Jung-Koch-Quentell Wall Charts
Jung–Koch–Quentell, often abbreviated as JKQ, describes a collaboration of three late 19th/early 20th century scientists and educators who created a series of botanical and zoological wall charts for use in schools.
The Jung-Koch-Quentell’schen Lehrtafeln/Wandtafeln – originally created between 1892 and 1921 – "were used in lectures at university and schools until the late twentieth century" and had been re-issued several times, up until 2015
The design of the charts followed twelve guidelines outlined in the accompanying booklet. The selected species for illustration were chosen with reference to the textbooks, ensuring that they represent the entire organism and highlight the most important parts relevant to the lesson.
The teacher should be able to easily obtain and present these parts to students after minimal preparation. Additionally, the illustrations aim to showcase the characteristic forms of each species, providing a comprehensive overview of the [at the time recognized] two organic kingdoms and their systems, organization, development, and living conditions.
All letters, numbers, and other texts are banned from the charts and moved to an explanatory booklet.
To avoid confusion and errors, each plate typically focuses on a single species. In addition to showing the whole organism in a lifelike manner, the illustrations also highlight the important details. Whenever possible and relevant, developmental stages and objects that are crucial for understanding the species' relationship with the environment are included.
The illustrations strive for natural accuracy, capturing the fidelity of the depicted objects. While individual details are not overlooked, excessive attention to them is not emphasized in order to maintain a balance between realism and practicality.
The ground was kept black so that the colored images stand out spatially and gain the necessary luminosity. Glare was avoided to ease viewing from all angles.
All objects were painted from living material, with the aid of all scientific aids (microscopy, photography, etc.) by the author and the collaborators themselves, not by draughtsmen who are removed from the sciences.
The charts were painted by Heinrich Jung, a teacher, with the support of Gottlieb von Koch, a zoology professor and natural history museum curator, and Friedrich Quentell, a teachers' seminary director.
The first publisher was Frommann & Morian (1847–1930) in Darmstadt, which originally announced to sell them in 6 shipments of 10 sheets each. Each sheet had the dimensions of 100 by 75 cm. 30 sheets contained botanical, 30 contained zoological subjects. They were supplemented by an accompanying booklet.
Fromman&Morian was sold to a competitor in 1930, but continued to operate until ca 1940. The original paintings and lithografic plates were lost in world war II. The charts were then re-published by Hagemann Lehrmittelverlag in Düsseldorf in the 1950s and 1960s. Dr med Carl Morian was involved in this re-creation, supported by Dr Georg Heldmann, the successor of Gottlieb von Koch as curator of the zoology department of the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt. This time, the format was increased to 86x114 cm, and part of the objects were now placed on a 'natural' background. The artists who drew these new background is still unknown.
Shortly after their first publication, the charts were recommended by the Prussian educational authorities. After this official endorsement, many schools in Prussia and its provinces started procuring them.