Title |
Ketterlinus, J. L. (John Louis) |
Alternate title |
Ketterlinus Printing House |
Date |
June 18, 1852-July 22, 1932 |
Description |
John Louis Ketterlinus, son of Philadelphia lithographer Eugene Ketterlinus, born on June 18, 1852 in Philadelphia, was proprietor
of Ketterlinus Printing house, later Ketterlinus Lithographic Manufacturing Company, a firm active until ca. 1970. In 1876
Ketterlinus assumed the premier commercial lithograph and printing establishment E. Ketterlinus & Co. started in 1842 by his
father Eugene (1824-1886) and Uncle Paul (1820-1894) at Fourth Street below Arch Street. The firm, which printed color stock
cards and manufacturer's labels earlier than any other Philadelphia firm was renowned for their label work. The "plain & fancy
printing" firm also printed illustrated Congressional documents, "cards, bill heads, notes, checks, circulars, and catalogues"
in addition to "embossed show cards, perfumery, fabric, wine and liquor labels, druggists' furniture, jar and drawer labels."
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Under the younger Ketterlinus's management, the firm focused on printing advertising trade cards for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition
and operated from a large building owned by the elder Ketterlinus at the northwest corner of Fourth and Arch Streets, The
shop employed the most advanced equipment of the time, such as the Hoe steam power press; employed innovative techniques for
graining details; and maintained a large typographic department with cylinder presses.
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Under J. Ketterlinus's administration from the 1890s to about 1920, the business expanded physically to include all of the
land north to Appletree Street and west to 413 Arch Street. Builder William R. Dougherty oversaw the addition of two stories
to the existing building in 1894, and after the business was incorporated into the Ketterlinus Lithographic Manufacturing
Company in 1896 with John as president, a new eight-story concrete building was constructed by architects and engineers Ballinger
& Perot in 1905. This structure, along with properties spanning the entire city block, was demolished ca. 1965 for the construction
of the fourth United States Mint building. In 1919, Ketterlinus semi-retired from the firm and became Chairman of its Board
of Directors. The firm remained in business until ca. 1970.
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Ketterlinus was born in Northern Liberties preceding his family's relocation to School House Lane in Germantown around 1861.
Educated at the Germantown Academy, his education in lithography began when he was fifteen at his father's establishment,
where he rotated between departments and experimented with creating color lithographs. Ketterlinus was married to Elizabeth
H. B. (1856-1930) and resided in Germantown and the Rittenhouse Square sections of Philadelphia. When he retired as president
of the printing house in the early 1920s, Ketterlinus became more active in his various clubs, including the Union League,
the Racquet Club, Philadelphia Country Club, Manufacturers' Club, and Sunnybrook Golf Club. Ketterlinus died in Jacksonville,
Florida, his winter residence, on July 22, 1932 and was interred at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia. He left no
children.
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Is part of |
Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers |
References |
See Ketterlinus, Eugene. |
Call number |
Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers |
Bibliographic citation |
Census 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910 |
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Last, |
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Library Company of Philadelphia Research File |
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Pennsylvania, Vol. 133, p. 710, 715, 297, R.G. Dun & Co. Collection, microfilm, Hagley Museum & Library |
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Philadelphia Inquirer, September 22, 1890, March 27 and July 22, 1894, April 25, 1902, November 11, 1904 |
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The National Lithographer, June 1927 and August 1932 |
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Warshaw Collection of Business Ephemera, Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution, Lithography, Vertical Box 1 |