BIOGRAPHY: Eduard Eichens

Friedrich Eduard Eichens was a German engraver who lived from 1804 to 1877. He went to the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin, where he studied under the German engraver Ludwig Buchhorn. He subsequently studied under the engravers François Forster in France and Paolo Toschi in Italy.

In 1850, he was involved in the production of the first stamps to be issued in Prussia. He engraved the portrait of King William IV which was used for all four values. The portrait was engraved as a separate die, from which subsidiary dies were made which were used to engrave the four frames with values.

1828 self-portrait
When a fifth value was added to the set in 1856, the 4pf value, Eichens had been replaced by H G Schilling. Schilling engraved the frame of the 4pf value, but the actual portrait was still that of Eichens.

You will find Eduard Eichens' database HERE