Julius Neubronner
Encyclopedia
Julius Gustav Neubronner (8 February 1852, Kronberg im Taunus
, Duchy of Nassau – 17 April 1932) was a German apothecary, inventor, company founder, and a pioneer of amateur photography and film. He was part of a dynasty of apothecaries in Kronberg im Taunus
. Neubronner was court apothecary to Kaiserin Friedrich
, invented the pigeon photographer method for aerial photography, was one of the first film amateurs in Germany, and founded a factory for adhesive tapes. After his death, the company was directed for 70 years by his son Carl Neubronner (13 January 1896 – 19 November 1997).
and father of Julius Neubronner. During the Revolution of 1848
he directed the local militia. The wife of Wilhelm Neubronner and mother of Julius Neubronner came from the Löwe dynasty of actors, and her sister was the singer Sophie Löwe
.
Neubronner initially received his education at home, together with two sisters. His godfather Julius Löwe operated a chemical laboratory in Frankfurt, and from 1864 the now twelve-year-old boy attended the Gymnasium in that city. After three years he changed to Weilburg
, where he received the mittlere Reife
. After a year of apprenticeship in his father's pharmacy he attended the Royal Realgymnasium in Wiesbaden.
He fulfilled his military duties at least partially in the Province of Hanover
.
In 1873 he finished his apprenticeship as apothecary's assistant in a pharmacy in Berlin, followed by three practical years in pharmacies in Bendorf
, Frankfurt, Hannoversch-Münden
and Nyon
. In Nyon he got into contact with stereoscopy
.
From 1876, Neubronner studied pharmacy in Gießen, where he joined the Akademisch-Naturwissenschaftlicher Verein (now a Burschenschaft
). Shortly after his pharmaceutical examination in 1877, he began to study chemistry in Berlin in 1878, but soon switched to Heidelberg, where he received his doctorate in 1879.
When Emperor Frederick III
died in the Year of the Three Emperors 1888 after only 99 days in office, his widow Victoria, Princess Royal
, known in Germany as Kaiserin Friedrich, had Schloss Friedrichshof
constructed as her new residence in the forest near Kronberg. Neubronner now obtained the rank of a court apothecary.
Wilhelm Neubronner had used pigeon post
for fast delivery of prescriptions, but had stopped the practice after a few years, when the neighbouring villages received their own pharmacies. Inspired by a newspaper report in 1902 that described a similar practice of an apothecary in Boston and showed a lack of awareness with his father's achievements, Julius Neubronner took up and expanded the practice. By pigeon post he obtained urgent chemicals up to 75 grams (2.6 oz) from his wholesaler in Frankfurt and delivered urgent medication to the sanatorium in Falkenstein (Königstein im Taunus
) The notable sanatorium, founded in 1876 by Peter Dettweiler, was replaced by a recreation home for officers between 1907 und 1909.
Between 1903 and 1920 Neubronner recorded a number of amateur films which were restored by the Deutsches Filmmuseum between 1994 and 1996 and later published on YouTube
. The cumbersome process of gluing glass photographs for laterna magica presentations inspired him to invent a form of adhesive paper tape, which he patented. For production and marketing he founded the Fabrik für Trockenklebematerial in 1905. Under the name Neubronner GmbH & Co. KG it still exists and has around 80 employees.
Like his father, Julius Neubronner was a friend and sponsor of a Kronberg-based group of notable painters known as Kronberger Malerkolonie, whose museum is now located on the first floor of his house.
In 1907, he joined the Senckenberg Nature Research Society
In 1908, Neubronner patented his invention, aerial photography by means of a pigeon photographer, which brought him international notability after he presented it to an interested audience at international expositions in Dresden, Frankfurt and Paris in 1909–1911. Spectators in Dresden could watch the arrival of the camera-equipped carrier pigeons, and the photos were immediately developed and turned into postcards which could be purchased. At the 1910 and 1911 Paris Air Show
s he received two gold medals, for the method and for the photographs. The invention was tried out for military air surveillance in the First World War and later, but apart from honourable mentions in encyclopedias (Meyers Konversations-Lexikon
, Brockhaus Enzyklopädie
) it only caused him expenses.
and was generally active in local and national sports.
With his death in 1972, his son Kurt-Heinz Neubronner took over the pharmacy, but in 1995 it was sold.
The factory was taken over by Julius Neubronner's youngest son Carl Neubronner (13 January 1896 – 19 November 1997), who managed it for 70 years. In 1957 he received the Federal Cross of Merit (1st class), in 1966 he made the staff share the company's profits, and he was active in an industry association.
Carl Neubronner became known for his experiments with model aircraft
: At the age of 16 he developed the "Raketoplan", a rocket-propelled model airplane, and the national rocket model aircraft club still awards an annual Carl Neubronner Prize.
In 1984 he became honorary citizen of Kronberg.
Since 1987 the Carl Neubronner Sports Foundation supports sports in Kronberg. Carl Neubronner was married to Erika Neubronner (1923–2005). In April 1997 they founded the socially oriented Carl and Erika Neubronner Foundation.
Kronberg im Taunus
Kronberg im Taunus is a town in the Hochtaunuskreis district, Hesse, Germany. Before 1866, it was in the Duchy of Nassau; in that year the whole Duchy was absorbed into Prussia. Kronberg lies at the foot of the Taunus, flanked in the north and southwest by forests...
, Duchy of Nassau – 17 April 1932) was a German apothecary, inventor, company founder, and a pioneer of amateur photography and film. He was part of a dynasty of apothecaries in Kronberg im Taunus
Kronberg im Taunus
Kronberg im Taunus is a town in the Hochtaunuskreis district, Hesse, Germany. Before 1866, it was in the Duchy of Nassau; in that year the whole Duchy was absorbed into Prussia. Kronberg lies at the foot of the Taunus, flanked in the north and southwest by forests...
. Neubronner was court apothecary to Kaiserin Friedrich
Victoria, Princess Royal
The Princess Victoria, Princess Royal was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert. She was created Princess Royal of the United Kingdom in 1841. She became German Empress and Queen of Prussia by marriage to German Emperor Frederick III...
, invented the pigeon photographer method for aerial photography, was one of the first film amateurs in Germany, and founded a factory for adhesive tapes. After his death, the company was directed for 70 years by his son Carl Neubronner (13 January 1896 – 19 November 1997).
Father and grandfather
The Neubronner family was resident in Kronberg as an apothecaries' family since Christian Neubronner had taken over a pharmacy there in 1808. In 1844 the pharmacy passed to his son Sohn Wilhelm Georg Neubronner (1813–1894), a longtime friend of painter Anton BurgerAnton Burger
Anton Burger born in Neunkirchen, Austria, was a Nazi war criminal, Sturmbannführer in the German Nazi SS. In 1942 was sent by Adolf Eichmann to Brussels, Belgium, in order to coordinate the efforts towards deportation of Belgian, Dutch and French Jews. He was later sent to Salonika in Greece by...
and father of Julius Neubronner. During the Revolution of 1848
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
he directed the local militia. The wife of Wilhelm Neubronner and mother of Julius Neubronner came from the Löwe dynasty of actors, and her sister was the singer Sophie Löwe
Sophie Löwe
Johanna Sophie Christiane Löwe was a German opera soprano, active mainly in Vienna and Berlin. She was one of the most famous German opera singers of her time.-Life and career:...
.
Adolescence
From adolescence, Julius Neubronner was a passionate amateur photographer. In 1865 he found a camera for the Talbot system which his father had built on his own shortly after the invention of photography. All experiments with the obsolete camera failed, and together with a friend the boy secretly bought another camera on credit.Neubronner initially received his education at home, together with two sisters. His godfather Julius Löwe operated a chemical laboratory in Frankfurt, and from 1864 the now twelve-year-old boy attended the Gymnasium in that city. After three years he changed to Weilburg
Weilburg
Weilburg is, with just under 14,000 inhabitants, the third biggest town in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany, after Limburg an der Lahn and Bad Camberg.- Location :...
, where he received the mittlere Reife
General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
. After a year of apprenticeship in his father's pharmacy he attended the Royal Realgymnasium in Wiesbaden.
He fulfilled his military duties at least partially in the Province of Hanover
Province of Hanover
The Province of Hanover was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1868 to 1946.During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, along with some other member states of the German Confederation...
.
In 1873 he finished his apprenticeship as apothecary's assistant in a pharmacy in Berlin, followed by three practical years in pharmacies in Bendorf
Bendorf
Bendorf is a town in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, approx. 7 km north of Koblenz.-Structure of the city:The city has the following neighbourhoods:*Bendorf*Sayn*Mülhofen...
, Frankfurt, Hannoversch-Münden
Hann. Münden
Hann. Münden is the German official name of a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. The city is located in the district of Göttingen at the confluence of the Fulda and Werra rivers, which join to form the river Weser. It has 28,000 inhabitants...
and Nyon
Nyon
Nyon is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located some 25 kilometers north east of Geneva's city centre, and since the 1970s it has become part of the Geneva metropolitan area. It lies on the shores of Lake Geneva, and is the seat of the district of...
. In Nyon he got into contact with stereoscopy
Stereoscopy
Stereoscopy refers to a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by presenting two offset images separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. Both of these 2-D offset images are then combined in the brain to give the perception of 3-D depth...
.
From 1876, Neubronner studied pharmacy in Gießen, where he joined the Akademisch-Naturwissenschaftlicher Verein (now a Burschenschaft
Burschenschaft
German Burschenschaften are a special type of Studentenverbindungen . Burschenschaften were founded in the 19th century as associations of university students inspired by liberal and nationalistic ideas.-History:-Beginnings 1815–c...
). Shortly after his pharmaceutical examination in 1877, he began to study chemistry in Berlin in 1878, but soon switched to Heidelberg, where he received his doctorate in 1879.
Pharmacy and factory
In 1886, Julius Neubronner took over the pharmacy in Kronberg from his father. In 1887 he bought an important historical building known as Streitkirche ('dispute church'). Planned as a catholic church in the Protestant town of Kronberg, but never inaugurated, it had been the object of a notable conflict. After the necessary modifications (the building had previously been used as an inn), family and pharmacy could move into the building in 1891.When Emperor Frederick III
Frederick III, German Emperor
Frederick III was German Emperor and King of Prussia for 99 days in 1888, the Year of the Three Emperors. Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl known informally as Fritz, was the only son of Emperor William I and was raised in his family's tradition of military service...
died in the Year of the Three Emperors 1888 after only 99 days in office, his widow Victoria, Princess Royal
Victoria, Princess Royal
The Princess Victoria, Princess Royal was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert. She was created Princess Royal of the United Kingdom in 1841. She became German Empress and Queen of Prussia by marriage to German Emperor Frederick III...
, known in Germany as Kaiserin Friedrich, had Schloss Friedrichshof
Schlosshotel Kronberg
Schlosshotel Kronberg in Kronberg im Taunus was built between 1889 and 1894 for the dowager German Empress Victoria, Princess Royal and named in honour of her husband, Frederick III, German Emperor....
constructed as her new residence in the forest near Kronberg. Neubronner now obtained the rank of a court apothecary.
Wilhelm Neubronner had used pigeon post
Pigeon post
Pigeon post is the use of homing pigeons to carry messages. Pigeons were effective as messengers due to their natural homing abilities. The pigeons were transported to a destination in cages, where they would be attached with messages, then naturally the pigeon would fly back to its home where the...
for fast delivery of prescriptions, but had stopped the practice after a few years, when the neighbouring villages received their own pharmacies. Inspired by a newspaper report in 1902 that described a similar practice of an apothecary in Boston and showed a lack of awareness with his father's achievements, Julius Neubronner took up and expanded the practice. By pigeon post he obtained urgent chemicals up to 75 grams (2.6 oz) from his wholesaler in Frankfurt and delivered urgent medication to the sanatorium in Falkenstein (Königstein im Taunus
Königstein im Taunus
Königstein im Taunus is a climatic spa and lies on the thickly wooded slopes of the Taunus in Hesse, Germany. Owing to its advantageous location for both scenery and transport on the edge of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region, Königstein is a favourite residential town...
) The notable sanatorium, founded in 1876 by Peter Dettweiler, was replaced by a recreation home for officers between 1907 und 1909.
Between 1903 and 1920 Neubronner recorded a number of amateur films which were restored by the Deutsches Filmmuseum between 1994 and 1996 and later published on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. The cumbersome process of gluing glass photographs for laterna magica presentations inspired him to invent a form of adhesive paper tape, which he patented. For production and marketing he founded the Fabrik für Trockenklebematerial in 1905. Under the name Neubronner GmbH & Co. KG it still exists and has around 80 employees.
Private life and pigeon photography
In 1886, Julius Neubronner married Charlotte Stiebel (1865–1924). Her father Fritz Stiebel (1824–1902) was a well-known physician in Frankfurt. Her maternal grandfather was Jacques Reiss (1807–1887), patron and honorary citizen of Kronberg and main initiator of the Cronberger Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (Kronberg Railway Society).Like his father, Julius Neubronner was a friend and sponsor of a Kronberg-based group of notable painters known as Kronberger Malerkolonie, whose museum is now located on the first floor of his house.
In 1907, he joined the Senckenberg Nature Research Society
In 1908, Neubronner patented his invention, aerial photography by means of a pigeon photographer, which brought him international notability after he presented it to an interested audience at international expositions in Dresden, Frankfurt and Paris in 1909–1911. Spectators in Dresden could watch the arrival of the camera-equipped carrier pigeons, and the photos were immediately developed and turned into postcards which could be purchased. At the 1910 and 1911 Paris Air Show
Paris Air Show
The Paris Air Show is the world's oldest and largest air show. Established in 1909, it is currently held every odd year at Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France...
s he received two gold medals, for the method and for the photographs. The invention was tried out for military air surveillance in the First World War and later, but apart from honourable mentions in encyclopedias (Meyers Konversations-Lexikon
Meyers Konversations-Lexikon
Meyers Konversations-Lexikon or Meyers Lexikon was a major German encyclopedia that existed in various editions, and several titles, from 1839 until 1984, when it merged with the Brockhaus encyclopedia....
, Brockhaus Enzyklopädie
Brockhaus Enzyklopädie
The Brockhaus Enzyklopädie is a German-language encyclopedia published by Brockhaus.The first edition originated in the Conversations-Lexikon mit vorzüglicher Rücksicht auf die gegenwärtigen Zeiten by Renatus Gotthelf Löbel and Christian Wilhelm Franke, published in Leipzig 1796-1808...
) it only caused him expenses.
Successors
After Julius Neubronner's death in 1932, the pharmacy stayed in the Neubronner family for two more generations. First it was managed by Wilhelm Neubronner, who wrote a book about Ice stock sportIce stock sport
Ice stock sport is a winter sport, somewhat similar to curling. In German, it is known as Eisstockschießen. Competitors slide ice stocks over an ice surface, aiming for a target, or to cover the longest distance. Ice stocks have a gliding surface, to which a stick is attached...
and was generally active in local and national sports.
With his death in 1972, his son Kurt-Heinz Neubronner took over the pharmacy, but in 1995 it was sold.
The factory was taken over by Julius Neubronner's youngest son Carl Neubronner (13 January 1896 – 19 November 1997), who managed it for 70 years. In 1957 he received the Federal Cross of Merit (1st class), in 1966 he made the staff share the company's profits, and he was active in an industry association.
Carl Neubronner became known for his experiments with model aircraft
Model aircraft
Model aircraft are flying or non-flying models of existing or imaginary aircraft using a variety of materials including plastic, diecast metal, polystyrene, balsa wood, foam and fibreglass...
: At the age of 16 he developed the "Raketoplan", a rocket-propelled model airplane, and the national rocket model aircraft club still awards an annual Carl Neubronner Prize.
In 1984 he became honorary citizen of Kronberg.
Since 1987 the Carl Neubronner Sports Foundation supports sports in Kronberg. Carl Neubronner was married to Erika Neubronner (1923–2005). In April 1997 they founded the socially oriented Carl and Erika Neubronner Foundation.