The first German Theosophical Society was established in July 1884, under the presidency of Wilhelm Hübbe-Schleiden,[7][8] a conservative German nationalist turned spiritual seeker who sought to establish Theosophy on a "scientific" basis.[9] Between 1886 and 1895 Hübbe-Schleiden published the monthly periodical Die Sphinx.[10][11] In Vienna, a theosophical society was founded in 1887, its president was Friedrich Eckstein.[12][13] Among his circle at this time Franz Hartmann, a leader of theosophical work who emphasized personal spiritual experience,[9] and the young Rudolf Steiner were members.[13] A German Theosophical Society, as a branch of the International Theosophical Brotherhood, then was established in 1896 when the American theosophists around William Quan Judge, Katherine Tingley, E. T. Hargrove and C. F. Wright travelled through Europe.[14] Its president was Franz Hartmann, who also founded a theosophical lay-monastery at Ascona in 1889.[15] His periodical Lotusblüten (Lotus Blossoms, 1892–1900) was the first German publication to use the theosophical swastika on its cover.[14]