Friedrich Koenig, German printing pioneer, early 19th century.

Photogravure after a painting of Koenig (1774-1833) who built the first steam-driven printing pres. His cylinder pres, built in Britain in 1812, produced some 1,100 printed sheets an hour. Two years later he printed 'The Times' on a double version of the pres, the first time in history a newspaper had been printed on a steam-driven machine. In partnership with Andreas Bauer, Koenig establishes Koenig & Bauer, still in existence in the 21st century. From a collection of portraits of scientists published by Photographische Gesellschaft, Berlin, c 1910. Dimensions: 460mm x 340mm.