Carl
Kunth
invented
Galalith
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Carl Kunth was born at Bremen in
1868 and was educated at a commercial school.
After his apprenticeship, he came to Britain to
work in textiles at Manchester, and gained
further commercial experience in France, Belgium
and New York before becoming managing director of
The International Galalith Gessellschaft Hoff
& Co.
Casein plastics manufacture
commenced in 1899 under the trade-name Galalith.
It was exhibited at the Paris Universal
Exhibition of 1900. The new material showed great
promise, but much work was still required to make
it a commercial success. Carl Kunth was the
business man credited with obtaining the
necessary capital and premises. He organized a
sufficient supply of raw casein from France and,
together with Dr. Bartels, adapted the necessary
machinery and developed the ‘dry process’
of manufacturing casein plastics. A demand for
the material had then to be created and just how
successful he was is the story of casein plastics. The ‘dry
process’ was universally adopted and
remained largely unchanged.
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