Karel Klíč

Karel Václav Klíč (sometimes written Karl Klietsch, 30 May 1841, Hostinné – 16 November 1926, Vienna) was a Czech painter, photographer, early comics artist,[1] caricaturist, lithographer and illustrator.

Klíč had such artistic talent that he was admitted into the Art Academy in Prague at the age of 14.

Klíč worked as a photographer, caricaturist and illustrator in Brno, Budapest and Vienna, all the time trying to improve the technology of picture reproduction.

During a long night in 1877, while working with zinc relief etching, he discovered, by chance, a process leading to photogravure.

[1] He further improved the process in 1890, when working in England.

Karel Václav Klíč. Photo from earlier than 1919.
Comics by Karel Klíč, commenting unsuccessful peace negotiations between Jules Favre and Otto von Bismarck during Franco-Prussian War in October 1870.