Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Wissler, Jacques

WISSLER, Jacques, engraver, b. in Strasburg, Germany, in 1803; d. in Camden, N. J., 25 Nov., 1887. He was educated in Paris, France, came to this country in 1849, and was employed in a lithographing firm. Before the civil war his employer sent him to Richmond, Va., and after the firing on Fort Sumter he was detained by the Confederate authorities and assigned to the task of engraving its paper currency and bonds. Mr. Wissler acquired a fortune in this employment, but his loyalty to the U. S. government caused the confiscation of his estate before the close of the war. He then removed to Macon, Miss., and finally settled in Camden, N. J., where he acquired the reputation of being among the most skilled engravers in this country. He was also successful in portrait-painting in crayons and oils.