William Hotopp
varnish manufacturer
firm founder
Biography
William Hotopp founded the varnish-manufacturing business that became Hotopp & Company in 1854 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Under his founding, the firm grew into one of the principal suppliers of varnish to the American piano trade, counting Steinway & Sons (customers for ten consecutive years), Weber, Steck & Company, and the old firm of Lighte & Bradbury among its early accounts, and later shipping varnish to European piano manufacturers producing instruments for extreme climates.
Highlights
- Founded the varnish-manufacturing firm of Hotopp & Company in 1854
- The firm became a leading supplier of varnish to the American piano trade, including Steinway & Sons, Weber, Steck & Company, and Lighte & Bradbury
Source
Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), pp. 340, 341.
Public domain.