Friedrich Johann Justin Bertuch was born on September 30, 1747. Bertuch came from a family that was closely connected to the scientific and intellectual community. He grew up in the house of his uncle Gottfried Matthias Ludwig Schrön. His main interests were literature and natural history. The 22-year-old ended his studies without exams in 1769, and in the same year, Bertuch began working as a tutor at the manor in Dobitschen near Altenburg. Bertuch returned to Weimar in 1773, where as a writer, he maintained contact to many scholars and artists. The scholar laid down plans for a drawing school in Weimar in 1774, which was set up according to his ideas. He became Privy Counsellor to the Duke in 1775 and continued his civil service in various capacities until 1787. Bertuch established the Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung in 1785. He died on April 3, 1822, in Weimar.