Jean Schwander
b. 1812 – d. 1882
action maker
founder
Biography
Jean Schwander was born at Lauterbach, Alsace, in 1812. He came to Paris in 1830 and learned action making at the Kriegelstein factory, then started his own action-making shop in 1844, with Kriegelstein & Company as his first customer. His work was of such quality that his business expanded rapidly, becoming a leading supplier of piano actions to makers across the Continent. In 1865 he took Josef Herrburger into partnership and later accepted him as a son-in-law, after which the firm grew to commanding proportions. Schwander died in 1882.
Highlights
- Pioneered piano action making as a specialty trade in Paris
- Took Josef Herrburger into partnership in 1865, later his son-in-law
Source
Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. I (1911), pp. 260, 261.
Public domain.