The inventor was Polish, not Austrian.  His name was Jan Scztepanic, or some
such spelling.  He lived and worked in Vienna and had a Viennese backer.
The
fullest account of SLC's interest in this invention -- a link between
Jacquard
weaving and photography, as I understand it; Twain himself sat for a carpet
por
trait -- is in Carl Dolmetsch's _"Our Famous Guest": Mark Twain in Vienna_.
A
great book, by the way, not to be missed by any Twain enthusiast.

Andy Hoffman