His father was a teacher from
Hanover. Around 1785, he moved to Hamburg. Under the influence of the architect, , he initially studied architecture, but then switched to studying mathematics at the . In the 1790s, he turned to the business trades, but was also active as a collector and dealer of
copper engravings and
etchings. In 1818, he created the first lithographic firm in Northern Germany. Together with
Heinrich Joachim Herterich, who brought a team of specialists from
Munich, he established "Hamb. Steindruckerei Speckter & Herterich" ("Speckter & Co" after 1829). The company proved to be very successful. Their regular clients included
Friedrich Carl Gröger and
Heinrich Jacob Aldenrath, who brought their portrait lithographs there to be printed. In 1834, the company was taken over by his son,
Otto Speckter. His other son, the painter
Erwin Speckter, also briefly participated in the firm's operations. His extensive collection of copper engravings later served as the basis for the
Kupferstichkabinett at the
Hamburger Kunsthalle. == Sources ==