Ortner
Ortner Brothers / Brüder Ortner & Co.
Winkler & Wagner
 
Marie Ortner, died 1901?
Fritz Wagner, 1873 – 1938
Albert Johann Winkler, 1881 – 1945

by Brian Stevenson
Last updated July, 2023

The Vienna businesses of Ortner, Ortner Brothers & Company, and Winkler & Wagner specialized in entomological books and supplies. A small number of microscopes are known with these names attached. Since the businesses did not specialize in either optical or mechanical manufacturing, those instruments were undoubtedly produced by other makers, then labeled and sold by Ortner / Winkler & Wagner.

One notable, uncommon microscope is the “Entomologisches Arbeits-Mikroskop” (“Entomolgical work microscope”) (Figures 1 and 2). This item by Ortner Brothers & Company was described and illustrated in 1904 in both Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Mikroskopie und Mikroskopische Technik and The Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society (Figure 2). It has a stage that rotates on the arm, such that either the stage or an angled implement with attached cork can be brought into view of the optics, permitting one to examine specimens that are either laid on the stage or pinned to the cork (Figure 1). Advertisements indicate that the successors of Ortner Brothers & Co., Winkler & Wagner, also sold an “Entomologisches Arbeits-Mikroskop”, although it is not known whether those had the same design as the Ortner instruments.

Figure 1. A circa 1904 “Entomologisches Arbeits-Mikroskop”. The stage rotates on the arm, allowing the user to examine specimens laid on the stage or pinned to a cork. Although signed “Ortner”, this would have been sold by Ortner Brothers & Co. Originally, a second mirror was mounted above the stage, to provide light from above the specimen (see Figure 2). Adapted for nonprofit, educational purposes from online auction sites.

Figure 2. Engravings of “Entomologisches Arbeits-Mikroskops” from 1904 issues of “Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Mikroskopie und Mikroskopische Technik” (left) and “Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society” (right). Note that this apparatus was available with either draw-tube or rack-and-pinion coarse focus.

Figure 3. Winkler & Wagner simple microscope, ca. 1906-1924. It is possible that this is an example of the “Entomologisches Arbeits-Mikroskop” that they advertised. Adapted by permission of Horst Kuhn from from https://www.kuhn-scientificinstruments.de

I located records of the Ortner entomological and book business as far back as the mid-1890s. An 1896 advertisement described Josef Ortner’s “klapp kapsels” (containment capsules) for holding and observing insects (Figure 4). By 1898, Frau Marie Ortner was operating the business, suggesting that Josef Ortner had died.

In 1902, the business re-formed as Ortner Brothers and Company. Fritz Wagner was a co-owner (i.e. was “and Company”). The “Ortner Brothers” suggests that Marie Ortner had died, and her sons had inherited the business. I have not found information on their names. Advertisements and other records indicate that the new firm sold a variety of entomological and mineralogical apparatus and books, including the microscopes shown in Figures 1-3.

Wagner and Albert Winkler took over the business in 1906 (Figure 6). Advertisements from 1912 and 1914 indicated that they continued to sell “Entomologisches Arbeits-Mikroskops”, although it is not known whether they were similar in form to the 1904 Ortner version.

Fritz Wagner opened a separate shop in Vienna in 1918. The partnership of Winkler and Wagner was dissolved in 1924, with Winkler continuing the shop at 11 Dittesgasse.

Both Wagner and Winkler were notable entomologists. Wagner is credited as having described more than 100 new species and subspecies of butterflies, and numerous species of insects were named after him. Winkler mainly focused on beetles, amassing a collection of over 1 million specimens.

Figure 4. 1896-1900 advertisements from Ortner.

Figure 5. A 1904 advertisement for Ortner Brothers and Co., from “Entomologisches Jahrbuch”.

Figure 6. Winkler and Wagner took over the Ortner Brothers & Co. business in 1906.

Figure 7. Winkler and Wagner advertisements. They offered an “Entomologisches Arbeits-Mikroskop” late as 1914.

Acknowledgement

Thank you to Horst Kuhn for permission to share images of his Winkler & Wagner microscope.

Resources

Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage, Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon (accessed July, 2023) Wagner, Fritz, https://www.biographien.ac.at/oebl/oebl_W/Wagner_Fritz_1873_1938.xml

Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage, Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon (accessed July, 2023) Winkler, Albert Johann (1881-1945), https://www.biographien.ac.at/oebl/oebl_W/Winkler_Albert-Johann_1881_1945.xml

Entomologisches Jahrbuch (1898) Advertisement from Ortner

Entomologisches Jahrbuch (1901) Advertisement from Ortner

Entomologisches Jahrbuch (1904) Advertisement from Ortner Brothers & Co.

Entomologisches Wochenblatt (1900) Advertisements from Ortner, Vol. 17

Illustrierte Wochenschrift für Entomologie (1896) Advertisement from Ortner, Vol. 1, July 21 issue, page 1

Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society (1904) Ortner's Entomological Microscope, Vol. 24, pages 575-576

Küster, Ernst (1904) Entomologisches Arbeits-Mikroskop von Brüder Ortner u. Co., Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Mikroskopie und Mikroskopische Technik, Vol. 20, pages 429-430

Das Mineralreich (1903) Advertisement from Ortner Brothers & Co., Vol. 1

Schmid, Bastian (1914) Handbuch der Naturgeschichtlichen Technik für Lehrer und Studierende der Naturwissenschaften, Advertisement from Winkler & Wagner

Seitz, Adalbert (1912) The Macrolepidoptera of the World, Advertisement from Winkler & Wagner

Societas Entomologica (1899) Advertisement from Ortner, listing address as Währingergürtel 130, April 15 issue

Societas Entomologica (1900) Advertisement from Ortner, listing address as Dittesgasse 11, February 15 issue

Societas Entomologica (1906) Advertisements from Winkler & Wagner, numerous issues

Zeitschrift des Österreichischen Entomologen-Vereines (1918) Advertisements from Winkler & Wagner, and from Fritz Wagner, February issue, page 15

Zoologisches Adressbuch (1895) “J. Ortner. XVIII. Währinger Gürtel 130. Spec.: Einschlussmittel z. Dauerconservir”, page 87