USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Milwaukee > History of Milwaukee, city and county, Volume I > Part 66
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There happily remain, however, a group of five artists who were young men and students at the time these art pioneers lived, and they bear witness of the days whose history might otherwise be lost. These are Louis Maver, Alexander Mueller, George Raab, George Niedecken and Carl Reimann, all of whom grew up in the group and who were admitted to the fellowship.
But before going on to the work and labors of this connecting group be- tween the old and the new-representing directly the Munich, Weimar and Düsseldorf schools, the other, our modern-one must pause over the name of Richard Lorenz. His fame will be noted in the annals as the painter of the Indian, the cowboy, the trapper, and logger. Ile will be the interpreter for a latter day of a bygone and rapidly disappearing life, in the tent and cabin, in the lumber camp, on the trails and in the mountains of the West, a lover of horses which he rendered in unexampled draughtsmanship, showing the life of the plains as hardly another has done in the country. A pioneer he was in art and a revealer of pioneer life, rugged and virile in personality as in artistry.
Lorenz was a teacher in the Wisconsin Art Institute, to which Captain Pabst lent his assistance after a period of failure. Here our connecting group. in a school on Second Street and Grand Avenue, before their period of study abroad, received their early training, and naturally they chose for study in
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Europe those institutions who had nurtured their masters, von Ernst and Lorenz-going to Weimar and Munich-though Paris afterwards claimed both George Niedecken and George Raab. To Paris also went Jessie Schley, who was one of the students in this school.
How good their gift was and how it developed may be seen in the positions they now occupy. Mr. Raab is a painter of distinction in both portraiture and landscape, and has latterly turned to bronze portraits in bas relief, he holds also his position as curator of the Layton Art Gallery. Louis Mayer, too, is painter and sculptor both, but has left Milwaukee to reside in New York, where he is winning fresh laurels in his chosen medium, that plastic art which he feels suits his gift better. Louis Mayer has, however, left behind him many a choice painting, to remind of his varied talent.
Alexander Mueller has not abandoned his painter's calling, but is the direc- tor as well of the Wisconsin School of Fine and Applied Arts, better known as the State School of Art, a distinguished art educator who has attracted to his school talented, gifted members of widely varying artistic professions.
George Niedecken is an interior decorator, well known for his choice and individual work both at home and elsewhere. Carl Reimann is also a deco- rator, a designer of church windows of great beauty.
This closes the early and middle period of the progress of art in Milwaukee. The story is resumed with the founding of the Art Students League : this, with the art activities of the men who sponsored it, their society of artists later to become the Wisconsin Society of Painters and Sculptors, brings the history to the point where the work was further carried on by an affiliated group of workers forming the Milwaukee Art Society, incorporating it and bringing into being its constitution and by-laws.
This group, who brought new members and fresh enthusiasm, carried the work to a point where the present building of the Milwaukee Art Society (since become the Milwaukee Art Institute) was acquired. In less than ten years' time a permanent collection, rapidly inereasing, was acquired, a mem- bership and a patrons' support was obtained. and finally a maintenance fund to aid in the work was granted by the common council of the city, which en- abled the Milwaukee Art Institute to extend the scope of its work in every direction.
The Art Students League .- In 1894 a young Milwaukee artist who has become extremely famous, led a group of twelve young men employed in en- graving and lithography to form the Milwaukee Art Students League: this young man was Edward J. Steichen, and for five years he was the president of the league. Summer quarters for instruction were obtained through the interest of Mrs. C. B. Whitnall at Gordon Place, and in the winter the base- ment of the Ethical Hall was used for evening classes. Edward Steichen. after his departure for Europe, was succeeded by Herman Pfeiffer as presi- dent, who in his turn, like Steichen, went abroad for study : Alexander Muel- ler, in the fall of 1900, was made director and instructor of the league: the membership greatly increased and new quarters were sought in the University Building.
It is interesting to note that the old site of Henry Vianden's studio-work-
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shop was where the University Building now stands, thus forming one of those chance links between the past and the present. The league then became the Wisconsin School of Arts, occupying at first one room and finally taking an entire floor of the building. Incorporation came and a patrons' association was formed ; scholarships were awarded and exhibitions arranged.
Among the early foreign exhibitions brought were the decorations by Alphonse Mucha, French impressionist paintings, original contemporary European lithographs and ctehings; the Tissot paintings. Work by local artists was shown. Alexander Mueller, George Raab, Richard Lorenz, Louis Mayer, George Niedecken, Helen Zastrow, Armand D. Koch, Richard Phillip, Udo Mneller, Grace Ricker, Henry Stoerzer, Albert Tiemann, Martha Kaross Mueller, Louis W. Wilson, Arthur Gunther, Clara Byron, Anna Reiter, Norma B. Kroes, Frank Enders, Elmer A. Forsberg, Charles Makowsky, Eleanor Hansen, Victor Mueller, Phillip Kanth, Albert Fink, Sophie Koop, Stan Christie, Lillian Zimmermann, W. H. Hinton, were teachers at various times in the school, and a devoted band they were, all of them contributing gener- ously to make the school a success, and many of them giving their services with but nominal financial returns.
It was an uphill struggle, and sometimes there was discouragement of spirit because of a lack of support on the part of the public; but the school nevertheless gained its recognition and has many successful artists to its credit, many who would otherwise have been unable to obtain an art educa- tion. The support of the patrons, the sacrifice of the director and faculty, bore fruit. Arthur H. Gallun made many things possible through his liberal gifts, paying deficits, bearing eosts of exhibitions ; Frederick Layton, too, was one of the supporters who gave with characteristie generosity.
Normal Art School .- The work was carried on for ten years, with hun- dreds of students as members of the school, each acquiring the means of mak- ing a livelihood, knowing good standards of taste and able to contribute to the life of the community, through the education and culture obtained. This service was finally fully recognized, and in 1911 the Board of Regents of Normal Schools decided to take over the school and make it a department of the Milwaukee Normal School; Alexander Mueller was retained as director and the school has now been honsed in splendid quarters, with fine equip- ment in the normal school.
The scope of the school is broad and enltural, with an aim to develop skilled workers in the fine and applied arts, and to train teachers of drawing and handicraft. That this scope has been realized in larger measure may be seen from the singling out by educators of its normal arts course, the demand for its graduates in the professions, in fine and applied arts, and the place its students holl who go east and abroad for further study.
The school year ending in June, 1922, should see 700 pupils enrolled ; there are seventeen members of the faculty, each an expert in his line. Recently a distinguished painter, Mr. George Obertenffer, has come to be on the school staff.
First Public Art Gallery .- Art progress further reached a high point in 1888 when an event of great importance ocenrred, which was the founding Vol. 1-44
The C. RISTIAN STATE AN.
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OLD ACADEMY OF MUSIC, NOW SCHUBERT THEATER, 1570
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by Frederick Layton, early in the year, of the Layton Art Gallery. Its orig- inal trustees were Messrs. Frederick Layton, George Dickens, John L. Mitchell, James Clinton Spencer, Francis B. Keene, B. K. Miller, William P. Maclaren, Edward Sanderson, William Plankinton and Jerome R. Brigham, all civic- spirited men and interested that their city should have an art gallery and that appreciation of art be created in the publie taste as one of the finer things in life.
The originator of the project, the man who gave his fortune to this great art enterprise, Frederick Layton, bought the land, erected the building, and gave originally thirty-eight paintings valued at $50,000, with further generous gifts as time went on, and an endowment fund of support to the sum of $100,000. April 5, 1888, saw the formal presentation to the corporation and the opening to the public of the gallery in the new building. The galleries were from thenee on open throughout the year, with three free days to the publie and Sunday afternoons added after the first two years.
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For thirty-one years Mr. Layton continued his interest in the Layton Art Gallery, adding to the collection, obtaining many additional gifts from others by his enthusiasm and devotion; the collection became so augmented that in 1916 a wing was added to house the additional paintings. The construction, extension and enlargement of the building, its endowment funds, now reach the mark of almost half a million dollars and are the creation of an enthusiastic spirit, who at the age of ninety, before his death, saw the rounding out of his dream and vision as few are given to realize. A few of the artists repre- sented, should be noted-famous examples by Bongnerean, Bonheur, Mon- chablon, Cazin Jacque, llarpignies, Corot, Bastien LePage, von Marcke, De- fregger, Carl Marr, Clays, Seherrewitz, Israels, DeHoog, Mauve, Mesdag, Blommers, Alma Tadema, Leighton, Parsons, Inness, Eastman Johnson, Wyant; Winslow Homer, Keith, Blakelock, Pushman, Carleton Wiggins and Bolton Jones. This list is necessarily much curtailed for space; the collection con- tains many other gems and takes its place not only in the history of Milwau- kee but in the art history of the country.
Edwin Eldridge was the first enrator of the Layton Art Gallery, succeeded by George Raab who has held the position from 1902 to the present time.
Milwaukee-Downer College .- Siner 1852 there have been classes in art at Milwaukee-Downer College. Miss Emily Groom had charge of the depart- ment of art from 1907 to 1914. In 1913 Miss Elizabeth G. Upham started classes in jewelry and silver-smithing.
Milwaukee-Downer College was one of the pioneer colleges to realize the importance of an organized art department which should give opportunity for thorough art and applied art study for college students. Before 1917 a few credits in history of art and sindio work were allowed toward the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees. In that year the degree of Bachelor of Science in Arts was instituted. This enabled a student to pre- pare herself to teach art or enter the commercial art field, and at the same time to gain a broad cultural training.
In September, 1918, Milwaukee-Downer College, at the instance and through the inspiration of Elizabeth G. Upham, instituted a course in occupational
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therapy as an emergency war course. The need for occupational therapy, however, did not end with the war. At present there is a growing demand for well-trained workers in state and private institutions, and to quote a famous specialist, occupational therapy is a work especially adapted for re- fined and intelligent young women. This course added to the art department well-equipped shops for weaving, basketry, bookbinding, and woodwork.
At present writing (November, 1921), the art faculty includes four in- strnetors besides Miss Charlotte Russell Partridge who has been director since 1917, and gives seven different crafts, twenty art courses, including batik and block printing (1919) and occupational therapy.
The Layton School of Art .- This is the youngest art school in Milwaukee, and was founded in the belief that art inspires industry. It trains young men and women in those branches of art which are directly related to industry. It aims to prepare persons in two years' time for efficient service as profes- sional workers in industrial art, commercial art, interior decoration, costume designing, illustration, and normal art. In the first year all students take the prescribed subjects: Design, composition, flower analysis, still life, sketch, mide life, constructive drawing and perspective, lettering, history of art, psychology and literary appreciation.
This work lays a broad foundation for any one of the six courses offered for specialization in the second year when intensive study in the chosen course in- cludes modern processes of manufacture and reproduction. Evening classes are held three times a week, and work is offered in general design, design for interior decoration, elay modeling and life. The total enrollment for 1920- 21 was 315. The enrollment for 1921-22 will exceed the first years' mimber considerably.
The history of the Layton School of Art affords interesting evidence of the increased realization in this country of the need for industrial art schools. European countries have for years considered schools training artists for work in industrial and all applied art fields a necessity and asset. Such schools have been financed by the governments and promising students have been given tuition and living expenses while studying. The change in eco- nomie conditions brought on by the war quiekened the interest which had been growing for some time in this country in training American designers and in producing a national art. The Church School of Art, Chicago, which had been doing pioneer work in this field, closed in June, 1920.
It seemed. therefore, a propitious time for the establishment in Milwaukee. a great manufacturing center, of an industrial art school awake to the de- mands of the times, seeing the need for art in industry, and intelligently training its young people to carry out to industry and education the best that it can teach in design, color, and thoroughly American ideas. The Layton School of Art, successor to the Church School of Art, Chicago, but in no way identical with that institution, opened in September, 1920.
This school was organized and founded by Charlotte Russell Partridge who holds the position of director, and from the beginning has had the most loyal support and endorsement of a group of progressive and prominent Mil- waukee citizens. The Milwaukee Art Institute signified its intention of
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active cooperation with the Layton School; the Layton Art Gallery gave the ground floor of its beautiful building to be used as the school studios; and a group of individuals from both institutions with others each gave $250 for equipment and remodeling.
The school was incorporated under the laws of Wisconsin as a non- profit-making institution. The board of trustees consists of James K. Ilsley, president ; George P. Miller, Miss Charlotte R. Partridge, Samuel O. Buck- ner, Maj. Howard Greene, Miss Alice G. Chapman, William II. Schuchardt, Dr. Ernest Copeland, Edwin E. White. Miss Partridge donated her serv- ices as director and instructor for the first year, and Dudley Crafts Watson, director of the Milwaukee Institute, gave his services one night a week as instructor in the night school. Miss Miriam Frink was elected assistant director. There were in all six instructors the first year, the number in- creasing to nine the second year.
In addition to the tuition elasses of the day school and evening school, free classes for children are held on Saturday mornings and are largely attended by school children of all ages from six to seventeen. In the carry- ing on of these classes the Layton School has the help of the Milwaukee Art Institute.
The school is making a significant departure this year along lines that are being tried in New York and Chicago. Several students are doing ad- vanced work in industrial designing at the school and at the same time working as apprentices in industrial shops.
To sum up, the Layton School of Art is a new school and as yet a com- paratively small school but it is thoroughly awake to the possibilies. of art in industry and is playing a vital part in Milwaukee's progress.
Later Art Associations .- In 1900 Lonis Mayer, Alexander Mneller, George Raab, and George Niedeeken were leaders in organizing the so- ciety of Milwaukee Artists, many of the Art Students League members joining, as well as the panorama painters who had made Milwaukee their home. This became the present day Society of Wisconsin Painters and Senlp- tors. The Society of Milwaukee Artists was also the nucleus of the Milwaukee Art Institute, incorporated under its first name of the Milwaukee Art Society.
As the Milwaukee Art Society it had originally about seventy-five mem- bers, with laymen as well as artist members, and held its exhibitions in the history room of the public library and at the Moulton & Ricketts galleries. A footnote in the catalog of one of these latter exhibitions says, "Milwaukee is the only city of its size in the country without an art exhibition building." As early as October, 1912, a building was owned with over three hundred running feet of wall space for exhibition in four galleries, and in the five years 3,000 works had been displayed and 200 American artists had exhibited.
The story of how this came about now forms another chapter in the art progress of Milwaukee. In 1910 the first meeting under the present consti- tution and by-laws was held. The first president as the Milwaukee Art So- ciety was Charles Allis, son of Edward P. Allis, both men noted collectors and connoisseurs. Its avowed purpose is "to encourage the fine and applied arts, to stimulate the love of beauty and to cultivate the public taste, and in
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that behalf to establish and maintain art galleries, expositions, and any re- quisite and useful instructions,-either alone, in connection with the state or municipality or otherwise-to obtain by purchase, gilt or otherwise, paint- ings and works of art and to acquire, own or lease and hold any real estate and building."
A part of this ambitious program, as held in the vision of the first founders, and president, Charles Allis, was undertaken and carried through under the leadership of Samuel Owen Buekner, its second president. In 1912 the present building was acquired, in 1919 two new galleries were added, and at the present writing, in the fall of 1921, extensive alterations and additions are being made on the original building. The campaign for building funds was a vigorous one and entailed much labor; many a day the workers were dis- couraged and wished to abandon the undertaking of raising the necessary sum to buy the Land, Log & Lumber Company building which offered such unusual opportunities for making a home and exhibition room for the society.
Mr. Buckner's enthusiasm and faith never wavered, however, the drive was finally successful, and the building purchased. The list of the many publie-spirited men and women who gave so generously would require too much space to print. There are, however, six whose gifts reached the propor- tion to put their names in the Patron Membership, and these are Charles Allis, Frederick Layton, Charles Pfister, Ferdinand Schlesinger, Joseph Uihlein, and Mrs. Charles W. Norris.
In 1912 and 1913 a campaign for more members was pushed and the mem- bership increased from the original seventy-five to over five hundred, with new life and contributing memberships added. This membership permitted more extended activities, and in December, 1913, a young instructor and lec- turer in the faculty of the Chicago Art Institute, Dudley Crafts Watson, was engaged as director. Mr. Watson has now served eight years in this capacity, bringing unlimited zeal and enthusiasm to the work and unique qualities as an art educator. llis joyous and communicable enthusiasm gained for the Milwaukee Art Society many adherents who felt the inspiration of his method of reaching children and his desire, also, to extend the love of art to a wide democracy.
In 1916 the name of the Milwaukee Art Society was changed to the Mil- waukee Art Institute, and a still more ambitious program of activities, in- eluding additional classes, lectures and exhibitions became of absorbing in- terest.
Municipal Support .- In order to make a demonstration of what could be done with a more liberal allowance of money, a three-year fund was started. whose subseribers were B. F. Adler, Samuel O. Buekner, Mrs. W. W. Bur- roughs, Miss Alice Chapman, Ernest Copeland, Albert Elser, Adolph Finkler. Mrs. George P. Miller, Emil Oft, Mrs. Frederick Pabst, Charles Pfister, Mr. and Mrs. W. II. Schuchardt, Ferdinand Schlesinger, Mrs. Margaret Steinmeyer, Walter Stern, Albert O. Trostel, Miss Panla Ciblein and Fred Vogel, Jr. This subscription fund was the means of demonstrating to the city what could be done if a regular fund was at the command of the Milwaukee Art Institute.
Success attended and city support was voted by the common council on
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the recommendation of the City Club, the Merchants and Manufacturers As- sociation and the Mayor's Advisory Council, and the various editorials in the Milwaukee daily papers, and in 1918 the board of estimates placed the sum of $5,000 in the year's budget, which was passed by the common council by a large majority vote. Mayor Daniel Hoan, Aldermen Cornelius Corcoran, Emil Seidel, F. C. Bogk, Charles W. O'Connor, and John Doerfler, Jr., have shown great interest in the upbuilding of the Milwaukee Art Institute and through their enthusiasm and support have brought increased support by the city, until the amount in 1920 reached the sum of $15,000.
Since April, 1917, the Art Institute medals of award have been in existence, with the purpose of fostering Wisconsin production in the fine arts: prizes and honorable mentions in the applied arts have been established also for the yearly exhibitions held in which the Society of Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors have won many honors. In the allied arts, too, encouragement has been given in a yearly . festival of Wisconsin art, with programs in music, poetry, drama, pantomime, and danee, with greatly stimulated appreciation of these art forms in the community.
Besides the encouragement given to artists in the city and state, coopera- tion and affiliation has been established with numbers of associations which undertake making the life of the city finer and better. The constantly in- creasing attendance at classes, gallery tours, lectures and exhibitions, show how much has been contributed to old and young through these channels.
Generous Gifts .- In October, 1919, Mr. Buekner gave unconditionally from his private collection, twenty-five paintings to, the permanent collection of the Milwaukee Art Institute. This unprecedented gift, added to his donations of preceding years, included Duteh, French, Spanish, and American masters, and its fine scope may be seen from the following artists who are represented in this collection : B. J. Blommers, Theodore DeBock, J. S. Il. Kever, H. W. Mesdag, William Roloefs, F. P. TerMeulen and HI. J. Van der Weiler, J. H. Weissenbruch, Henri Harpignies, Joaquim Sorolla, Ralph Blakeloek, George Elmer Browne, E. Irving Couse, Leon Dabo, Elliott Daingerfield, Warren Davis, Henry S. Eddy, Lillian M. Genth, Albert L. Groll, Charles P. Gruppe, Childe Ilassam, Charles W. Hawthorne, Robert Henri, William Keith, Percival Ros- sean, Francisco Spienzza, C. A. Slade, Vaclav Vytlaeil, F. Ballard Williams, and Cullen Yates.
In addition to the Samuel O. Buckner collection, the permanent collection has had accessions in gifts from Frederick Layton, William Sehuehardt, Alice G. Chapman, Mrs. Samuel A. Field, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Dunbar, Alfred F. James, Mrs. J. W. Skinner, Kuli Kahn, Mrs. Olive M. Simmons, Mrs. S. S. Merrill, Frida Gugler, Dr. Ernest Copeland, Thomas A. Buckner, and John F. Kraushaar, and the women of the Fourth Distriet, State Federation of Women's Club; artist donors have been Evert Pieters. Edward Dufner, Philip Little, William Heintzelman, Earl II. Reed, Jean MeLean Johansen, Ferdinand Koenig, Cartaino Scarpitta. Numerous other gifts inehiding prints, litho- graphs, pottery, textiles, and books have been made. The present library owes its very good start, its clipping file of fine biographical material and art data to Mrs. F. C. Reynolds and her committee.
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