Jevne & Almini – Drypigment.net

Sosman & Landis: Shaping the Landscape of American Theatre. Employee No. 40 – Fred Evans

Fred Evans was a scenic artist at Sosman & Landis who specialized in painting street scenes. I have yet to locate definitive employment dates for Evans at the firm, but it was the early twentieth century.

*Gravestone of Fred A. Evans, a scenic artist at Sosman & Landis Scene Painting Studio.* *Acacia Park Cemetery and Mausoleum in Norwood, Illinois.*

Frederick Arthur Evans was born in Wales, sometime between 1853 and 1855. He was the son of Robert Evans and Mary Roberts, with his birth possibly registered at Merthyr Tydfil in Glamorgan County. To date, nothing is known of his early childhood or emigration to America, yet Frederick was living in the United States by 1870 and naturalized by 1872. The 1870 US Federal Census lists a 16-yrs.-old Frederick Evans living with Robert Roberts and Elizabeth Roberts in Chicago’s Sixth Ward. As Roberts was his mother’s maiden name, this was possibly a maternal familial tie, likely an uncle. At the time, Robert Roberts was 32-yrs. old and employed as a brass moulder.

By 1875 Frederick was listed in the Chicago Directory as a printer. The next year, in 1876, he was listed as a painter, boarding at 514 Wabash Avenue in Chicago. Evans would continue to work in both the printing and painting fields for the remainder of his life. From 1878 until 1901, the “Chicago Directory” pretty consistently listed Evans as a printed, and the 1910 Census listed him as a “lithographer.” That being said, this does not mean that Evans solely worked for the printing industry, as many professional lithographers also worked at scenic artists throughout the late-nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century. Even in 1920, the federal census listed two occupations and industries for Evans: the first entry was “editor” in the “newspaper” industry, and his second entry was “laborer” in the “drops” industry. Evans represents a unique type of career combination (scenic artist/lithographer); one that I have encountered before. These dual careers paired so well together at this time.

I am going to take a moment to address this blending of printing and painting occupations, a group of artists who lived with one foot in the painting profession and the other foot in the printing industry. Nineteenth-century scenic art paired beautifully with other illustrative arts. There is something extremely comforting about being able to paint both big and small, and there were always the small models and color renderings to create for projects. Until scenic studios began to function like a factory, scenic artists had to be well-versed in a variety of artistic mediums and scales.

Two of the most famous painter/printer pairings were Otto Jevne and P. M. Almini. There is a lovely article about the two at Chicagology, here is the link: https://chicagology.com/prefire/prefire175/

Jevne & Almini not only ran an extremely successful decorative firms, but also were well known for their pre-1871 color lithographs of Chicago. The two partnered in 1855 to establish Jevne & Almini, fresco artists. By the 1860s, they entered the publishing business. Their most popular work was a series entitled “Chicago Illustrated,” beginning in 1866. The publication included stunning views of Chicago and descriptive text.

*Plate published by Jevne & Almini. Posted to Chicagology.*

*Color lithograph published by Jevne & Almini.*

They did not leave the decorative painting business to focus on publishing, instead they diversified their interests. All the while, the two operated a successful painting firm and artistic supply business, securing interior decoration contracts for numerous churches, assembly halls, and public buildings across the country. Their project’s included well-known theaters such as McVicker’s Theatre and Crosby’s Opera House in Chicago, as well as other prominent structures across the country, including state capitols in Madison, Wisconsin, Des Moines, Iowa, and Topeka, Kansas. In addition to painting and publishing, Jevne & Almini also featured a “Free Art Gallery” and sold painting supplies in the mid-1860s, located at 152-4 Clark Street. An advertisement from 1869 announced, “JEVNE & ALMINI, Importers and Dealers in Artist and Painters’ Materials, and Fresco Painters, 152 & 154 Clark Street, Chicago. They became a hub, gathering a variety of artists and forming an incredible network of skilled labor; this was a brilliant business marketing strategy.

Unfortunately, it was the Chicago fire of 1871 that terminated the partnership and end their involvement in the publication business. The two split, with each artist establishing their own firm. Many Sosman & Landis artists got their start at P. M. Almini & Co., including last president of the firm, Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934). In the early 1870s, Moses worked for Louis Malmsha at Almini’s company, gilding opera boxes and assisting with ornamental painting projects. Moses entered the scenic art profession as an after-hours-assistant to his mentor Malmsha, painting stage settings at McVicker’s Theatre.

Another example of this dual career approach is Charles S. Graham, who also greatly influenced Moses’ scenic art career (link to my past post about it: https://drypigment.net2018/10/03/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-part-524-charles-s-graham/). Graham was another professional who worked as both a scenic artist and lithographer, making a national name for himself by the late-nineteenth-century. His work was especially popular at Harper’s Magazine. Here is a work by Graham for Harper’s, dated Nov. 30, 1878; it really bridges the gap between lithography and scenic art:

*By Charles Graham for “Harper’s,” 1878.*

So, you see, Fred A. Evans working as a printer and painter is a common pairing.

I am including listings for Frederick A. Evans’ from the Chicago Directory, c. 1875-1901. There are a few gaps in years, but it still gives a pretty good scope of his printing career and residences in Chicago. It also provides a sense of how difficult it is can be to track down an individual with slight name changes; it involves searching each directory and making comparisons with other artists.

1875 Chicago Directory: Evans, Frederick. printer. R 49 W. Ohio.

1876 Chicago Directory: Evans, Frederick. painter, boarding at 514 Wabash av

1877 Chicago Directory: Evans, Frederick A. foreman 170 Clark, h 152 Douglas Av. [This is where the publication office of the Educational Weekly was located in 1877 until it moved to 170 Madison later that year].

1878 Chicago Directory: Evans, Fred A. printer, h 163 24^th

1882 Chicago Directory: Evans, Fred A. printer, h 2828 Groveland

1885 Chicago Directory: Evans, Frederick A. printer 18 Fullerton av h 372 Chicago av

1885 Lakeview, Illinois, City Directory: Evans, F. A. clk. Deering & Co. r 372 E. Chicago av [William Deering & Co. was a farm machinery firm; likely an illustrator for ads or painter of equipment.]

*Fred A. Evans periodically worked for Wm. Deering & Co. in the late nineteenth-century. Image from* https://chicagology.com/goldenage/goldenage077/

1886 Lakeview, Illinois, City Directory: Evans, Frederick. lithog, r 763 Sheffield av

1887 Chicago Directory: Evans, Frederick A. printer, h 763 Sheffield av

1887 Lakeview, Illinois, City Directory: Evans, Frederick A. lithographer, r 763 Sheffield av

1888 Lakeview, Illinois, City Directory: Evans, F. A. clerk, W. Deering & Co. 18 Fullerton av

1888 Chicago Directory: Evans, Frederick A. printer, h. 763 Sheffield av

1889 Chicago Directory: Evans, Frederick A. clk. 16 Fullerton av. H 763 Sheffield

1889 Lakeview, Illinois, City Directory: Evans, Fred A. clerk, W. Deering & Co. r. 760 Sheffield av

1890 Chicago Directory: Evans, Frederick A. printer, h. 763 Sheffield av

1891 Chicago Directory: Evans, F. A. clk. 18 Fullerton av. h. 763 Sheffield av

1896 Chicago Directory: Evans, Frederick A. printer, h. 670 Sheffield av.

1897 Chicago Directory: Evans, Frederick A. printer, h. 670 Sheffield av

1898 Chicago Directory: Evans, Frederick A. printer, h. 670 Sheffield av

1899 Chicago Directory: Evans, Frederick A. printer, h. 670 Sheffield av

1900 Chicago Directory: Evans, Fred printer h. 666 Sheffield av

1901 Chicago Directory: Evans, Frederick A. printer h 1239 Montana

The 1880 Census listed Fred Evans living with Ada Evans, still working as a printer. They lived at 2964 Dearborn St in Chicago. In actuality, Frederick Evans married Adah (Ada) Senior on June 10, 1885 in Norwood Park (Cook County), Illinois. They would later be buried in Norwood too. Adah L. Senior (b. 1859) was the daughter of Anna (Ann) Hewes and Fred Senior. Born in England, she emigrated to the United States in 1877 and was naturalized in 1892.

*Gravestone of Fred A. Evans’ wife Adah L. Senior Evans.* *Acacia Park Cemetery and Mausoleum in Norwood, Illinois.*

Any information pertaining to the Evans family has been extremely difficult to track down and I have spent countless hours examining census reports, immigration records, ship’s manifests, and city directories. Here is what I have located to date: The couple celebrated the birth of a daughter between 1888 and 1894. Pearle A. “Annie” Evans was listed as Annie, Perala, and Pearl. The 1910 US Federal Census lists Frederick A. Evans as a 53-yrs.-old lithographer working in the newspaper industry. At this time, he was living with his 49-yrs.-old wife Adah L. and is 22-yrs.-old daughter Annie S. (Pearl Annie), at 4148 Sacramento Ave.

In 1914, there were two Pearl (Pearl Annie) Evans in the Chicago Directory: One as a stenographer with Swift & Co. stockyards, h. 3850 Indiana av and the second a stenographer 1047, 175 W Jackson bl h 5949 S Wood. Meanwhile, Fred and Adah were living at 4140 Sacramento av, with Fred Evans still listed as a printer.

On July 19, 1918 the “Chicago Tribune” listed Adah L. and Pearle A. Evans’ involvement with the Grover Cleveland school dedication services (page 7). The article reported, “Mrs. Adah L. Evans sang “The Star Spangled Banner,” accompanied by Miss Pearle A. Evans, who was pianist for the evening.” On July 22, 1918, the “Chicago Tribune” reported that Mrs. Adah L. Evans would sing “Star Spangled Banner,” accompanied by Miss Pearla Evans (Miss Evans is also a musician during the ceremonial part of the evening). The performance “for the installation of officers at the White Star auxiliary to the Second Illinois Infantry, now the 132 United States infantry” (page 11).

Six years later, the 1920 census lists Pearla Evans as a dancer in the “stage” industry, living with her parents on Sacramento Ave. At this time, Fred was still associated with the publishing and scenery professions. In 1920, “Pearla” listed her age as “26” in the census, but I highly suspect this information.

Both Fred and Adah died in 1925 and were buried at the Acacia Park Cemetery and Mausoleum in Norwood, Illinois. It originated as a cemetery for Masons and their families, opened on Chicago’s far northside in 1922. Fred died on January 9, 1924,with Adah following on March 18 of that same year. By 1940, the federal census listed Pearl Evans as an “inmate” (b. 1894) at the Lincoln State School and Colony. It was not a prison, but an asylum for the “feeble minded” in West Lincoln Township, Illinois. The census notes that Pearl only attended the first grade of school; no other information about her past was provided. I have no way of knowing if this is the real fate of Fred and Ada’s daughter. I have yet to locate any marriage or death records for her.

The only other information pertaining to Fred Evans’ scenic art career at Sosman & Landis was provided by Art Oberbeck in an interview with Dr. John Rothgeb on July 24, 1976. Oberbeck worked at Sosman and Landis at the same time Fred Evans, approximately 1907-1915. He referred to the former Sosman & Landis as a 75 yrs. old “oddball;” but age and character is quite subjective, so I take his comments with a grain of salt. Oberbeck credited Evans’ approach to laying out street scenes as infallible. His process was accounted by Randi Givercer Frank’s M.A. Thesis, “Sosman & Landis Studio: A Study of Scene Painting in Chicago, 1900-1925.” She credits Evan’s Sosman & Landis’ foremost “street painter.” Evans process for laying out street scene included placing the perspective point or horizon line should approximately 5’-9” up from the bottom of the painted composition. For many, this fell at eye-level when painting on a vertical frame. Once the horizon line was established, the correct way to position any single-story building was to put two-thirds of the of the building above the horizon line and one-third below the horizon line. If it was a two-story building, the height of the first story was simply doubled. Keep in mind that painted perspective for the early-twentieth-century stage did not follow the conventional rules for perspective in fine art.

On that note, I am going to include an excerpt from a publication written by another Sosman & Landis employee, Frank H. Atkinson. Atkinson’s publication “Scene Painting and Bulletin Art” (1916) includes a section entitled “Stage Perspective.” Atkinson writes, “Rules of perspective are often very much modified, or even rejected, in scene painting, and “stage perspective” is adopted, especially in the creation of wings or side scenes. In true perspective all lines must converge to a single vanishing point, or they must converge to a double vanishing point. But in scene painting it becomes necessary to violate the rules in order to avoid embarrassment in the result which would follow if true perspective rules are applied below the horizon line. Stage perspective dictates that all lines below the horizon line be kept parallel to the stage floor and the horizon line.” Atkinson’s illustrations place the horizon line at approximately 5’-9” in most scenarios. I am including mention of Atkinson, as he enters the storyline tomorrow when I explore the life and career of Sosman & Landis employee #41 Frank Lewis. Lewis’ younger sister married Atkinson, and they were all living in Chicago and working at Sosman & Landis when Atkinson published his book.

Finally, Dr. John Rothgeb interviewed another former Sosman & Landis scenic artist John Hanny between 1976 and 1983. A letter from John Hanny to Dr. John Rothgeb on July 14, 1976, stated, “[Sosman & Landis] was a wonderful place to work – especially for young and hopeful painters where they could get fine training and experience working with such men as Thomas G. Moses. David Strong, Fred Evans. Frank Lewis, Fred Scott, and William Nutzhorn and others.”

*One of the many letter’s from written by John Hanny to Dr. John Rothgeb at the University of Thexas, Austin, between 1976 and 1983. This one is not dated.*

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 122 – Thomas G. Moses and the Decorating Firm of Jevne & Almini

I first encountered the Jevne & Almini Company when creating an index for the typed manuscript of Thomas Gibbs Moses. It was an independent study project for my mentor, Lance Brockman. This decorating firm would remain in the back of my mind for almost three decades until I started making a few connections during January 2017. Moses was one of many nineteenth-century scenic artists who would begin their careers at the fresco studio of Jevne & Almini.

Advertisement for Jevne & Almini, Fresco and House Painters. This is the place where many scenic artists found their first job in Chicago, Illinois.

While working as a decorator for the company, Moses recalled a project at Hooleys Theater where he first encountered the scenic art of Charles Graham (1852-1911). In 1874. Moses wrote, “In June I was sent to Hooleys Theatre to work. On the scenery [were] employed J. Francis Murphy and Chas. Graham. I was put in charge of the proscenium boxes, mostly gilding. I could see the work being done on the paint frame. I was more convinced that scenery was what I wanted to do; more opportunity to do landscapes.”

View of Hooley’s Theatre interior and proscenium boxes that Thomas Gibbs Moses worked on in 1874.

Hooley’s Opera House, the Parlor of Home Comedy, was dedicated on 21 October 1872 and later became known simply as Hooley’s Theater (1872-1924). Located at 124 West Randolph Street, the cut stone and iron building occupied twenty-three feet of street frontage.

The auditorium had a seating capacity of 1,500 and the stage was 50 feet wide and 65 feet deep. Mr. Hooley and his stock company first appeared on Monday evening, 31 August 1874. This upcoming performance was why an eighteen-year-old Moses was working at the theater that June.

Charles S. Graham work that sold at auction. It reminded me of many “Rocky Pass” compositions painted for the stage.

Painted detail from St. Louis Scottish Rite Rocky Pass scene, 1924, that reminded me of Graham’s painting.

Full composition of Rocky Pass backdrop at the St. Louis Scottish Rite.

Charles S. Graham (1852-1911) was born in Rock Island, Illinois. He became a topographer in 1873 for the Northern Pacific Railroad and it was this position became his training ground as a draftsman and artist. However from 1874 to 1877, Graham painted theatrical scenery in both Chicago and New York. It just so happened that it was on one of his first scenic art jobs that Moses encountered his scenery painting. By 1878, Graham started as the staff artist at Harper’s Weekly and remained there until 1892. He was also a contributing illustrator for a variety of other publications, including the New York Herald, the Chicago Tribune, the American Lithograph Company, and Collier’s. The work of Graham is best known in the publication “Peristyle and Plasaisance” where he created a series of watercolors depicting scenes from the 1893 Chicago world’s fair. Advertisements stated that the illustrations illustrated “nooks and corners of the Fair as no photograph could do.”

Advertisement noting Charles S. Graham’s contribution to “Peristyle and Plaisance.”

Color plate depicting scene from 1893 World Fair. Watercolor by Charles S. Graham.

Amazingly, it was one of Graham’s 1878 illustrations for Harper’s that caught my eye years ago as it beautifully captured scenic artists at work in a theater.

Charles S. Graham illustration of scenic artists at a theater in 1878. Collection of Wendy Waszut-Barrett.

Detail of performance going on below the working scenic artists. 1878 illustration by Charles S. Graham.

Detail of Charles S. Graham signature on illustration. Collection of Wendy Waszut-Barrett.

It was created for “The Sunday Telegraph” (New York, September 28, 1902) and titled “The Scene Painter is No Ghost.” Here is the article that accompanied Graham’s illustration:

“How many theatregoers can give the names of three scene painters in New York? Playhouse patrons admire their art, and even applaud it on opening night, but they know nothing about it, and it is a most unusual occasion when the artist is called before the curtain. He is not discussed at clubs or in the drawing rooms. The cheapest show girl in a Broadway burlesque, with just about brains enough to remember he name over night, gets her picture in the magazines several times in the course of a season and is written about as if she really was of some importance.

Up on the paint bridge, seventy feet above her head, is the scene painter. He is putting the finishing touches to a drop that has taken him many days to paint and more years of hard study to learn how. The press agent never worries him for his photograph, the dramatic reporters couldn’t find him if they went back on stage. The show is over, the lights are put out and a deathly stillness settles upon the theatre. The watchman lazily makes his rounds and finds the scenic artist and his assistants at work finishing a drop or a border or priming new ones. When the artist leaves the theatre the streets are still. He reaches home and over his pipe wonders if the game is worth the candle.”

To be continued…

Detail of Charles S. Graham 1878 illustration depicting scenic artists at the theatre. Collection of Wendy Waszut-Barrett.

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 121 – Peter Gui Clausen and the Decorating Firm of Jevne & Almini

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.

Peter Gui Clausen. Photograph from the Minnesota Historical Society collection.

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.

Peter Gui Clausen, Reconstructing St. Anthony Falls, 1869.

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.

Peter Gui Clausen painting in his Minneapolis Studio. Photograph part of Minnesota Historical Society collection.

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.

Mabel Tainter Theater. Menomonie, Wisconsin.

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…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 120 – Jevne & Almini

Drapery painting for the theater has a long tradition dating back centuries. Many of the earliest examples depict the same techniques practiced by early-twentieth century artists. It is part of a painting tradition that creates a composition to be viewed from a distance. The three-color painting techniques described in the past two installments to depict drapery for the stage were not only used in eighteenth century painted curtains and scenery for court theaters, but also in ceiling frescoes. Murals placed high above used the same techniques that early-twentieth century scenic artists also would produce for the stage. There remained the separation of color and value that allowed the eye to complete the illusion, making these painted compositions extremely successful when viewed from a distance.

Schloss Roseneau ceiling mural, Austria. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2016.

Yankton, South Dakota, Scottish Rite Front Curtain. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2014.

Painted detail from Yankton, South Dakota, Scottish Rite Front Curtain. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2014.

The similarities were not coincidental as many scenic artists found early work and training in fresco studios. As I began compiling a database on North American scenic artists this past fall, I repeatedly encountered nineteenth century scenic artists who began their careers at fresco studios. I had started explored the connection between theatre decorators and scenic artists while touring Europe last year; large-scale paintings intended to be viewed from a distance followed many of the same rules that scenic artists used in terms of value and technique. One decorating studio that provided a start for many nineteenth century scenic artists was the Chicago-based firm of Jevne & Almini. Founded by Peter Magnus Almini (1825-1890) and Otto Jevne (1823-1905) in 1853 many theatre artists and recent immigrants found work in their studio.

Jevne was born near Lillehammer, Norway, and learned the trade there as a fresco painter. He had a variety of skills in both stained glass and fresco work. In 1872, he applied for a patent concerning the improvement in lath-and-plaster walls and ceilings. The invention related to a novel form of wooden lath and “the combination therewith of plaster in such a manner that the wall or ceiling may be made of much thinner and lighter, and at he same time have a firmer texture and be less liable to exhibit the lines or strains caused by lath over time in common walls and ceilings” (US Patent 124,138).

Peter M. Almini, pictured in “The History of Swedes in Illinois.” Photo downloaded from internet, 2017.

Almini was born in Linderås, Småland, Sweden, and learned his painter’s trade in Eksjö, working his trade in Russia and Finland. For six years, Almini lived in Stockholm and was the assistant superintendent in the decorating of the royal palace.

The two immigrated to the United States around during the early 1850s. What they created for many public spaces, Americans gazed at in wonder. In I. D. Guyer’s 1862,“History of Chicago; Its Commercial and Manufacturing Interests and Industry; Together with Sketches of Manufacturers and Men Who Have Most Contributed to Its Prosperity and Advancement with Glances at Some of the Best Hotels; also the Principal Railroads which Center in Chicago,” the firm of Jevne & Almini is highlighted in the chapter “Interior Decorations.” The publication states that Jevne and Almini had “inculcated and infused a higher level of Fresco Painting” in the city since 1853. The firm is credited with decorating the Crosby Opera House, the Sherman House, the Chicago Chamber of Commerce, Trinity Church, First Presbyterian, Wabash Avenue Methodist Church, and many State Capitol buildings that included Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and Wisconsin. They also were involved in the decoration of many early Masonic Halls, including those in the American Express Building.

Jevne & Amini were not simply known for their plaster innovations and decorative painting skills. The two were also quite infamous as publishers, printing a journal devoted to art and architecture titled “Chicago Illustrated.”

In 1865, Jevne & Almini joined with Louis Kurtz to form the Chicago Lithographing Co. Kurtz drew the prints for one of the company’s portfolios, titled “Chicago Illustrated.” Their portfolios are some of visual records depicting life in this bustling city before the fire of 1871. They had a winning talent for not only printing descriptive lithography of landscapes, architecture and cityscapes, but also printed letterheads, cards, bonds, and checks.

Kurtz (born Ludovicus Ferdinandus Josephus Kurtz von Goldenstein) had previously gained recognition in Milwaukee as a scenic artist at his father’s German-language theatre. Moving to Chicago in 1864, he produced some of the stage designs for McVicker’s Theatre and Crosby’s Opera House.

Crosby’s Opera House. Print by Jevne & Almini, published by Chicago Lithographing Co.

It was his work at Crosby’s that introduced him to Jevne and Almini as they had decorated the building. This trio later added Otto Knirsch and Edward Carqueville to their ranks at Chicago Lithographing Co. Knirsch and Carqueville had previously worked at the Edward Mendel and Currier & Ives firms.

Many visual artists for the theatre found their initial vocation as illustrators, draftsmen, and decorators. Jevne & Almini was the perfect firm to expose artists to a variety projects and unique skill sets. As previously discussed, scenic artists often worked for a variety of venues during the nineteenth century, not just the theatre. They found work wherever they travelled whether it was illustration, drafting, sign painting, interior decoration, or stage scenery. Additionally, Jevne & Almini advertised as “dealers in artists’ and painters’ materials, oil paintings, steel engravings, chromo lithographs, &c.”

Note advertisement at bottom of page for Jevne & Almini.

They are credited with establishing the first art gallery in Chicago. This would be the forerunner to the Academy of Fine Arts (1879-1882), later the Art Institute of Chicago.

After the 1871 fire, Jevne and Almini separated, each going their own way and founding new companies: Otto Jevne & Co., 226 E. Washington Street and P. M. Almini & Co., 344 State Street. Whether together or apart, their contributions as two of the leading figures in Chicago’s art scene and businessmen paved the road for many future immigrants working in the city. Of special note is the assistance that Almini provided to fellow artists as a member of the Academy of Design and vice-president of the Master-Painters and Decorator’s Association of Chicago and the treasurer of the National Association of Painters and Decorators when they were founded. As many other artists, he studied ancient and modern art, always sketching for study and leisure. He was also one of the charter members of the Svea Society, organized in 1857. Interestingly, Almini also became a Mason, belonging to both the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite and the Ancient Arabic Order of the Noble Mystic Shrine.

To be continued…