Bertuch was born in Weimar, Germany. He studied both theology and law before returning to Weimar to establish a publishing business. His most "purposive" work was his "Bilderbuch fur Kinder" or "Children's Picture Book" which ran from 1790 to 1830. Many of the 1,185 copper-plate engravings were drawn by the faculty and students of Bertuch's Drawing School which he had set up in 1774. According to Bertuch, pictures should be "beautiful and correct" portrayals of not only the common but the unfamiliar because "everyday things would bore a child." He also felt that the pages shouldn't be too crowded and the text shouldn't be too "scholarly." Although the arrangement of topics seems random, Bertuch specifically placed them in this order to hold the reader's attention.
Historical Children's Literature Collection
