Joseph Schablass & Sohn (fl. 1833-1891)

Joseph Schablass (*1808;†1875) is known to have been one of Vienna's most prominent instrument makers. Schablass's residence at the time of his marriage in 1833 and at the birth of his son Josef in 1835 is documented at Neubau 27. It is worth noting that this address is that of Mechaniker Gerhard Sadtler, but wether he was apprenticed to Sadtler, or found employment in Sadtler's workshop is not known. Schablass established his own workshop in 1833 and, from 1841, he was located in the St. Ulrich district of Vienna at Neu Schottengasse 136. Schablass' entries at the Viennese Industrial Exhibition of 1845 were:

Mathematische und physikalische Instrumente, darunter ein vollständiger Mess-Apparat für den praktischen Geometer; ein Nivellir-Instrument; Dendrometer; Sonnenuhren; Instrument für die Markscheidekunst.

Especially his sundials win wide acclaim for which he receives many orders domestic and foreign. In the same year as the 1845 exhibition, Schablass places an advertisement in the Wiener Zeitung (fig.2. below) where he describes a wide range of mathematical and surveying instruments made in his workshop, that at the time employed 3 to 4 workers.

The Tafeln zur Statistik der Österreichischen Monarchie in 1842 [MDZ] states the following about Schablass' annual production:

Der Mechaniker Joseph Schablaß verfertiget mit 4 Gehilfen 36 Stücke von den vorgenannten größeren Instrumenten, 40 Stücke feinere Reißzeuge, 120 Stücke Compasse, 120 Stücke Wasserwagen, 50 Barometer und 100 Thermometer, nebst anderen in das Gebieth der kleinen Mechanik einschlagenden Gegenständen, im Werthe von 6-7.000 fl.

The Schablass workshop, at the time of the Wiener Exhibition of 1873, had 9 workers.

Schablass' marriage in 1833 with Marie Schütter produced at least 4 children; 2 sons and 2 daughters. Following the association of the eldest son, Joseph Schablass Jr. (1835-1891), with his father in 1866, the company was renamed Joseph Schablass & Sohn. The other son, Jakob Schablass (*1843;†1909), initially received training in his father's workshop as a Mechaniker, but later became a music composer and Zither instructor.

Joseph Jr.'s son, Jakob Schablass (*1843;†1909) as well as his grandson, Theodor Schablass (*1874;†1946) were well known music composers. 

Fig. 1. Schablass advertisement in the Wiener Zeitung in 1845.

Fig. 2. In Lemoch's 1849 Lehrbuch der praktischen Geometrie, Schablass' plane-table alidade (fig. 89) is described and illustrated along side versions of the same made by Kraft (fig. 87) and Sadtler (fig. 86).

Fig. 3. Schablass constructed Franz Grossbauer's 1864 improved version of Georg Winkler's 1834 Taschen-Dendrometer, an instrument used for determining the height of trees in forestry [7][18].  

Fig. 5. Schablass forestry theodolite [9]. 

Fig. 6. Schablass Verbessertes Winkeltrommel (improved surveyor's square) [10].

Fig. 7. In 1890 the Schablass company was being dissolved and the remaining stock was sold. 

Fig. 8. A plane table alidade Bergdiopter, a variant of the Diopter-Lineal or sometimes referred to as a Perspectiv-Lineal. This Bergdiopter, signed "Schablass in Wien", is fitted on one end with an adjustable vane for inclined sighting. The vanes can be folded flat for storage in its case. Engraved on its base is a transversal scale in Vienna measuring units.

Fig. 9. and 10. The plane table in this illustration, accompanied by its accoutrements, is known as the Mensula Praetoriana, was invented by 16th c. German mathematician and instrument maker Johannes Praetorius (1537-1616). Praetorius’ plane table was first described by his pupil and successor Daniel Schwenter (1585-1636) in 1618. See also [21] and [22].

Illustrations from Daniel Schwenter; Geometriæ Practicæ Novæ. Tractatus III, 1618 Nürnberg [MDZ]. 

Fig. 10. The vane for steep inclined sighting was originally devised by Austrian mathematician and astronomer Giovanni Jacopo de Marinoni (1676-1755), who published a work on the subject of plane table surveying entitled "De Re Ichnographica" in Vienna in 1751 [E-rara]. See further the Wikipedia entry for Johann Jacob von Marinoni and also [20].

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[1] Verzeichniss der im Jahre 1845 in Wien öffentlich ausgestellten Gewerbs-Erzeugnisse...p. 143. [Google Books].

[2] Schablass' first advertisement. Wiener Zeitung 23. August 1845, p.17. [ANNO]

[3] "Der Aussteller beschäftigt gegenwärtig 3—4 Arbeiter". Journal des Österreichischen Lloyd 14. August 1845, p.7. [ANNO]

[4] Lemoch, Ignaz: Lehrbuch der praktischen Geometrie, vol.1, 1849, plate 4. [E-rara.ch] 

[5] biography of Georg Winkler

[6] Georg Winkler, Beschreibung eines Dendrometers, Wien 1812 [Google Books] 

[7] Georg Winkler; Anleitung zur Construction und dem Gebrauche eines einfachen Taschen-Dendrometers, Wien 1834 [Google Books]. Winkler's Dendrometer is a further development of Konig's Messbrettchen. See Keel, Johann Joseph; Kurze Anleitung zur Behandlung der Waldungen, 1854, p.236 [e-rara.ch].

[8] Franz Grossbauer; Das Winkler'sche Taschen-Dendrometer neuester Construction, 1864. [Google Books]

[9] Carl Breymann; Anleitung zum Gebrauche des forstlichen Universal-Instrumentes, 1867 [Kulturpool.at]

[10] Professor Carl Breymann; Die verbesserte Winkeltrommel, Jahrbuch der K.K. Forst-Akademie in Mariabrunn, I. Jahrgang Für die Schuljahre 1868 1869, Wien 1870, p.151. [Google Books], Die verbesserte Winkeltrommel, Wiener Landwirtschaftliche Zeitung, 17. April 1869, p.169-170 [ANNO].

[11] Death of Joseph Schablass sr.: 30 August 1875. Wiener Zeitung 3 September 1875. [ANNO] 

[12] Death of Joseph Schablass jr.: 12 May 1891. Wiener Zeitung 24 May 1891. [ANNO] 

[13] Amtlicher Catalog der Ausstellung der im Reichsrathe Vertretende Koenigreiche und Laender Oesterreichs, p.392. Schablass Josef & Sohn, Mechaniker VIII., Piaristengasse 22. Mathematische Instrumente: Theodolite, Boussolen, einfache und Reflexions Winkelmesser, Nivellir Instrumente, Forst Instrumente, Perspectiv Lineale, Grubencompasse, Pantographe, Planimeter, Maassstäbe, Sonnenuhren etc. 9 Arbeiter [Google Books] 

[14] Oekonomilche Neuigkeiten und Verhandlungen, No. 64, 1848 [ANNO]. 

[15] Beiträge zur geschichte der gewerbe und erfindungen Oesterreichs von der mitte des XVIII. jahrhunderts bis zur gegenwart, Vienna International Exhibition (1873); Exner, Wilhelm Franz, 1840- ed. p.43. [Internet Archiv] 

[16] Geschichte der österreichischen Industrie und ihrer Förderung unter Kaiser Franz I. Mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Grossindustrie und unter Benützung archivalischer Quellen verfasst

[17] Baur, Franz Adolf Gregor; Lehrbuch der niederen Geodäsie, Wien 1858, p.380. [E-rara].

[18] Müller, Udo; Lehrbuch der Holzmesskunde, Berlin 1915, 2nd ed, p.126-127 [Google Books]; Baur, Franz Adolf Gregor: Die Holzmeßkunst, Wien 1875 [MDZ] p.120 shows another instrument for measuring tree heights.

[19] Graves, Henry S. (Henry Solon); Forest Mensuration 1906, [Internet Archive]

[20] Marinoni Observatory, Mölkerbastei, Vienna, Austria https://web.astronomicalheritage.net/index.php/show-entity?identity=220&idsubentity=1

[21] Max Schmidt; Mensula Praetoriana in der Z. f. Vermessungswesen 1893. XXII. 257-283 [GoogleBooks].

[22] Gustav von Bezold; Die Mensula Praetoriana und das Winkelinstrument des Andreas Albrecht, in Mitteilungen aus dem Germanischen Nationalmuseum, Jahrgang 1897 [Uni-Heidelberg].