Portrait of Franz Morawetz (Raudnitz 1789–1868 Vienna) with the construction plan of the Sofienbad, indistinctly signed, dated 1843,
oil on canvas, 179 x 127 cm, framed, restored, (Rei)

Franz Morawetz, the son of Jewish merchants from Bohemia, was an astute and successful businessman. His first commercial success was the introduction of the textile decatising process in the Austrian Empire, with the opening of a factory in Prague.

In 1826, after moving to Vienna together with his wife, he opened a decatising factory in the Marxergasse.
Proven to be not as profitable as expected, it was later converted to a Russian-style bath, the first of its kind in the imperial city. As the decatising process involved the steaming of cloth, the necessary machinery was already in place.
Opened in 1838, it was named Sophienbad in honour of Princess Sophie of Bavaria.

With its swimming pool (added later to the facility) that was covered up and used as a concert hall and dancefloor in the winter, the Sophienbad was one of Vienna’s hotspots in the 1840s and 1850s. Morawetz is represented here, proudly holding a drawing of the Sophienbad, his most successful business venture.
The entrepreneur, who lost his eyesight in his early thirties, was also dedicated to the welfare of Vienna’s less fortunate, making his institution available to the destitute.
For his services to the city he was awarded a Salvatormedaille in 1863.