lost money on this work. From the years 1876-77, several photos remain of Tábor Square shortly after the renovation of the Town Hall, and a photo-essay documenting the unveiling of the Jan Žižka
Jan Žižka
Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha , Czech general and Hussite leader, follower of Jan Hus, was born at small village Trocnov in Bohemia, into a gentried family. He was nicknamed "One-eyed Žižka"...
Memorial by sculptor Josef Václav Myslbek
Josef Václav Myslbek
Josef Václav Myslbek was a Czech sculptor credited for founding of the modern Czech sculpting style.Josef grew up poor in a suburb of Prague. His family pushed him to become a shoemaker but he shirked the duty by getting a job with a succession of Czech sculptors...
.
In 1878, the weekly newspaper Český Jih announced the founding of the partnership of Alexander Seik
Alexander Seik
Alexander Seik , also known as Alex Sejk was a pioneer of Czech photography, one of foremost exponents of chromophotography, painter and mayor of city Tábor.- Biography :...
and Ignác Šechtl. Some of the photos from this time bear the logo of both photographers, while others show individual logos. However, Seik was losing interest in photography and was turning his attention to politics, so around 1886 the partnership came to an end. However, the separation of the two studios does not appear to have damaged Ignác Šechtl’s business.
Ignác Šechtl was a founding member of the Fishermen’s Club, and he was also a popular amateur actor. It is said that the audience laughed as soon as Ignác appeared on stage. His experience as an actor, his wit, and his sense of theatre, are apparent in many of his photos.
Jan Voseček started his work with Šechtl in the former Seik
Alexander Seik
Alexander Seik , also known as Alex Sejk was a pioneer of Czech photography, one of foremost exponents of chromophotography, painter and mayor of city Tábor.- Biography :...
studio in 1888. We have photos signed by Voseček from this time. He became a partner in the firm “Schächtl and Voseček
Šechtl and Vosecek
The photographic studio Šechtl and Voseček was founded in Tábor in 1888 by Ignác Šechtl, who accepted his assistant Jan Voseček as co-member of his photographic studio....
”, later changed to the Czech spelling of “Šechtl and Voseček
Šechtl and Vosecek
The photographic studio Šechtl and Voseček was founded in Tábor in 1888 by Ignác Šechtl, who accepted his assistant Jan Voseček as co-member of his photographic studio....
”.
In 1896, Ignác Šechtl discovered a new passion – cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
. He held the first licence in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
for showing moving pictures. What would have been the first showing in Bohemia was scheduled for Plzeň, in 1896. However, due to technical difficulties at Plzeň, it appears the first-ever showing was in fact, by Ignác Šechtl, in the Shooting Gallery in Tábor
Tábor
Tábor is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. It is named after Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the place of the Transfiguration of Christ; however, the name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in the Czech language.The town was...
, in 1897. However, Ignác Šechtl was dissatisfied with the technical quality, and he travelled to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to try to solve these problems. He became an itinerant cinematographer, but the business kept losing money, and finally, he sold it to the magician, Viktor Ponrepo.
In 1902, the firm Šechtl and Voseček
Šechtl and Vosecek
The photographic studio Šechtl and Voseček was founded in Tábor in 1888 by Ignác Šechtl, who accepted his assistant Jan Voseček as co-member of his photographic studio....
exhibited at the great Regional Exhibition in Tábor. Ignác, with his son Josef Jindřich
Josef Jindrich Šechtl
Josef Jindřich Šechtl was a Czech photographer who specialized in photojournalism and portrait photography...
, created a large photo-essay of the Exhibition, which survives to this day. He also documented the building of the Bechyně
Bechyne
Bechyně , is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It is located on the Lužnice River 20 km southwest of Tábor and has a population of 5,695 ....
Railway in 1903, and many Sokol
Sokol
The Sokol movement is a youth sport movement and gymnastics organization first founded in Czech region of Austria-Hungary, Prague, in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner...
meets. In 1904, his son Josef became a full partner in the firm. In 1906, the firm opened a branch in Pelhřimov
Pelhrimov
- Basic facts :Pelhřimov is located approximately half-way between Prague and Brno. It is known as “the Gateway to the Highlands“ because of its location in the westernmost tip of the Czech-Moravian Highlands. The altitude above sea level at the foot of the tower of the Church of St...
, and also exhibited at the Austrian Exhibition in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 1907 they started building a new studio, in the place of the former Seik
Alexander Seik
Alexander Seik , also known as Alex Sejk was a pioneer of Czech photography, one of foremost exponents of chromophotography, painter and mayor of city Tábor.- Biography :...
studio, which became the largest in Southern Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
.
Ignác Šechtl died on 6 July, 1911. The firm Šechtl and Voseček survived, until nationalisation by the Communist government in 1953.