Endre Horváth, the banknote designer

Endre Horváth, the banknote designer

Endre Horváth already contributed to the drawings of the first pengős designed by his master, Ferenc Helbing at the beginning of his career in banknote printing, and then mastered the art of copper engraving under the guidance of engraver Franke Ruppert. He mastered the technique to such an artistic degree that he achieved a special tone with lines of varying density and depth, enriched by dotting, which was considered a novelty in his profession.
Rotary copperplate printing machines were developed in Hungary in the 1930s to combat banknote counterfeiting, which allowed the perception of sharpness of fine lines and greater depths. These Hungarian machines were also installed at a number of banknote printing companies in Europe, including in Brussels, where Endre Horváth was invited in 1936 to teach the specialists of the National Bank of Belgium how to use copper engraving and printing technology. Endre Horváth became the designer of the new pengő banknotes issued from the mid-1930s, and he practically took over the position of his college teacher, Ferenc Helbing, as the head of the banknote design team.
Endre Horváth was still relied on after the war at the Banknote Printing Company and therefore also at Magyar Nemzeti Bank, as he became the designer of the new, stable, forint-denominated banknotes. The 10 and 100 forint banknotes produced by offset printing and put into circulation on 1 August 1946, as well as the new series of copperplate printed banknotes published in 1947, which were in circulation for many decades with minor changes, are also attributed to him.
The unique graphic features used by Endre Horváth have defined and made Hungarian pengő and forint banknotes famous in Europe for decades. One of the most famous banknotes is the 10 pengő produced in 1943, on which the artist depicted the model Bözsi Sipeki dressed in a folk costume of Őrhalom, which was never finally put into circulation.
The world-famous Hungarian graphic artist had numerous job offers from abroad. He was offered a job in Switzerland in 1947 by a company based in Milan, and was expected to engrave only two banknotes a year. A company based in Buenos Aires only asked him to design one banknote a year, but he remained as a designer for the Hungarian Banknote Printing Company, and as an Art Director from 1950.
His forint banknotes with portraits of famous Hungarian historical figures have been known and used by generations. In the process, he was able to rely on a young and talented team of designers and copper engravers, including Zoltán Nagy, József Vertel, Mihály Füle and Ferenc Gál, who carried on Endre Horváth’s teachings and legacy in both the Hungarian banknote and stamp issuing fields.

Endre Horváth, the king of copper engraved stamps

Endre Horváth had a relatively small portfolio as a stamp designer, but he indeed left a deep and substantial legacy.
His first stamp designed to commemorate the Petőfi centenary was issued by the Hungarian Post Office in 1949, and he quickly established a reputation among stamp designers. As newspaper Magyar Nap (Hungarian Days) wrote about the issue in the summer of 1949: “When the tender was announced by the Post Office, Endre Horváth, an excellent engraver at the Banknote Printing Company, applied with a finished and engraved beautiful Petőfi stamp … The Petőfi stamp is the first to be produced by copper engraving in Hungary in this century. This prevents the stamp from being counterfeited, and produces a range of colours from a single colour that no other process can deliver. The stamp looks as if it were an embossing …” The issue was such a success that the production of Hungarian copper engraved stamps started with great momentum, thanks to Endre Horváth and his students. The Fruit stamp series published in 1954 was also a collaborative work, which was produced by combining offset and copperplate printing and was a success not only in Hungary, but also abroad. The Bem József stamp engraved by Endre Horváth in 1950, won the Most Beautiful Stamp of the Year award, and the Polish used the background scene of the stamp for their own issue.
His success in stamp design was halted by his death, but the manuscript fragments and stamp drawings found in his estate remind us that it also had a special place in his heart.