This unremarkable paper manuscript in a green cardboard cover contains various excerpts selected by Johann Conrad Fischer (1773-1854) himself from his Austrian travel journals. Here the entrepreneur and metallurgist Fischer from Schaffhausen describes his encounters with Archduke John of Austria (1782-1859), which took place between 4 February 1826 [p. 1] and 25 June 1842 [p. 125]. The travel journals themselves, from which these excepts were taken, have not survived. After Archduke John had read Johann Fischer’s English travel journals, he wished to get to know the author personally and sent Johann Conrad Fischer an invitation through Fischer’s son [p. 3]. After the first meeting in February 1826, six more meetings occurred in the space of five years: 13 September 1826 [p. 15], 24. June 1827 [p. 21], 5 October 1828 [p. 50], 17 September 1829 [p. 58], 18 September 1829 [p. 77] and 17 September 1830 [p. 87]. After a hiatus of ten years, there were three last meetings: 25 June 1840 [p. 101], 24 June 1842 [p. 124] and 25 June 1842 [p. 125]. On 136 pages Fischer essentially recaps the conversations between the two men. These accounts allow us to understand Fischer’s commercial interests and his activities in Austria. The content of the conversations as well as the circumstances of his visits afford us a glimpse of their common world in the context of the tensions between Switzerland and Austria, between old political orders and economic modernization. The entries are in chronological order and are followed by fourteen blank pages at the end. The page numbering is from when the album was created. The little book was discovered by accident in a farmhouse in Löhningen (SH) in October 2019. Today it is held in the company archives of the Georg Fischer AG in Schaffhausen (egg)

Online Since: 12/12/2019

This paper manuscript contains copies, drafts and lists of the French, English and German business correspondence of Johann Conrad Fischer (1773-1854) of Schaffhausen, covering the years 1811-1817 in mostly chronological order. About the first fifty pages cover the time period from 1811 until 1815 and contain primarily drafts of letters - recognizable by regularly occurring corrections in the text - to business partners in Romandy and in the French Jura. Pages 58 to 165 contain lists of correspondence covering the years 1816 and 1817 to recipients in Germany, Austria, England, France and Switzerland. Three other leaves are glued in at the end of the manuscript containing further drafts. (egg)

Online Since: 12/12/2019

This leather-bound album contains about 35 dedications and drawings by people with whom the coppersmith and wine merchant Christoph Fischer (1691-1770) from Schaffhausen was in touch during his lifetime. Based on the entries in Latin, German, French and English, it is possible to reconstruct two trips that Fisher took to London, during which most of the dedications occurred: 1747-1750 via Geneva, Lyon, Paris to London and 1758 via Strasbourg, Frankfurt, Amsterdam to London. Several entries are by members of the Schalch family of Schaffhausen, who were relatives of Fischer; among these is an undated watercolor by the artist Johann Jakob Schalch (1723-1789) (p. 122), who lived in London and Den Haag from 1754-1773. After Fischer’s death, the album was continued: entries from 1773 (p. 65) and 1820 (p. 215). Several pages of parchment (pp. 1-2, 19-20, 47-48, 115-116, 181-182) are bound into the paper manuscript, and several pages of paper were added later (pp. 39a-b, 55a-b, 147a-b) or were covered with pasted-on illustrations (p. 43, p. 125, p. 127). The entries are not in chronological order and alternate with numerous blank pages. (egg)

Online Since: 06/22/2017

This leather-bound paper manuscript with gold embossing (digits of the year 1791 in each of the four corners of the book) is the memory album of Johann Conrad Fischer (1773-1854), coppersmith, metallurgist, entrepreneur and politician from Schaffhausen. His cast steel factory, founded in 1802, developed into the current Georg Fischer Ltd. The album contains dedications and illustrations by about 70 people with whom Fischer was in touch during his lifetime, among them his math teacher Melchior Hurter (1735-1811) (p. 1), Professor Johann Georg Müller (1759-1819) (p. 49), the physician Johann Balthasar Zwingli from Zurich (1764-1817) (p. 164), the writer Heinrich Zschokke (1771-1848) (p. 175), Fischer’s great–uncle Lorenz Spengler (1720-1807), head of the Royal Art Chamber in Copenhagen (p. 43), and his son Johann Conrad Spengler (1767-1839) (p. 105). The majority of the entries are in German, French, English and Danish and date from his years of travel as a journeyman coppersmith in 1792-1795, when he traveled via Frankfurt, Chemnitz, Dresden to Copenhagen and on to London. Occasional further entries continue until 1841. The entries are not in chronological order and alternate with pasted-in pages (pp. 3a-b, 48a, 111a-d) and numerous blank pages. The numbering of the pages is from the time of the creation of the album. (egg)

Online Since: 06/22/2017

This paper manuscript bound in green leather is the memory album of Eduard Fischer (1801-1859) of Schaffhausen; it contains notes from family and friends. Eduard Fischer was the son of the metallurgist and entrepreneur Johann Conrad Fischer (1773-1854) of Schaffhausen. The book contains entries from 1818 until 1920. The very first entry is from the hand of his father, Johann Conrad Fischer: „Experientia est optima Magistra! […] Zum Andenken von deinem dich liebenden Vatter Johann Conrad Fischer, Oberst Lieut: der Art: und Mitglied der helv: Gesellschaft für die gesamten Naturwissenschaften. Schaffhausen, dem 21ten Märtz 1819.“ [p. 3]. Further entries in German, Latin and Ancient Greek are concentrated on pages 13-91 with many blank pages in between. Among the entries are notes by his brothers Georg Fischer (1804-1888) [p. 44] and Berthold Fischer (1807-1879) [p. 73], as well as by his sister C. Fischer [p. 59]. The entries are not in chronological order. Pages 92 to 175 are blank. (egg)

Online Since: 12/12/2019