Jakub HusnÃÂk (29 March 1837 in Vejprnice, near Plzeà  â 26 March 1916 in Prague) was a Czech painter, art teacher and inventor of the improved photolithography method.
HusnÃÂk was born on 29 March 1837, one of the ten children of the local forester. After the attending schools in Hlavatce and Beneà ¡ov, he completed the Prager six-form high school. In 1853, he entered the local academy of fine arts, where he studied until 1859. There, he met Karel KlÃÂÃÂ. He studied in Antwerp with professor Joseph Henri François van Lerius. After his return, he was active in the church of UhrÃÂnevs. In 1863, he became a teacher at the High School in Tábor. In 1877, he was appointed as the art professor at the material High School. After one year, he also opened an independent workshop for lithography.
In the 1860s, HusnÃÂk developed the collotype process. Together with professor Schwarz, he examined the "wet process" when developing photographs. He first discovered the "zweitonige photograph". In 1893, he perfected the three-colored reproduction for the printing and announced first patents.
HusnÃÂk wrote specialized books concerning his inventions.
In 1907, HusnÃÂk became an honorary member of the photographic society in Vienna and Berlin.