Details
Title Rosenthal, Louis N.
Alternate title Rosenthals
Date b. ca. 1824-after 1900
Description Louis N. Rosenthal, born ca. 1824 in Turck, Russian Poland, was a pioneer chromolithographer who operated the Philadelphia lithography firm, the Rosenthals, with his brothers Max, Morris, and Simon 1851-ca. 1872. Raised in Turck, Russian Poland, the four brothers departed their home country at the bequest of their father to avoid draft into the army. Louis N. and Simon (buried in Federal Street Cemetery, Philadelphia) were indentured to lithographic printers in London, Morris was sent to Rabbinical School in Berlin, Germany, and Max was indentured to artist and lithographer Martin Thurwanger in Paris. Following his indenture in London, Louis N. Rosenthal arrived in New York aboard the "Spartan" on September 29, 1848.
Around 1849, he established himself in the Philadelphia lithographic trade and partnered briefly with Peter Kramer in 1850. Around the same time, brother Max arrived in Philadelphia with Thurwanger and worked for a short time under Napoleon Sarony. In 1851, he and Louis N. established the firm L. N. Rosenthal, also known as Rosenthals, at the southeast corner of Third and Dock Streets and chromolithographed nine plates for Charles W. Webber's "Hunter-Naturalist" (1851). Peters and Marzio suggest that Max operated primarily as the artist, and Louis as the printer, publisher and proprietor of the establishment. Within the year, Rosenthal received a "First Premium" award from the Franklin Institute for chromolithography and became one of the earliest Philadelphia firms to specialize in this branch of lithography. The Rosenthals issued illuminated book plates, sheet music covers, advertisements, labels, geological and anatomical prints, portraits, maps, views of buildings, and Civil War scenes.
In 1857, Rosenthal relocated to a larger space with new equipment at the northwest corner of Fifth and Chestnut Streets. By 1863, the business relocated to 327 Walnut Street, where on September 15, 1872 fire struck and caused severe water damage. Soon thereafter, the Rosenthal firm dissolved after twenty-plus years in Philadelphia and Rosenthal relocated to Chicago.
Rosenthal married Louisa (b. ca. 1830) in Philadelphia by 1850 and resided in the Penn Ward with his brothers Max and Samuel (b. ca. 1831). By 1860, Rosenthal and his wife resided with their six children at 316 New Street, immediately south of Vine Street (Ward 6). Two more children were born by 1870, by which time the family had relocated to 1036 Pine Street in Center City (Ward 7). The Rosenthal family moved to Chicago ca. 1873, where Louis continued to work as a lithographer and printer until his death sometime after 1900.
Is part of Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers
References See Kramer, Peter; and Rosenthal, Max.
Has format LCP-RosenthalLN-5-2526-F-b.jpg
Call number Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers
Bibliographic citation Census 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900
Franklin Institute, Report of the twenty-second Exhibition of American Manufactures (1852), 21
Groce & Wallace, 547
Last, 126-127
Library Company of Philadelphia research file
Marzio, 34-37
New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
Peters, 343-346
Philadelphia Business & City Directories, 1849-1873 (intermittently)
Philadelphia Inquirer, September 16, 1872
WWWAA, 2830
Image file LCP-RosenthalLN-5-2526-F-b