There were many scenic artists that began their artistic careers at Jevne & Almini in Chicago, including Peter Gui Clausen (1830-1924). I am starting with Clausen as we share the same birthday, June 19.
Clausen was born at Korsor on the Island of Zealand, Denmark, and educated in the elementary schools of Ringsted. At the age of thirteen, he apprenticed to a Master Decorator for seven years. In 1850 he attended the Royal Academy of Art in Copenhagen. Although he was conscripted in the army the following year, he continued to paint and soon returned to Copenhagen to complete his studies. In 1852 Clausen received his diploma and joined the firm of Bing and Grøndahl Porcelain Company. This would later be the same company that produced the twentieth-century blue Christmas plates. I have my Grandmother’s set hanging on a wall.
While studying in Copenhagen, Clausen also worked as a gold engraver, portrait artist, and landscape painter. By the age of twenty-seven, he moved to Lund, Sweden, and established himself as a master painter and decorator. His commissions included frescoes at Lund University, Ridarholm Church, and the King’s Palace in Stockholm. During this time, he also married his first wife, Amelia Sophia Bergholtz. By 1863, Clausen was conscripted again as a cavalryman in the Danish Army, fighting in both Germany and Austria.
Clausen immigrated to the America in 1866 and settled in Chicago, finding employment with Jevne & Almini. The following year, the firm sent Clausen to Minneapolis to do some fresco work at the First Universalist Church, although the building was later destroyed by fire in 1888. The following year Clausen moved to Minneapolis and established a studio. Two significant projects that he completed in 1869 included views depicting the reconstruction of St. Anthony Falls. Forty-five years later, these same paintings would be used for reference when reconstructing the falls again.
By 1870, Clausen advertised as a “fresco and sign painter, a painter of scenery, flags and banners, landscape and ornamental work of every description.” In 1871 he married his second wife Julia Chilson (Kjelson). Over the years Clausen partnered with a variety of artists, continuing to work as a fresco painter, teacher of fine arts, sign painter, scenic artist and panorama painter. He completed a variety of projects across the country while maintaining multiple residences.
At the age of fifty-seven, Clausen completed the first section of his “Panorama of the New Wonderland Yellowstone National Park.” It was part of a promotional series for the government. The June 1, 1887, St. Paul Globe published, “Beginning on June 9, 1887, it [will be] displayed at the Grand Opera House in St. Paul” (page 3). The newspaper also commented that the scenes were “painted from nature.” The Sunday, July 3, 1887 Brooklyn Daily Eagle (NY, page 15) noted, “ A Western concern is about to revive a form of pictorial entertainment that was supposed to have become obsolete several years ago the rolling panorama. One Professor Clausen has covered 6,000 yards of canvas with pictures of Yellowstone Park, and the panorama has been made public in Minneapolis amid general acclamation.”
The final work took three years to paint landscapes depicting scenes from Wyoming to Washington. His continued scenic work for theatrical stages in the Twin Cities area and midwestern region included the Minneapolis’ Metropolitan Opera House, St. Paul Metropolitan Theater, Minneapolis Lyceum Theatre, Academy of Music, Brown’s Theatre Comique, St. Paul Grand Opera House, Pence Opera House, Mabel Tainter Theatre in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and the Opera House in Fargo, North Dakota.
In 1904, Clausen was listed as an employee of the Twin City Scenic Company. In 1924, Clausen passed away and is buried at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
There is something magical about inadvertently posting a tale on his birthday, and mine. Here’s to celebrating our 137th and 48th birthdays today!
To be continued…
Wendy,
I found the article about Peter Gui Clausen to be of great interest because of research my colleague Jeanne Kilde and I are engaged in regarding the painted interior of a former synagogue, now a Pentecostal church in Minneapolis. We are trying to establish who the artist[s] was who executed it. We have a lead, but no documentation. Be interested in discussing this with you. Thank you.
Peter Gui Clausen is my great great great grandfather. In my childhood home hung a painting that his granddaughter , Elsie found and finished of Maritime Venice, that now hangs in my brothers Seattle home. My mom has one, also in Mesa. Wishing I had a painting of his, I found a third one, finished in 1907, on Ebay, after searching for over a decade. It is priceless to me! Hoping to find more of his art and wanting to know, best way for caring for it along with how much I should insure it for. I have not found somebody to appraise here in Seattle.
Thank you for sharing. I would recommend contacting your local museum for a list of individuals qualified to appraise fine art. Good luck!
I own two landscapes signed “P Clausen 1893”. One is titled lGreat Canyon/Yellowstone National Park. Each canvas measures approximately 17” wide by 22” tall. I had to replace the glass on them so I took them to a framer recommended as a conservator. When we took the wooden backing off the frame we discovered that one had been backed with an August 1893 editio of the Chicago Tribune and the other with an 1893 edition of a German-language newspaper, so apparently the pictures were in their original frames. Unfortunately, as soon as we touched the newspapers they fell to dust. I believe the pictures were probably bought by my grandfather Gustav H. Schlotthauer, a Chicago merchant. They have been in my family’s possession ever since. I would like to know more about Mr. Clausen, about where I might see other works by him, and about his history as a landscape painter , but I have no idea how to start doing research on this interesting artist. I’d be happy to share snapshots of these landscapes if you would be interested.
Thank you for your comment. I will email you about this!
Hello! Similar to Dorthy Krass, our church was donated a painting oh his, but not sure where to go about next steps. Firstly, we would like to get it appraised to see if it’s an original or not, and also I would like to learn more about him. I can’t find much information about Peter Gui Clausen.
All I know about the painting is the front says: Peter Clausen 1921.
The back says: Painted by Peter Gui Clausen in his 91.st year 1921.. (Minneapolis)? The last () is what I believe it says, but it’s hard to read. The size of the painting itself is 17 inches tall, and 28 1/8th inches wide/long.
I have pictures of it if that helps!