François-Charles Oberthür

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François-Charles Oberthür (1818, Strasbourg – 1893) was the founder of the French printing group Imprimerie Oberthur (fr). In Strasbourg, François-Charles, an engraver, ran a printing press, with Alois Senefelder, the inventor of lithography. He moved to Rennes in 1838, qualified as a lithographer in 1842 and then founded a printing company, with a partner. He became the sole owner in 1855, calling his enterprise the Imprimerie Oberthür.

Imprimerie Oberthür was the exclusive printer for

. These became a huge success, bringing cheap but very high quality art printing to many thousands of families across France. The press also specialized in colour plates featuring flowers, butterflies and beetles. François-Charles Oberthür also devised the French standard reference for tints.

He was an amateur

. He had two sons René Oberthür and Charles Oberthür. Both became entomologists. The Oberthur house, n° 82 de la rue de Paris, is preserved in Rennes and a "" in Rennes is named for him.

See also

• Oberthur Technologies, a modern French company created after partitioning and regrouping of original Imprimerie Oberthur.

References

• Combert, Y. 2004 René Oberthür (1852–1944) et sa collection. Le Coléoptériste, 7 (2):111-116.
• René Oberthür and Henri Dautheney, 1905 Répertoire des Couleurs pour aider à la détermination des couleurs des Fleurs, des Feuillages et des Fruits. La Société Française des Chrysantèmistes. Oberthür, Rennes Oberthür, 82 pp + 365 colour plates.
• David, Fernand, 1925 Ministre du Commerce, de l'Industrie, des Postes et des Telegraphes. Librarie Larousse Paris.

External links

• History of Oberthur printing