Career
Moses and Leopold, the sons of the highly respected but poor Gabriel Porges of the Spira family, experienced adventures in the camp of the sectarian Joseph Frank at Offenburg which have been described by Heinrich Graetz in his "Frank und die Frankisten" (Breslau, 1868) and his "Gesch." x., and in greater detail by Doctor South. Back in "Monatsschrift" (1877, pp 190 et seq). Disillusioned, they returned to Prague, and began a small linen business, and in 1808 commenced, with a single cotton-printing press and in a dark shop on the Vltava, an industrial activity which was destined later to reach great dimensions. In 1830 the rapidly growing business was transferred to the suburb of Smichow, where it developed into one of the largest establishments of the Austrian monarchy, and in 1841 the emperor Ferdinand I of Austria conferred upon the brothers the patent of hereditary nobility with the title "von Portheim", in recognition of the fact that they were the first cotton-manufacturers to employ steam in their works.
When this patent had been offered Moses in the previous year, he asked the Oberstburggraf von Böhmen Chotek for a decree of emancipation of the Jews instead, but this request was not granted.