Theodor Fahrner (4 August 1859 – 22 July 1919) was a trained steel engraver and jewelry designer from

Pforzheim Pforzheim () is a city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany. It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the nickname "Goldstadt" ("Golden City") ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. He was known for his Art Nouveau and

Jugendstil ''Jugendstil'' ("Youth Style") was an artistic movement, particularly in the decorative arts, that was influential primarily in Germany and elsewhere in Europe to a lesser extent from about 1895 until about 1910. It was the German counterpart of ...

pieces, produced at affordable prices. After his death, his firm became one of the best known

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

designers.D. Zühlsdorff
Theodor Fahrner - Schmuck zwischen Avantgarde und Tradition
Arnoldsche, 2006.

Biography

Theodor Fahrner was born to Theodor Fahrner, Sr., and Pauline Fahrner (née Schweikert). He had six sisters: Emma, Julie, Lina, Paulina Emilie, Luise Emilie and Bertha. Little is known about his school days; he learned to be a steel engraver and received his artistic training at the Pforzheim

Kunstgewerbeschule A Kunstgewerbeschule (English: ''School of Arts and Crafts'' or S''chool of Applied Arts'') was a type of vocational arts school that existed in German-speaking countries from the mid-19th century. The term Werkkunstschule was also used for thes ...

. Theodor Fahrner, Sr., owned a ring factory, and on his death in 1883, the younger Theodor Fahrner took the reins. By 1895, he was the sole proprietor. In the time of the upheaval before the turn of the century, Fahrner registered numerous patents and utility models. The breakthrough finally succeeded with the presentation of the jewelry designed by Max J. Gradl at the Paris World Exposition in 1900, where he was awarded a silver medal. Fahrner did most of his own design work from 1899 to 1906. Fahrner's later designers included Maria Obrich, Patriz Huber, and Ludwig Knupper. The firm came to specialize in affordable

jewelry and achieved an international reputation.J. Miller.
Art Deco
'' Penguin, 2005. Fahrner died in Pforzheim on July 22, 1919, leaving behind two daughters, Vera and Yella. He was buried at Pforzheim's main cemetery. The jewelry maker Theodor Fahrner was bought by the jeweler Gustav Braendle from Essling and passed on under the name Bijouteriewarenfabrik Gustav Braendle. C. Tanenbaum.
Fabulous Fakes: A Passion for Vintage Costume Jewelry
'. Artisan, 2006. The brand name "Fahrnerschmuck" was also used.

References

This article has been translated in part from the German Wikipedia. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fahrner, Theodor 1859 births 1919 deaths German jewellery designers People from Pforzheim