Ludwig Sütterlin
Encyclopedia
Ludwig Sütterlin was a graphic artist who lived in Berlin, Germany, and was most notable for designing and creating the old German blackletter handwriting Sütterlinschrift (Sütterlin script) or simply Sütterlin
.
Ludwig was born on July 23, 1865, in Lahr
, located within the Schwarzwald (Black Forest). Although Sütterlin's childhood is currently unknown, the most notable years of his life began when he moved to Berlin
and began his profession as a graphic artist—gaining fame for a poster submitted to the Industrial Exhibition in Berlin
, Germany
, 1896. Later, Sütterlin worked as a teacher at the "Teaching Institution of the Royal Museum of Decorative Arts
" in Berlin, and the future "United State Schools for Free and Applied Arts," where he held courses in artistic fonts.
In 1911, Sütterlin was tasked by the Royal Prussian Ministry of Culture to create courses for preschool and school. This connection to the education system could possibly have lead him to his future ambition to create a national script for Germany.
At the time, the current writing style was based on alternating pressure, which made it difficult for primary school pupils to hurdle the writing exercises. Leading Ludwig to develop a child-oriented methodology for writing beginners: making the line width uniform, all letters vertical and geometrically straight or circular. This new and more simple writing allowed all students, artistically inclined or not, able to write the script. In 1914, the initial trials of using Sütterlin in Berlin schools began and ultimately was declared Berlin's national script for education by Prussia in 1924. Most other German states (i.g., Oldenburg, Thuringia, Hesse, and Baden and Danzig) followed the example of Prussia, so that from about 1930 Germany mainly introduced Sütterlin for education. Unfortunately for Sütterlin, he was not able to see his work come to fruition for he died 7 years before in Berlin on November 20, 1917.
Sütterlin
Sütterlinschrift , or Sütterlin for short, is the last widely used form of the old German blackletter handwriting . In Germany, the old German cursive script developed in the 16th century, replacing the Gothic handwriting at the same time that bookletters developed into the Fraktur typeface...
.
Ludwig was born on July 23, 1865, in Lahr
Lahr
Lahr is a city in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany, approximately 38 km north of Freiburg in Breisgau and 100 km south of Karlsruhe...
, located within the Schwarzwald (Black Forest). Although Sütterlin's childhood is currently unknown, the most notable years of his life began when he moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and began his profession as a graphic artist—gaining fame for a poster submitted to the Industrial Exhibition in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 1896. Later, Sütterlin worked as a teacher at the "Teaching Institution of the Royal Museum of Decorative Arts
Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin
The Kunstgewerbemuseum, or Museum of Decorative Arts, is an internationally important museum of the decorative arts in Berlin, Germany, part of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin...
" in Berlin, and the future "United State Schools for Free and Applied Arts," where he held courses in artistic fonts.
In 1911, Sütterlin was tasked by the Royal Prussian Ministry of Culture to create courses for preschool and school. This connection to the education system could possibly have lead him to his future ambition to create a national script for Germany.
At the time, the current writing style was based on alternating pressure, which made it difficult for primary school pupils to hurdle the writing exercises. Leading Ludwig to develop a child-oriented methodology for writing beginners: making the line width uniform, all letters vertical and geometrically straight or circular. This new and more simple writing allowed all students, artistically inclined or not, able to write the script. In 1914, the initial trials of using Sütterlin in Berlin schools began and ultimately was declared Berlin's national script for education by Prussia in 1924. Most other German states (i.g., Oldenburg, Thuringia, Hesse, and Baden and Danzig) followed the example of Prussia, so that from about 1930 Germany mainly introduced Sütterlin for education. Unfortunately for Sütterlin, he was not able to see his work come to fruition for he died 7 years before in Berlin on November 20, 1917.