DE ALBA, Enrique

Enrique de Alba y Rodríguez (Madrid, 1848 - ibid., February 12, 1920) was a prominent Spanish engraver, draftsman, columnist, and politician of a marked republican ideology. He was born in Madrid in 1848. He initially trained as a wood engraver at the Special School of Madrid and was a pupil of M. Dumont. His period of artistic refinement took place in Paris between the ages of sixteen and nineteen. Throughout his career as an engraver, he participated in various national public exhibitions (such as those held in 1876, 1878, and 1881), being awarded a third-class medal at the 1878 contest. During the 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition, he served as a representative for nine newspapers published in Paris. Alongside his artistic work, Enrique de Alba developed an intense political activity within Spanish republicanism. Between 1872 and 1873, he served as a member of the republican committee for the Palacio district in Madrid. With the proclamation of the First Republic, he was appointed captain of the General Staff of the University battalion and president of the electoral committee and college of Conde-Duque. Likewise, the republican government confirmed him as conservator of the Opera Theater in June 1873. However, following the coup d'état by General Pavía in January 1874, he lost his institutional positions. In 1880, he placed himself at the disposal of the republican leader Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla, accompanying him into exile in Paris and collaborating in revolutionary operations until 1891, when he was able to return to Madrid with his family. Back in Spain, he remained linked to opinion journalism and active politics, becoming a friend of the politician Nicolás Salmerón and joining the ranks of Unión Republicana. His direct involvement in politics waned and concluded after the latter's death. He passed away in Madrid on February 12, 1920, as a result of influenza.