Ferdinand A. Brader und die Auswanderung in die USA
An exhibition at the Staatsarchiv, Saint Gallen, Switzerland
November 2016 to January 2017
Wolf Seelentag
researched Brader's birthplace, family, Swiss connections.
Benno Haegeli and Regula Zuercher
arranged the exhibition at the Staatsarchiv.
David Stuckey
carried his family drawing on trains from Zug to Zurich to Saint Gallen
and sent these wonderful photos which you can click to enlarge.
September 28: News from Switzerland ! Exhibition of Ferdinand Brader's life and his work to open in November at the Staatsarchiv in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Featuring the original drawing Our Home! which Brader made of the Swallen family farmstead in Stark County Ohio in 1886
July 27: Brader at Lake Township Bicentennial. Families gathered to hear and to share stories of the Lake Township farms drawing by Ferdinand Brader over one hundred years ago.
July 25: Lincke family drawing is given to the Little Art Gallery !
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Adolph Lincke’s Homestead, Marlboro Tp: Stark Co: Ohio.
Carl Lincke (left) and Scott Lincke (right)
Carl Lincke and his son Scott Lincke today began the process of sharing their treasured family drawing with many when they delivered it to The Little Art Gallery at the North Canton Public Library.. This charming drawing is one of the first in which the artist used colored pencil, and is also one of the few in an almost square format. It features a one-room schoolhouse in the lower right and in the background is a neighboring Warner farm which Brader memorialized in another large drawing. You can read more about the Adoloh Lincke drawing here.
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June 15: Another drawing added to the list ! Peter Graber's prosperous 200 acre farm In Perry Township, Ohio was captured in minute detail by Brader in 1891. This spectacular drawing, numbered 818 by the artist, remains with a family member who well remembers visiting his grandmother at this beautiful Richville farm.
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The Residence of Mr.and Mrs. Peter Graber, Richville Stark Co. Ohio 1891.
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May 14: Brader at Auction! $16,800 selling price for Brader's drawing of Gindelsperger farm.
May 2: Great news! Residence of John and Eliza Shafer returns home to Ohio. After a long sojourn out west in Colorado, and after a careful conservation treatment, this fabulous drawing is back at home with a young family in Stark County. You can read here more of the story of that adventure and see a picture of a mystery element in this beautiful drawing. In the meantime, feast your eyes on the stunning before and after photos below
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| Residence of John and Eliza Shafer, Cairo, Plain Town. Stark Co: Ohio 1887. |
OUR HOME IN SWITZERLAND !
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| Our Home with spectacular Mount Pilatus in the background |
April 14: OUR HOME in Switzerland ! Ferdinand Brader, from Katlbrunn in Saint Gallen, made a drawing in 1886 of the homestead of Henry Swallen, whose family had settled in Ohio from Matten in Bern, Switzerland. Some hundred thirty years later, Henry Swallen's great-great grandson arrives in Switzerland with that treasured family drawing titled simply Our Home. This wonderful drawing now rests in this lovely area just 30 miles from Brader's birthplace in Saint Gallen and the Swallen ancestral home in Bern. Wow!
April 19: A special event hosted by Chippewa Rogues' Hollow Historic; Society at Silver Run Winery. Wine tasting and Antiques Roadshow with Eric Pandrea. AND an opportunity to view Ferdinand Brader's drawing #627 Residence of William N. and Barbara Ries. Chippewa Tp. Waÿne Countÿ Ohio 1888. It has been cleaned. conserved and reframed! If you missed the event, you can still see this historic drawing graciously on display at the Telephone Company in downtown Doylestown.
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Detail from drawing
Residence of William N. and Barbara Ries. |
April 12: Another drawing surfaces and finds a new home! This marvelous floral drawing was recently sold on eBay, and is now back in Berks County where it originated at the hand of Ferdinand Brader. It commemorates the wedding of Caroline Hill to Daniel Olinger, who were married August 22, 1874 in Reading, Pennsylvania. We know that Brader often made these small floral drawings for families whose farms and homesteads he drew. Wouldn't it be grand if that large drawing would also come to light? Thanks for this information goes to the happy eBay customer who won this drawing, and later called the offices at CSARA (Center for the Study of Art in Rural America) to purchase his copy of the Brader catalog to learn more about this fascinating artist.
February 12: Hurray for the Chippewa Rogues! Thanks to the enthusiasm and efforts of members of this energetic historical society, Residence of William N. and Barbara Ries has been cleaned and properly reframed at ICA-Art Conservation in Cleveland.
You should see this drawing now! The Doylestown Telephone Company generously welcomed this drawing to hang in their offices in Doylestown. The drawing will be in a stable environment and can by viewed during regular office hours at the phone company office at 81 North Portage in downtown Doylestown. Congratulations to the Chippewa Rogues, to the Doylestown Telephone Company and to ICA-Art Conservation
January 19: Another drawing conserved!
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| Residence of Henry and Carolina Heberling |
This lush drawing made by Ferdinand Brader in 1891 has been conserved and reframed, and is now home again with its family. Phoebe and David took their treasured heirloom to Zukor Art Conservation in Oakland California for professional treatment to improve the stability of this wonderful drawing. The careful treatment by Karen Zukor improved the stability of the drawing and will retard future deterioration.
...Now this valuable historical document will be enjoyed for a long long time. Congratulations!
What happened in 2015...
November 6: The results are stunning! The conservation of the large drawing Residence of Daniel & Mary Rohn is complete and this wonderful treasure is back with the family.
Congratulations to the family who made this commitment to conserve their drawing for future generations...and congratulations to Gina McKay at McKay Lodge Conservation Studio for her fine work on this important drawing.
... 223! This is the new number of known properties drawn by Ferdinand A. Brader. New information confirms that Brader visited the property of William Lee in Chippewa Township, Wayne County, Ohio and drew this farmstead before following the train tracks across the county line into Medina County. Although the current location of the Brader's drawing is not yet discovered, we do know that it was likely numbered between 639 and 642, and was probably made in 1889. This great new information was provided by the descendants of Daniel and Mary Rohn, whose farm Brader visited after leaving the Lee farm.
October 11: A perfectly gorgeous autumn afternoon in charming Peninsula Ohio...what a fine setting to exchange stories and observations about Brader and his detailed drawings of rural life. Thank you to all who made this lovely event possible, and thanks to all who travelled so far to participate. We learn so much by sharing our stories and pondering Brader's legacy together.
May 15: HUMANITIES magazine features the exhibit in the May/June edition in
"Picturing the Farms of Ohio and Pennsylvania". The fact that NEH, the National Endowment for the Humanities, recognized the significance of this project is satisfying to all who worked so hard to make this research and exhibit a success. The feature, written by Dorothy Shinn, is a good summary of the work done by so many. You can click above to reach the link and read the story.
May 13: Descendants of the Krabill / Kreibuill family undertake a road trip to discover more information about their ancestors whose farms in Nimishillen, Washington and Canton Townships (Stark County, Ohio) were all drawn by our traveling artist Ferdinand Brader.
April 21: An enthusiastic crowd gathered at Silver Wine Winery in Doylestown, Ohio for a great evening. The opening fundraiser for Chippewa-Rogues Historical Society's planned conservation of two their fabulous drawings was a huge success.
Read more here.
April 18:
Thanks to Kate
Minardi's diligent research we now know the original Montgomery County PA
location of
The Property of Daniel M. Hunsicker. The two houses still stand
near the intersection of Creek Road and
Bridge Street near the Mill Race on Perkiomen Creek. Lisa Minardi discusses this drawing and its
interesting fences in her essay
“The Architectural Landscapes of
Ferdinand A. Brader
” and on page 89 of
The Legacy of Ferdinand A.
Brader, you can see a full size image of this wonderful drawing.
April 1: Jan Taylor, of Historic Schaefferstown confirms the existence and location of this drawing, which was listed in The Legacy of Ferdinand A. Brader, as "Location Unknown".
This 1881 drawing,
The Residence of Daniel Mell, is featured in the new book by Diane Wenger and Jan Taylor,
Images of America: Schaefferstown and HeIdelberg Township, Lebanon County. Their Arcadia book is filled with historic photos and stories of that area of Lebanon County, and is available on Amazon.com.
March 2: A gracious family in South Carolina welcomed us into their home to see their family drawing
Residence of William and Sarah Gilbert, Barryville Stark Co. Ohio. 1893. The discovery of this colored pencil drawing brings the number of known colored pencil drawings to 37. Brader began incorporating colored pencils in his drawings in January 1892 while he was living at the Portage County Infirmary; he made at least 37 colored pencil drawings including his last, Stark County Infirmary, which he dated 1895.
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| #927 Residence of William and Sarah Gilbert, Barryville Stark Co. Ohio. 1893. |
Did you get your copy of the book?
You can still buy an autographed copy of the exhibition catalog and monograph
at amazon.com.
Read what people are saying about
The Legacy of Ferdinand A. Brader HERE.
The Legacy of Ferdinand A. Brader
The exhibitions closed with heartfelt gratitude to all our lenders and sponsors, and to the thousands of people who came to learn about this intriguing artist and his amazing drawings.
The drawings are home now with their proud owners—but we will continue to post new discoveries and news about the continuing research into the life and work of Ferdinand A. Brader.
Sign-up for email updates here.
THE EXHIBITIONS
After three years of research and dedication to this fascinating story of an itinerant artist’s life and his unparalleled large-scale pencil drawings that preserve history, it was with pride that we presented this trio of exhibitions.
The exhibition at the
Canton Museum of Art, 1001 Market Ave. N., Canton, Ohio, focused on the life story of the artist and presented a major retrospective of Brader’s work from Pennsylvania to Ohio.
There was fascinating companion exhibit "Ferdinand Brader: An Historical Perspective" created by curator Andrew Richmond.
Ferdinand A. Brader’s love of trains was highlighted in the Ohio drawings displayed at The
William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum, 800 McKinley Monument Drive, Canton, Ohio.
The Little Art Gallery at the North Canton Library exhibited drawings which Brader made with colored pencils and included drawings with one-room schoolhouses.
ORDER THE NEW BOOK ABOUT FERDINAND A. BRADER
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| The Legacy of Ferdinand A. Brader, the recently published monograph. |
The Legacy of Ferdinand A. Brader, published by the Center for the Study of Art in Rural America, is still available. This 252 page monograph includes nine illustrated essays by recognized scholars, the complete illustrated catalogue of the exhibition, and a checklist of the landscape drawings by Ferdinand A. Brader. The book is the definitive resource on Ferdinand Brader and will be an important addition to research libraries, universities and personal collections. View the table of contents here. Read reviews from people who purchased the book here.
The books are $48 each, including shipping. You may order here with a credit card. OR you may send a check to Center for the Study of Art in Rural America, (CSARA), 2935 Woodcliffe Road NW, Canton, Ohio 44718 or just call us at 330-456-6600. OR buy the book at Amazon.com.
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| Books at North Canton (OH) Library |
Consider buying one for yourself and donating another copy to your local library, high school or college library. An art teacher would be another deserving recipient. Free shipping to the location of your choice with a note about your gift. Check the sidebar to see the libraries which already have received the book.
OR, buy three... and get one free! We will ship to the destinations of your choice. They are wonderful gifts for family and friends.
Let us know if you would like your book signed by the editor, Kathleen Wieschaus-Voss
WHAT'S NEW in 2015...
March 15, Sunday Last day of exhibitions.
March 14, Saturday Closing afternoon reception at Canton Museum of Art.
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Executive Director Emeritus M.L. Albacete, Executive Director Max Barton,
Brader Exhibit curator Kathleen Wieschaus-Voss,
Author & Art Historian Della Clason Sperling,
Guest Curator Andrew Richmond
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March 14, Saturday 1 pm: Regional meeting of the Swiss American Historical Society at the Canton Museum of Art. Including a welcome presentation by guest curator Kathleen Wieschaus-Voss, a tour of galleries and a dessert reception.
March 10, Tuesday 6 to 8 pm Free Lecture Series at the Canton Museum of Art.
Ohio’s Vanishing Barns by Dan Troth, of Friends of Ohio Barns
February 26: Another drawing surfaces! Bringing the total of known drawings to 219.
Read details here.
February 25:
McKay Lodge Conservation Studio launches new web site and highlights conservation work on Ferdinand Brader's drawings.
Read here about the meticulous work by Gina McKay and her associates to save these wonderful drawings.
February 25: Exhibition catalogue featured in Maine Antique Digest. Read here the review of our monograph The Legacy of Ferdinand A. Brader.
February: Swiss American Historical Society quarterly Review features illustrated essay by Della Clason Sperling
The Legacy of Ferdinand A. Brader and a detailed book review by Dr. Leo Schelbert.
January 30, 2015 GARTH'S AUCTION!
An early untitled drawing of a Pennsylvania farm from a private collections was sold by Garth's Auctioneers in Delaware, Ohio in their auction of
Country Americana: Painted Furniture, Folk Art & Textiles. Pictures and details
here. SOLD $1,800 ((hammer price plus buyer's premium)
January 23, 2015 CHRISTIE'S AUCTION!
A wonderful drawing of a Jackson (OH) Township farm from a private collection sold at Christie's New York in the auction of
Important American Furniture, Outsider and Folk Art. Pictures and details
here SOLD $12,500 (hammer price plus buyer's premium)
What happened in 2014……
OPENING NIGHT in December
Thank you to everyone for wonderfully successful openings at all three exhibits which were attended by hundreds of people. View photos
here and a slide show with music (
The Lover's Waltz by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason)
here
October 20: Taking It All In: The Art of Panoramic Views. Kent Anderson has written a marvelous new article on the Prices4Antiques blog. Read and learn more about the context of the panoramic drawings of Ferdinand Brader .
October 4: Only 2 months until the exhibition opens! Curators and staff at all three venues for the exhibition in Stark County are very busy with preparations for your visit.
October 1: Massillon Genealogy Club. Sharing of stories about the life of Ferdinand A. Brader, and the research completed by Dr. Wolf Seelentag about Brader's life and family in Canton, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
September 23: East Canton Rotary meeting. Rotarians discussed Osnabug Township drawings. Exhibit curator learned new information about locations and family stories about drawings in Osnaburg.
September 15: Perry History Club,Canton, Ohio. Meeting tonight to talk about Ferdinand Brader's drawing in that township. Kathleen will tell recent research results and then focus on the 5 drawings which have been found of Perry Township farms.
September 9: Tallmadge Historical Society will host an informal talk tonight at 7:00 by exhibit guest guest curator titled "BRADER IN PORTAGE COUNTY". Kathleen will tell recent research results and then focus on the 11 drawings which Brader made while in Portage County.
September 6! Another fine drawing was auctioned at GARTH'S today! There is a great story behind this drawing The Property of Peter Yoder, Wadsworth Tp, Medina Co. OH. See more pictures and details here. Sale price $8,700.
August 3: Drawing #521 SOLD at Northeast auction Sunday August 3, 2014!
Details here. Sale price $11,400.
July 24: North Canton Rotary club welcomes Exhibit Curator. Sandi Lang, director of the North Canton Public Library, invited Kathleen Wieschaus-Voss to speak to her fellow Rotarians. Kathleen's talk focused focus on the Stark County drawings of Ferdinand Brader, with an emphasis on the colored drawings which will be exhibited at the library's Little Art Gallery in December 2014.
FIRST BOOK SOLD! Tim Haught, president of North Canton Rotary, presented Kathleen with a promised purchase of the forthcoming book, The Legacy of Ferdinand Brader, to be gifted to the North Canton Public Library.
July 14: Revised township count. Diligent work by Judy Pocock at the McKinley Presidential Library in Canton has uncovered the precise location of the Canton Fertilizer Plant which Brader drew as #817. The plant on the Nimishillen Creek and near the Cleveland Canton RR was located at 1834 Spangler Street NE, Canton which is in Plain Township. Plain can now boast that there are 15 drawings identified in that township.
See a detail of the Fertilizer Plant drawing HERE. Good work, Judy!
July 10: Three more drawings for Berks County! The meticulous work of researcher Irv Rathman led to the discovery of newspaper stories in 1880 issues of the Reading Times documenting three drawings by "well known" Ferdinand Brader. These drawings, all in Exeter Township were Levi Hill's Black Bear Hotel, the Farm of Amos Reiff, and the Property of Charles Breneiser. Now, wouldn't it be FABulous to find these drawings!
Click here to read the Reading Eagle story of August 3, 1880 telling us that the artist drew Levi Hill's Black Bear Hotel and then went down the road to draw Amos Reiff's farm, both in Exeter Township. The following year on May 7, 1881 the Reading Times announced Brader completed a drawing of the Charles Breneiser property, also in Exeter Township. Click here to read the 1880 newspaper story about the Bechtel farm drawing, which was already included in the list.
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Detail from drawing #528
Residence of John and Eliza Shafer |
July 9: One more drawing for Plain Township! A friendly call from Colorado resulted in cataloging the 1887 drawing of the Residence of John and Eliza Shafer. The drawing which Brader numbered #528 of the property on Market Avenue North fits neatly between drawings #525 and #530, both also on the same road. We will post it soon on GoogleMaps and you will see the traveling artist's path northward.
July 8: Forty more drawings are now plotted on the map. Many of the drawings from Berks County PA are now on the map! View
Finding the Farms to see all 137 locations. Contact us with any additions or adjustments. We appreciate your comments.
July 7: The new issue of the OGS
Quarterly features as the cover story the report by researcher Kim Carlson of a beautiful drawing by Ferdinand A. Brader and the family stories that bring this drawing to life.
July 5: Photos of a wonderful Medina County (OH) drawing are added to our growing database. A private collector sent images and information about drawing #662 of the Raisor residence which has been cataloged without any images or dimensions. We are continuing to gather family stories and add images and information about these important drawings. If you have information you would like to contribute, please don't hesitate.
July 3: Now you can look on Google Maps and see where Ferdinand Brader was! Already ninety-seven (97!) drawing locations have been added, and we continue to add more, so watch our progress! Bravo, Jacob! Comments and additional addresses are very welcome. Click the MAP tab above to see locations of the drawings in Pennsylvania and in Ohio.
View Finding the Farms in a larger map
July 1: In the past two weeks, Dave Peffer at Peffer Gallery has replaced the acidic backboards on three drawings and dust cleaned the drawings of their accumulation of debris. This is the minimal first step to saving these historic drawings. It is important that acidic materials (such as the typical wooden back boards) be removed and replaced with archival foam core board in order to stop the drawing paper from absorbing the acid which is causing the deterioration of the paper and the ultimate disintegration of these precious drawings.
June 30: Western Pennsylvania continuing research We are learning much about the farms which Ferdinand Brader memorialized with his amazing drawings. Debby Rabold, Franklin Park Borough (PA) Historian continues to research the location and stories of the western PA farms of the Schuring, Ferry and Blum families. Jim Hammerle is searching for more information about the Hammerle farm drawing, made in 1884, and perhaps the last PA drawing Brader made before traveling to Ohio.
June 18: Remember the old days before we know Ferdinand Brader did make it home to Switzerland? It was happy news to learn that he did not mysteriously disappear in Canton. A recently found piece in the March 10, 1896 issue of Der deutsche Correspondent tells us in "Old German" the name of the steamer, La Bretagne, that took him home again.
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S.S. La Bretagne
February 2, 1896 takes Ferdinand Brader to LeHavre
from whence he journeyed back to Saint Gallen, Switzerland
to collect his fortune. |
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March 10, 1896 - Der Deutsche Correspondent
(published in Baltimore Maryland) |
June 17: WOW! wow! Fabulous work by Irv Rathman, researcher and volunteer at the Henry Janssen Library at the Historical Socitey of Berks County (PA), has yielded ten (yes, 10!) newspaper mentions of Ferdinand Brader and his drawings. These incredibly fascinating copies will be posted in chronological order, beginning with the January 19, 1880 article in the Reading Eagle about the "perambulating artist. Read it here.
June 11: Phil Harlan speaks to the Columbiana County (OH) Genealogical Society.
Phil has some intriguing stories to tell about the drawing Ferdinand Brader made in Mahoning County. Phil has just generously offered to present this talk to any interested group. Contact us here to schedule a talk for your group.
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| Tiffany and Jacob at work. |
June 8: Jacob Baier begins meticulously plotting
the known locations of Ohio farms on Google Maps. This is an exciting project and builds on the work of many others. Thanks to the Ohio researchers Tiffany Atkinson, Kim Carlson, Judy Pocock, Steve Espenschied and Russell Newburn who have each worked so hard to discover current addresses connected to the farms in the drawings.
June 1: Thanks to the research of Mike Emery at Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum in Lancaster PA, the John and Elizabeth Wenrich property has been located , and the township correctly identified as West Cocalico Township in Lancaster County. What's more, Mike managed to pinpoint the exact location of the farm, take photos of the existing structures, assemble genealogical information, census records, 1879 agricultural records, obituaries and even the gravesites of John and Elizabeth. Mike did this all in an astonishing 24 hours in April.
May 28: Elise Ryan translated an interesting story about the school Ferdinand Brader attend ed in Kaltbrunn. More details soon. Thanks Elise!
May 23: Gina McKay begins conservation work on another drawing. More details soon.
May 19: Debby Rabold sends more information about the Schuring farm in Allegheny County PA. The Schuring drawing from the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago will be part of the exhibit. More details soon. Thanks Debby.
May 17: Garth's sells the Steinmetz family drawing.
This wonderful 1890 drawing of the Steinmetz farm was auctioned at Garth's in Delaware Ohio for $12,000.00 See more detailed pictures of the drawing here. Congratulations to the new owner! and congratulations to the professional team at Garth's.
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| The Steinmetz drawing at Garth's auction barn for the preview of Saturday's sale. |
May 13: Dick Price, archivist at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburg finds location of the Schuring farm. Thank you!
May 10: GOOD NEWS! Another drawing is saved!
Congratulations to Susan McKiernan who made the commitment to have the acid washed from her drawing, and to professional conservator Amy Crist who has now completed the conservation treatment. This charming drawing is unique in its size of 14 5/8 x 20 1/4 inches, the smallest known farmstead drawing by Ferdinand Brader. It has now joined the elite group of drawings which are no longer deteriorating from the acid which has been absorbed into the paper. Hurrah! Celebrate!
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After treatment
Residence of James E. Wilson, Brimfield 1887.
©Amy Crist, |
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Before treatment
Residence of James E. Wilson, Brimfield 1887.
©Amy Crist, |
April 29: Drawings studied at the Historical Society of Berks County
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Boots Fehr and Joshua Blay examine the
recently discovered Reiniger vineyard drawing |
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| Two happy curators surrounded by drawings. |
April 29: Research continues at the Henry Janssen Library
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The phenomenal researcher Lisa Adams,
who is directing a team of 16 volunteers
and staff in documenting precise location
of each Berks County drawing and combing
the countryside to match the drawings
with existing buildings. |
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Lisa Adams locates the site of a Berks County drawing
while Boots Fehr and Kathleen admire her work. |
April 28: Sharing at Landis Valley. Jennifer Royer, curator at Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum in Lancaster PA invited Kathleen Wieschaus-Voss for a 3:00 pm public gathering to view the two wonderful drawings by Ferdinand Brader from their collection. Kathleen presented a program detailing results of her research into the life and work Ferdinand A. Brader. Thank you Landis Valley, for the opportunity to share this adventure.
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An interesting detail of the barn in this 1881 untitled drawing.
Courtesy of Landis Valley Farm and Village Museum.
CAN YOU HELP US LOCATE THIS BARN? |
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Another interesting detail.
This one from the 1883 drawing of the Wenrich farm
in Rhenholdsville, Lancaster County, PA.
Courtesy of Landis Valley Farm and Village Museum.
You can see more of this drawing here. |
April 28: Recent acquisition by the Reading Public Museum ! Curator Scott Schweigert welcomed Kathleen and Julie to this multi-faceted gem of a museum with a fascinating tour of the beautiful galleries here and to examine their drawing of the John Biting farm. Congratulations of your acquisition of this very special Berks County drawing by Ferdinand Brader !
Scott Schweigert with Property of John Bitting, Cumru Township, Berks County, Pa.
This drawing dated 10 October 1879 is an important addition to the
Reading Public Museum's collection of Berks County art.
April 25: Benjamin Franklin's impressive Library Company of Philadelphia was the site of happy celebrating when Sarah Weatherwax, Curator of Prints and Photographs, and Nicole Joniec, Print Department Assistant, shared the file on their untitled drawing and the farmer's name was discovered. Although we can only speculate about why Brader did not include the farmer's name, we can now pinpoint the location of this farm to Berks County and the date to 1880, based on this information. Research to confirm exact site is underway. Thank you Nicole and Sarah for your warm welcome.
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Researching the untitled drawing at The Library Company of Philadelphia
with Sarah Weatherwax and Nicole Joniec |
April 14: Thanks to Mrs. Wal Baur for spreading the news to the Swiss community in the Swiss Review / Regional News article about the upcoming exhibit.
April 12: Kim Carlson held her audience captive with her stories of the "Wadsworth Families, based on the work of traveling artist Ferdinand Brader". There was an incredible turn-out for her talk in which she described her research over the past 18 months. Kim located the precise site of the 8 drawings identified so far in Wadsworth and brought the drawings to life with her stories of the families who lived there. Brava, Kim !
April 9: Members of the Louisville (Ohio) Rotary Club joined in the discussion of Brader's wonderful drawings of the Nimishillen farms, homes and businesses which Ferdinand Brader visited. Thank you Louisville for your warm and friendly welcome!
March 30: A friend just called to point out that Ferdinand Brader drew another one-room schoolhouse, this one in the distance of a drawing of Plain Township (Stark County Ohio) family farm.
March 17 to March 21: This week our preparation for the exhibit is progressing in many areas. Aimee Sauls, art teacher at Genoa Elementary School introduces Ferdinand A. Brader and his historic drawings to all the 4th grade art classes with presentations by the exhibit curator. Kim Kenney, curator at the Stark County Historical Society, welcomes Art Historian Della Clason Sperling to examine their drawings to learn more about the materials and methods the artist used. Lynnda Arrasmith, curator at the Canton Museum of Art continues to make arrangements for bringing the drawings to Canton for the exhibit and is introducing our Development Director Scott Erickson to the world of Ferdinand Brader. Researcher Tiffany Atkinson continues to plot Brader's path, incorporating location information provided by volunteers Kim Carlson and Judy Pocock. In the meantime, Andrew Richmond and Lisa Minardi are finalizing their essays for the exhibition catalog. Great work, all!
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Aimee Sauls, (right)
created the project
Preserving History Through Art |
March 17 & 19: Art teacher Aimee Sauls and her 4th grade students have been working on a project Preserving History through Art. The children created block prints of the one room schoolhouse built in 1893 which is right next to their Genoa Elementary school. Community efforts to save and restore the school house are underway. Ferdinand Brader included very similar schoolhouses in four of his drawings. Aimee invited Kathleen to come to the school to tell the children about Ferdinand Brader and his historic drawings.
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One room schoolhouses and pencil drawings were the subject of a lively conversation
between fourth graders and curator of The Legacy of Ferdinand Brader |
March 15: The Maine Antique Digest March 2014 issue features a fascinating article by Lita Solis-Cohen about the record-breaking Ralph Esmerian sale during Americana week in New York City. Read the article here. Editor S. Clayton Pennington's observations hold special interest to fans of the enchanting pencil drawings of Ferdinand A. Brader and to all those who care about American Folk Art. Read more here.
March 13: GOOD NEWS! The Biery family drawing is now at the McKay Lodge conservation studio where it will be bathed and deacidified to prevent any more deterioration. This precious drawing made in 1886 of Henry and Louisa Miller's farm includes this image of Louisa holding her one year old daughter Laura Miller, who was Ben Biery's great grandmother..
Congratulations Ben and Michelle on your decision to preserve this glimpse of your family story.
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Louisa Miller with baby Rachel in front of their home
1886, Nimishillen Township, Stark County, Ohio |
March 6: Words of wisdom from Suesanna K. Voorhees, retired conservator. Based on her experience of treating Brader drawings at Paper Conservation Studio, Inc in New York City, Suesanna wrote, "I would caution people from making their drawings worse by home remedies like erasers and adhesive tape. If they can’t afford conservation to at least consider conservation matting and refitting with conservation backing boards. Owners often try to unroll a brittle drawing which needs to be done by a professional to avoid splits in the brittle fibers. This unrolling is even tricky for professionals and can take time, experience and patience."
March 6: Many owners of drawings have taken that important first step to saving their drawings and preserving the legacy of the past.
The original wooden back boards which are causing so much damage have been removed and replaced with acid-free backing on the historic drawings of the following farms: Adams, Aeling, Bixler, Brumbaugh, Daler, Dilger, Evans, Gibson, Huff, Keim, Kreibuill, Lamielle, McCloughan, Miller, Portage County Infirmary, Ream, Reichard, Shearer, Slabaugh, Von Gunten, Wagoner, Weaver, Wilson, Wise. Many of these drawings have also had the aqueous treatment to remove the residual acid from the paper. Please consider taking at least the first step to save your drawing.
Let us know that we can add the name of your drawing to this list. Congratulations to those who have taken steps to save their Brader drawings
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Larry Coley with his drawing at the first Brader Day July 2012
before professional conservation. |
February 25: Good news from McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory!
Larry Coley's broken drawing Residence of David Gibson has become a presentable and preserved one. Conservation work is complete! Larry's decision to have it treated will stabilize the drawing and save it from crumbling further.
Before -and-after photos and details are on our new Conservation page.
Congratulations Larry for making the decision to save your family treasure!
February 22: Sewickley Township drawing found! During a casual conversation last week, a long time friend of professional appraiser Pamela Mayo just happened to mention that she would like her to look at a drawing of a relative's farm. Pamela was aware of the ongoing research into Ferdinand Brader's life and work, and she asked her friend is the signature could be "Brader". Yes it is, and what an unusual signature it is! In the lower left corner, Ferdinand A. Brader included with his signature the name of his home canton "St. Gall / Switzerland". Thank you Pamela Mayo and friend!
.JPG) |
Detail of The Property of Adam and Mary Blum, Sewickley Town. Allegheny Co: Pa: 1883.
(33 1/2 x 52 1/2 in.) ©Pamela Mayo. |
February 21: A second Adolph Lincke drawing! Thanks to the persistence of friend David Wheatcroft, this photo of Brader drawing #919 of the same property has been found and prompts a series of questions. Where is the drawing? What prompted Brader to make another drawing of the same farm, having already finished a very similar one #898 of the same property? How are the drawings similar and how are they different?
You can compare the two drawings here.
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Adolph Lincke's Farm, Marlboro Tp. Stark Co. O,
circa1893, no. 919, © David Wheatcroft |
February 9: Volunteer researcher Judy Pocock completes her extensive research into all the known Plain Township drawings. Judy's careful study of the story behind 17 drawings is amazing. Precise location of the farms, the stories of the families who lived there, and the current state of the buildings are now all documented. With the help of other Plain Township Historical Society member, Phyllis Rustifo, Judy dug through scores of census records, county history books, family record books, cemetery records to document facts and family remembrances.
Awesome work, Judy!
February 8: Another drawing added to the list for Marlboro Township. Family members remember well the drawing of their great-grandfather Peter Joseph Balmat of Stark County, OH. The Balmat and Lamielle families, French immigrants in the early 19th century, found a welcome in this beautiful countryside. One of the drawings of the Lamielle farms was cataloged at Brader Day 2014, and the Lamielle descendant meticulously described the drawing of the other side of the family, the Balmat family.
Thank you Ann, for sharing your family stories, and adding another drawing to our checklist.
January 29: Another drawing for Bern township! Lisa Minardi of Wintherthur Museum noticed an image of the drawing of the farm of the Jonathan Rieser property in Leesport, Berks County in a history of Bern Township in Berks County. Ferdinand Brader worked in the Berks County area for at least 3 years, from 1880 through 1883, before moving on the southwestern Pennsylvania counties of Somerset, Allegheny and Beaver.
Excellent research Lisa!
January 29: The Liebelsperger drawing will come to the exhibit! Karin and Jonathan Fielding, the new owners of the drawing sold at the record-breaking auction of American Folk Art at Sotheby's, will loan the drawing for the upcoming exhibit and graciously said they look forward to sharing it with others.
Thank you Karin and Jonathan Fielding for your encouragement of this exciting project.
January 25: Brader drawing sold at auction in New York City in a record-breaking auction of American Folk Art. The drawing by Ferdinand A. Brader
The Property of Daniel and Sarah Leibelsperger, Fleetwood Berks County, Penna 1882! has found a new home. Sold for $37,500 at Sotheby's auction today. ( $30,000 bid plus $7,500 buyer's premium). Here is a movie which was sent to us by a friend,
David Stuckey. Thanks Dave!
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| A full house, on-line bids and real-time phone bidding made for an exciting auction. |
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Ferdinand Brader's drawing, lot #545,
visible on multiple screens throughout the auction gallery. |
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Sotheby's preview of the auction
Visual Grace: The Collection of Raloh O. Esmerian. |
Double-click the image below to enlarge it or click
here to read auction details.
See the illustrated catalog
here.
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| This drawing auctioned January 25, 2014 at Sotheby's in New York City |
January 11: Brader Day 2014. Kiko Auctioneers welcomed all to their beautiful new offices at 2722 Fulton Dr NW, Canton Ohio for a celebration of Ferdinand Brader's life and work. You can read details and see lots of photographs
HERE.
Thank you Kiko Auctioneers for your generous support. A special thanks to Theresa Kiko Blocker and to Pam Drinkard for all the planning, organizing and enthusiasm; to Bill Gill for his ever cheerful expertise; and to Derek Lann for his professional and technical assistance.
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One of the drawings which was brought in to be cataloged and photographed
contains this charming image of children playing croquet. |
What happened in 2013……
December 30: Planning meeting with the Little Art Gallery. Elizabeth Blakemore, curator of the jewel of a gallery at the North Canton Public Library, will be overseeing a display of even more drawings, enabling the public to enjoy more of Brader's gift.
December 17: Planning meeting with the McKinley Museum. Thanks to the enthusiasm of curator Kim Kenney, we can visualize the Keller Gallery filled with the large pencil drawings. The cooperation between the McKinley Museum and the Canton Museum is historic and ongoing, but never before has there been a collaboration like this…both museums will be exhibiting The Legacy of Ferdinand Brader at the same time! Read Kim's blog, Curator's Corner, for more details. Mark Holland, archivist at the Ramsayer Research Library at the museum continues to help with research for the exhibit.
December 16: Planning meeting with the Canton Museum of Art. As we walked through the museum's galleries, Lynnda Arrasmith, the museum's curator, offered practical suggestions for how best to use the space to best tell the story of The Legacy of Ferdinand Brader. We plan to tell of Brader's life in Switzerland, highlight his marvelous Berks County drawings, and illustrate his migration throughout neighboring Pennsylvania counties as he traveled westward. Ohio drawings will be shown and his path will be traced. Thanks to Max Barton for his offer to help construct this map. Andrew Richmond is at work putting together a survey of artists in a manner similar to Brader. Such exciting plans.
December 10: Thanks to our Pennsylvania friend, this Aultman grain binder has now been identified. Thank you Tom Croner for explaining this.
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Tom told us this is "actually called a grain binder. It cuts the grain and binds it into sheaves
which were then shocked for drying. Later they were picked up and thrashed, separating the grain
from the chaff. Many Amish still do it this way today." |
December 7: Celebrating the 180th anniversary of the birth of Ferdinand A. Brader! We continue to be amazed by the story of how this man, born in the tiny Swiss village of Kaltbrunn on this day in 1833, traveled the countryside of Pennsylvania and Ohio documenting the homes and lives of the Americans who befriended him.
December 7: Just received…details of the 1883 drawing of Miller Evans farm. This beautiful drawing has particular significance as it was certainly one of the last which Brader made in Berks County before migrating westward to Ohio. Thank you Annie!
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| Detail from The Property of Miller M. Evans, Spring Township, Berks County, Pa: 1883 |
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Members of the Rotary Club of Canton Ohio
examine drawings by Ferdinand Brader . |
December 6: Rotary Club meeting. After a slide presentation of the life and work of Ferdinand Brader by curator of the exhibit, Rotary members and guests had a chance to see four actual drawings. See images here of the drawings which were generously shared with other members. Thank you, Paul White, for making this event possible.
December 3: Another drawing of Marlboro Township is found! Number of cataloged drawings increases to 207. The drawing titled Homstead of Levi and Lucinda Warner is now part of the catalog of known drawings. You can see a picture of the drawing here. Thank you Julie!
November 13: Bicentennial and Century Farm programs in Pennsylvania and Ohio emphasize the importance of our rural heritage by honoring those whose farms have stayed with the family for at least 100 years. Read more about the programs of the Department of Agriculture of Pennsylvania here and Ohio here. We are currently searching for connections between the Century Farm program and the farms depicted in the drawings by Ferdinand A. Brader. A specials thanks to Jann Mate for making us aware of this worthwhile program.
November 12: Congratulations to the Howenstine family for being honored by Ohio Department of Agriculture for maintaining their family farm for over 200 years - since 1809! The Howenstine farm is one of only 64 in Ohio to receive recognition as a Bicentennial Farm.
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Ferdinand A. Brader made this drawing of the Howenstine family farm in 1890.
This picture of Patricia Howenstine with her daughter Laura Howenstine and son Jeffrey Howenstine
was takenat the Canton Museum of Art on the first Brader Day in July 2012. |
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| The Property of George Howenstine, Pike Tp. Stark County O. 1890. |
October 20: Dick Baith, Alliance, OH historian, has provided an interesting insight into the life of Ferdinand Brader. The Salem newspaper reported in January 1896 that Brader traveled by train to Alliance to attend the funeral of William Tanner who had long been his most intimate friend. Mr. Baith has written extensively about William Tanner, his business and family. If you are mystery sleuth looking for clues about the life of Ferdinand Brader you will find Mr. Baith's story quite interesting. You can read it here.
October 13: Mark Ware, director of the Somerset County Historical Society, tells us the story of the discovery of the drawings Brader made while traveling from Berks County to Ohio. You can read Mark's story here and see details and pictures of these wonderful drawings. Thank you Mark, for this scholarly contribution!
October 10: Another drawing cataloged! This amazing drawing made in 1887 depicts a charming farmstead in Brimfield Township, Portage County, Ohio. The wonderful surprise about this drawing is its diminutive size, 14 x 20 inches. This drawing has found a home with a new owner who will see that it is carefully conserved. Here's a picture...
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| Art historian Della Clason Sperling examines the drawing of a Portage County Ohio farm. |
October 10: Happy news about Ferdinand Brader! Newspaper articles discovered by Lauren Landis, Genealogy Division Manager of the Stark County District Library, tell the story of Brader's return to Switzerland to enjoy his inheritance. Read the stories here.
October 9: Chippewa Rogue's Hollow Historical Society in Doylestown, OH hosted an evening all about Ferdinand A. Brader. It was a perfect fall evening at the rustic Chidester Mill. Lively discussion and laughter were enjoyed by all. Thank you Earl Kerr and Mary Mertic for making the arrangements! You can read this recent article in the newspaper The Post.
October 3: Check out these General Comments about Condition and Treatment of Brader drawings here. Thanks to Bob Lodge for his continued encouragement and support of efforts to save these historic drawings.
September 29: Medina County Historical Society kindly included an article in the current newsletter about our research in preparation for the exhibit The Legacy of Ferdinand A. Brader. There are 8 drawings of Wadsworth Township in Medina County, and the sequential numbers of those 8 drawings indicate that Brader may have passed that winter in Medina County. Interesting possibility.
Conservation Treatment on Historic Drawing is Complete
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Residence of Daniel and Minnie Weaver
Image here with permission of the owner, a private collector.
Double click the image for close-up view. See before and after pictures on Drawing Details page. |
September 24: We had the happy opportunity to study this drawing which has just been returned from conservation treatment at the McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory in Oberlin, Ohio. Details with before and after pictures are posted here. The contrast is dramatic, one could say miraculous. Congratulations to the great grandson of Daniel and Minnie Weaver who made the choice to protect the family's treasured drawing from deterioration.
September 10: "You cannot overestimate the importance of these drawings".
A powerful quote from Professor C. Richard Beam, scholar and author of Pennsylvania German Dictionary: English to Pennsylvania Dutch and director of the Center for Pennsylvania German Studies in Millersville (Lancaster County, PA. Professor Beam is an enthusiastic supporter of the upcoming exhibition of the Legacy of Ferdinand A. Brader and heartily encourages the preservation and protection of these amazing drawings.
August 29: Research in Wayne County, Ohio reveals more about the life of Ferdinand A. Brader and his follower Edward L. Ott! You can read all about the most interesting realization of the connection between Brader and Ott HERE in this feature article which Paul Locher wrote for the Wooster Ohio daily newspaper The Daily Record. It is a great story! Thank you Paul for your good reporting.
August 21: In response to the upswell of interest in the drawings of Ferdinand Brader and questions about other itinerant folk artists, a small non-profit entity, the CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF ART IN RURAL AMERICA (CSARA), has been organized. The mission of CSARA is to explore the art of rural America, particularly in the 19th century when farming was a way of life for so many Americans. The initial focus, of course, is the life and drawings of Ferdinand A. Brader, whose work is unique in the large size of his pencil drawings, and the meticulous documentation of the owner's names and location of the properties. Future study will be other folk artists who also documented rural life, each in an individual style and with other readily available materials. Click here to read more about CSARA and how you can support this exciting research.
August 13: Volunteer and enthusiastic collector Jeffrey Herb from Pennsylvania came to Canton to show us two sweet small drawings, birth records for Fanny Emma and Charles Ezra Strahm, the two children whose Nimishillen Township farm was also beautifully drawn by Ferdinand Brader. Brader also drew Fanny and Charles in that farm drawing, a detail of which is shown below. Glimpses into the past, such as this, bring these drawings to life.
Thanks Jeff! for making the time to stop in Canton.
In this detail of the Strahm farm drawing, you can see Fanny in the farm lane while her 4 year old brother Charles plays in the front yard. Elizabeth, their mother, returns from her barn chores.
Click here to see Charles' birth record.
This detail image of the Strahm farm is courtesy of a Private Collector. |
July 23: A phone call from a gracious woman in Williamsburg VA in response to our request in Maine Antique Digest for help in locating the drawings of Ferdinand Brader led to the documentation of the location of two fine Pennsylvania drawings. The titles of the these two fabulous drawings are: The Property of Mahlon and Sarah Knabb, Oley Town, Berks County, Penna! and The Property of Georg L. and Anna Maria Reiniger, Elsace Town, Berks Co, Pa. 1882! Click here for details of these two drawings.
July 20: Wow! what a great day! The second annual BRING YOUR BRADER TO THE MUSEUM DAY (a.k.a. BRADER DAY) at the Canton Museum of Art was a great success.
A total of 36 Brader pencil drawings and the Brader quilt were brought in to be cataloged and photographed. The owners who brought in their drawings enjoyed meeting each other and sharing family stories about their drawings.
Many of these drawings had not been previously photographed well or located on a map. It is wonderful that these glimpses into the past are now documented and family stories are recorded.
Thank you to all the families who brought in their drawings, and shared them so generously. Also, a special gratitude is owed to all those who participated to make the day such a success: to the museum staff including Al, Lynnda, Max, Lauren, Kathy, Ben, Kim; to the photographers Dave Bissett and Niki Lenhart; to Harold and Dave from Peffer gallery; and to all the volunteers who came to give so graciously of their time today, including Tiffany, Della, Kim, Rich, Cary, Steve, Judy and Russell. ...Thank you all!
Click here for lots more photos of Brader Day 2013.
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Historian Cary Coates shares information
of the Schloneger farm drawing
he found reprinted in a history book |
July 20: Another drawing added to our list! Information about our 204th drawing was just discovered by historian Cary Coates. He found a picture of the Brader drawing The Residence of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Schloneger of Washington Township, Stark Co, O. 1893 in the 1991 book From Das Buchenland to The Beech, published by The Historical Committee of the Beech Mennonite Church, Louisville, OH.
July 14: Read more about the Brader drawing at The Reading Public Museum by clicking here and then scroll down to page 3.
June 27: A most welcome email arrived from Iowa today with news of the current location of an excellent Portage County Ohio drawing made in 1886. ..and with it a delightful realization that the the children playing inside the picket fence are the twin brothers Henry and Willie. Yes, Professor, you are right. Such stories as this bring these wonderful drawings to life.
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| Willie and Henry Knapp, age 3 |
June 26: Pleasant phone call from Berks County PA today in response to our request printed in this month's Maine Antique Digest in which we asked for information about existing drawings. Robert Merritt from Berks County was kind enough to call to offer information about Brader drawings which he and his father have owned. Thank you, Rick, for offering your support and sharing your enthusiasm for these amazing drawings.
June 25: Another drawing added to the list for Portage County! A gracious couple welcomed us to their home to talk about Brader and to see their drawing. Here is a detail of that farm in Portage County (OH). (Thank you, nice folks, for your hospitality and the interesting conversation.)
June 22: The July issue of Maine Antique Digest arrived today, and as always was opened and read immediately for news of the world of antiques and fine art. We were happy to see mention of the Brader research project for the 2014 exhibit. Read this story on page 10A in The Meeting Place section or see www.maineantiquedigest.com
June 15: in Kaltbrunn, Canton Saint Gallen, Switzerland.
Heartfelt gratitude to Peter Brunner for our welcome to the birthplace of Ferdinand Brader. The collaboration with this marvelous Regional Museum adds substantially to the depth of the Brader exhibit.
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On a hill overlooking Kaltbrunn,
the tiny village where Ferdinand Brader was born in 1833.
Dr. Wolf Seelantag, genealogist and Herr Peter Brunner, director of the Regional Museum
meet with Brader exhibit curator. |
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The Regional Museum in Kaltbrunn
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June 13: at Saint Gallen, the capital of the Swiss canton of Saint Gallen.
A special thanks to Dr. Wolf Seelentag for his generous sharing of his expertise.
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Dr Wolf Seelentag and Kathleen Wieschaus-Voss continue their research
at the State Archives of the Canton Saint Gallen. |
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| The State Archives of Saint Gallen. |
June 10: Our exhibit curator will depart for Switzerland to continue her research into the life of Ferdinand Brader in his home village of Kaltbrunn and at the State Archives in St Gallen. A special thanks to Trudi and Eric, to Dr. Wolf Seelentag and to Herr Peter Brunner for your help with arrangements.
June 7: We had the opportunity to carefully examine two Ohio drawings today side-by-side, which provided some interesting visible contrasts, including this small detail which Tiffany noticed drawn on a tiny log cabin in drawing #357.
May 20: McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory in Oberlin, OH is generously and carefully unrolling a recently found Brader drawing. The unframed drawing, already in two pieces, has been rolled for decades so the paper is brittle and could easily break. Gina McKay, Senior Paper Conservator, will slowly and carefully humidify the paper and the roll will eventually be flattened. Thank you Bob Lodge and Gina McKay for your generous support and encouragement for this exciting project.
May 17: Another drawing for Somerset Pennsylvania! Brader traveled through western PA on his way from the central Berks County are to Ohio, and drew farms and homes along the way. It is exciting indeed to know of another drawing in this area. Thank you Mark Ware, executive director of the Somerset County Historical Society, for responding so quickly to our request for help and for identifying this drawing, and finding the location of the other known Brothersvalley Township drawing. Hurrah for Brothersvalley!
May 14: Another drawing for Medina County, Ohio!
Many thanks to Tiffany Atkinson who started this road to discovery by personally contacting all the Historic Societies in the areas Brader is known to have worked. One of the special things about this drawing is that is still hangs in the same spot in the farmhouse where it was proudly placed in 1889. Another unusual aspect of the drawing.....in the left lower corner
Brader drew himself as an artist. This is only one of three such images that have been discovered so far.
May 13: Details of a Marlboro Township drawing examined. We had the opportunity to examine a wonderful Brader drawings out of the frame today, and observed a couple of interesting houses, which you can see here. (Thank you Anne for sharing your treasure, and thank you Christian for making the examination possible.)
April 29: Two more drawings have been discovered! One each for PA and OH This means that now our total number of cataloged drawings is 201 (yes, two hundred and one!). This new information has increased the total drawings known in Nimishillen Township, Stark County Ohio to 22, the highest number for any other township. Thank you Randy and Sandy for sharing your family treasure you found while cleaning out your father's attic!
WELCOME, NEW VOLUNTEERS !
Lisa Minardi, assistant curator at Winterthur, has volunteered to help identify Brader drawings in the Berks County area. Lisa brings a wealth of knowledge and appreciation Pennsylvania German folk life to this project. She is an expert on Pennsylvania German arts and architecture. Lisa, we appreciate your enthusiasm for Brader's drawings and your support of this project.
Della Clason Sperling, a well-trained art historian who is intrigued by Brader's detailed drawings, is studying the art of the Swiss Appenzel painters for a connection with Ferdinand Brader's life work. Welcome Della!
Bristol Voss Duggan, well-respected researcher, is focusing on details of Brader's life and times. Bristol is looking for answers to questions such as "Where did he get his art supplies?...What did he smoke? ...How much did everyday things cost in the the 1880s-90s?" It is fun to have you aboard, Bristol!
Jeff Herb just offered to research the Brader drawings of South Lebanon township and of Tulpenhocken township as well. This will be an important step forward in locating the precise locations of some of the Berks County farms depicted by Brader in Berks. Thank you Jeff!
Jason Yoh will be researching Brader farm drawings as part of his current study of contemporary farm landscapes. Jason is combining his artisic training with his long-time interest in the work of Ferdinand Brader. Looking forward to your analysis, Jason!
April 25: Thanks to Brader volunteer Steven Espenshied, the Lake Township Historical Society welcomed the Brader Exhibit curator to their Fireside Chat.
April 18: Women's Initiative Network in Canton enthusiastically welcomed Kathleen's illustrated talk at their monthly luncheon. Many insightful questions were asked by this group of professional women. Two of the special guests had stories to tell about their own Brader drawings. It was indeed a lovely lunch!
April 15: Plain Township Historical Society hosted the Brader curator's presentation about the wonderful drawings Brader made of farms in this township. Judy Pocock, volunteer who researched Plain Twp locations was able to pinpoint the addresses, and members of the audience offered colorful stories about the families, the farms and the artist. A fun evening for all!
April 2: Jim Scheetz, our new friend from Michigan, brought this small 9" x 12"colored pencil drawing to the Museum today. Although Brader made dozens of similar floral drawings, this one is unique by having the date January 19th 1892. On that day Brader was registered at the Portage County Infirmary, of which he made at least three colored pencil drawings. These drawings are among the first using colored pencil.
March 25: Kiko welcomes Canton Museum of Art to their beautiful new offices on Fulton Road, Canton, OH. Theresa Blocker and Pam Drinkard hosted the meeting to bring Kiko auctioneers and realtors up-to-date on the exciting new developments in preparation for the Brader exhibit. Bill Gill, who is already quite familiar with Stark County Brader drawings, is part of the Kiko /Brader team.
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| Bill Gill, Lynnda Arrasmith, M.J. Albacete, KathleenWieschaus-Voss, Theresa Kiko Blocker |
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At the conference center in the new offices of Kiko Auctioneers & Realtors ,
Kathleen shows Brader drawings and tells Brader stories |
March 15: Two new Lebanon County drawings found! A descendant of the the Smith family called to graciously share this information documenting their family farms in South Lebanon Township. The total number of drawings known in now 199. Will you be the one to document # 200 of these historically important drawings?
A Remembrance
Sad news has just reached us that Sister Protasia Hofstetter passed away peacefully in Amarillo Texas, shortly before her 100th birthday. An amazing woman, she began her long and blessed life in Saint Gallen, Switzerland in Benken, the tiny village neighboring to Kaltbrunn, the home of Ferdinand Brader's family. Sister Protasia gracefully shared with us memories of her Swiss home and her connection to the Brader family and Kaltbrunn. Her wonderful letters and delightful phone conversations added greatly to our research.
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Sister Protasia Hofstetter
1913-2013
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March 9: Important information about another Allegheny County drawing was provided by our new friend from Kentucky. Sue emailed us to tell of the existence of the 1883 drawing of the Ferry & Sons farm in western PA, near Sewickley. This further documents Brader's migration through PA into OH, and brings the total number of known drawings to 197.
The 4 drawings listed from this western part of PA also include the wonderful drawing from the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The drawing of the John & Catharina Shuring farm in Franklin Township will be exhibited at the Canton Museum in 2014, courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago.
February 28: An interesting article about Brader in today's The Reading Eagle, the Berks County newspaper. Click here to read the entire story and to see the drawing of the Bechtel farm in Cumru Township, Berks County, PA.
February 27: Another Ohio drawing identified!
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| Detail from the 1888 drawing of the farm of John and Sarah Bair |
A young man named Jacob migrated to Ohio from Pennsylvania in the early 1800s, established a family and a beautiful farm in Plain Township Ohio and eventually his sons and daughters also made their homes and raised their families on this same land. We now know that Brader made at least three drawings for Jacob's descendants. His drawings are serving to introduce the distant cousins to each other, as these now far-spread families discover distant relatives, all with a great-great grandfather named Jacob.
February 21: Beulah Fehr of Reading PA continues her support and encouragement for this exciting project. "Boots" who was co-curator of the 1986 Brader exhibition at the Historical Society of Berks County, has been most generous with her help for the upcoming 2014 exhibit. Thanks to her, we now have an copy of Brader's drawing and the history of the Reininger vineyard, which produced about 8000 gallons annually.
Boots also gave us another title of yet another Brader Berks County drawing, "The Property of Henry Eckert". This brings the number of identified drawings to 196!. Thank you Boots for your on-going participation in this project.
February 10: Research help requested. Volunteers continue to work to identify the actual locations of the farms shown in Brader drawings. Plain Township historians have heard of the the existence of a drawing#952 captioned "The Residence and Store of Israel F Lantzer Cairo, Stark County Ohio" but still have not seen an image of the the drawing. If you have any clue where this drawing may be, they are asking that you notify the Canton Museum of Art or the exhibit curator.
January 24: Another Berks County drawing is available for purchase! You can enjoy the image and details here.
January 22: The Philadelphia Museum of Art has now added this Brader drawing to their fine permanent collection of American Art. This image of the drawing after its recent conservation is shown here by courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A detail of the barnyard scene may be seen here.
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The Property of Jacob and Mary Stout, Bern Town, Berks County
Ferdinand A. Brader
Graphite on tan wove paper, 1880
Sheet: 29 15/16 x 51 13/16 inches (76 x 131.6 cm)
Philadelphia Museum of Art: Purchased with the Lola Downin Peck Fund, 2012
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Bob prepares to examine the 1887 drawing
of the George & Elizabeth Essig farm
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January 16: Bob Lodge of McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory in Oberlin, Ohio came to the McKinley Museum to examine and make condition reports on the Brader drawings in the permanent collection. Kim Kenney, curator at the McKinley wrote this in her blog: Last week conservator Bob Lodge, of McKay Lodge Laboratory, Inc., came to the Museum to review our Brader collection. We have a total of 8 drawings -- 6 framed and 2 unframed. He examined each one and will be letting us know what the possibilities are for conservation. I found him riveting! I spent the day just trying to absorb a fraction of his vast knowledge about paper. There are some minor issues and some not-so-minor issues with our Braders, but nothing that will prevent any of them from being chosen for inclusion in the exhibition we are planning in conjunction with the Canton Museum of Art in December 2014. Read more on Kim's blog Curator's Corner.
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Detail of the white-on-white bride's quilt
drawn by Ferdinand Brader |
January11:
Discovery of a quilt by Ferdinand Brader! The artist covered a whole piece of white cloth with delicate floral wreaths encircling stags and deer, and in the center drew a pair of clasped hands. His beautiful drawing on cloth was saved until the time approached for the daughter's marriage, and was then carefully and lovingly quilted. The daughter, now in her ninth decade, passed this beautiful quilt on to her daughter along with her story of the Swiss man who came to her mother's home in the 1890's and left this beautiful legacy,
January 10: McKinley Museum will collaborate with Canton Museum of Art!
We are thrilled to announce that the McKinley Museum in Canton Ohio will be exhibiting an additional 30 drawings at the same time as the Canton Museum of Art exhibits 40. Yes, that does mean 7o drawings will be on view in the same town in December 2014! This happy collaboration will allow many more families to show and tell their family stories, and will allow all to see more of Ferdinand Brader’s amazing legacy.
January 8: More good news from Berks County...
The Reading Public Museum recently acquired The Property of John Bitting. This charming drawing is important as it is bears the date 1879, the earliest of any of his known farm drawings. Thank you to Curator Scott Zwiegert for sharing this good news.
And congratulations to the The Reading Public Museum!
What was news in 2012.....
December 12: A heartfelt thank you to KIKO AUCTIONEERS for their financial support and their continued enthusiasm for the Brader research and upcoming exhibit.
December 11: Paul Locher has included two chapters about Ferdinand Brader in his new book When Wayne County was a Whippersnapper, a new history of Wayne County, Ohio, written for its bicentennial celebration. The Brader chapters were published in Wooster Record, and you can read them HERE. Copies of the Paul's book can be ordered from the The Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio (330-264-1125)
December 3: If you are interested in Brader, you will also be interested in Paul d'Ambrosio's American Folk Art at Cooperstown. Paul writes fascinating essays about various aspects of this most enjoyable topic, and has now written a very encouraging piece about the upcoming Brader exhibit and all of our ongoing research. (Thank you Paul for your support of this exciting project!) You can read the story and see Paul's blog HERE.
November 28: Lake Township, Stark County, Ohio is now fortunate to have a volunteer to research the property locations and family stories of the Brader drawings in that township. Steven Espenschied of the Lake County Historical society has offered his expertise and his abiding love of local history to help research the farms shown in the 11 drawings now cataloged. (Thank you Steve for joining the team!)
November 15: Looking back on the past year with gratitude. Much has been accomplished in this one year of information-gathering and sharing. None of this would have been possible without the many, many people who contributed so generously with support, encouragement and knowledge.
Thanks to friends......the number of identified farm drawings has increased to 194; the birthplace and family of Ferdinand Brader have been located; 28 drawings in the collections of 6 museums and 5 historical societies have been examined and studied; Brader Day at the museum was a huge success with 26 families bringing in drawings to be photographed and studied; dozens of family stories have been recorded; actual physical locations of drawings have been pinpointed.
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| Making Swiss Cheese in Ohio |
October 31: A well-respected citizen of Stark County visited and shared the story of his Brader drawing and the wonderful
Cheese Story which you can read in full here. He also provided the information he has gathered over his many years of studying Brader's Ohio drawings.
October 29: Hurricane Sandy postponed research trip to Switzerland. Travel to Kaltbrunn, the home town of Ferdinand Brader will be rescheduled next Spring 2013. Kathleen planned to meet Wolf Seelentag there to search for more understanding of the early life of the artist who later emigrated to America and made the wonderful legacy of drawings of homes and farms in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Now looking forward to that journey next year.
October 21: By the generous contribution of Pennsylvania collector Dan Gantt, the database of identified drawings has been substantially increased with the addition of 16 previously uncataloged drawings. Mr. Gantt researched Brader's drawings for over a decade and was kind enough to consult with us, share his research files and engage in a fascinating conversation about the artist. Our conversation about all 94 drawings in Dan's list enriched our understanding of all Brader's work.
Thank you, Dan, for your kindness.
October 20: Feature article in Ohio magazine written by Amelia and Jeff Jeffers of Garth's Auctions! Read the story "Drawn to History" in
Ohio magazine.
October 15: Margreth Tr
ümpi Martin, Head of Cultural Affairs, Consulate General of Switzerland, graciously helped with research about Brader's home in the Canton St. Gall area, and offered insightful suggestions for additional study. Read more about
Ferdinand Brader's Swiss heritage here.
October 15: We had the opportunity to see an important
Brader drawing of the Portage County Infirmary which was probably drawn during the time the artist lived there the winter of 1891-1892.
Many thanks to the private collector who invited us to see this historic drawing.
October 13: Another fine Tuscarawas drawing has been identified, bringing the total Tuscarawas drawings to 7. This is also the first identified drawing in Sandy Township in that County.
Thanks to the private collectors who shared information and images.
October 12: Curators at the Met have approved the loan of Brader's drawing of the Gicker farm for our upcoming exhibit. This amazing Berks County drawing was a gift to the Metropoltan Museum from Edgar and Bernice Garbisch in 1979. Ferdinand Brader made this drawing in 1881, and as usual filled it with details from the life of the Gicker family.
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| Andrew Richmond |
October 9: We are happy to announce that
Andrew Richmond will contribute his expertise and enthusiasm to the Brader exhibit.
Andrew will be assembling a selection of farm portraits by other artists who were working in the late 19th century. This will help us see Ferdinand Brader in the context of other artists, and will help us understand Brader's work more fully. We will all benefit from Andrew's scholarly approach, his broad understanding of Midwestern history and culture, and his specific interest in Germanic influence. Andrew Richmond, a graduate of
Kenyon College earned his
MA from the University of Delaware at Winterthur. Andrew and his wife Hollie Davis write a monthly column for
Maine Antique Digest and he is Vice President of
Garth's Auctions.
Welcome aboard Andrew!
October 5: The Brader drawing of the DeLong farm in Topton PA was sold last week at
Pook and Pook in Downington PA. The new owner of the drawing is a lucky Pennsylvania collector who tells us the buildings of the drawing remain intact. What a wonderfully interesting drawing, so full of details.
October 4: Volunteers Kim Carlson and Jeremiah Unkefer met at the square of Marlboro to hear Bob Freshley give the history of the houses shown in the 3 Brader drawings at that location. Bob's fascinating stories made the drawings come to life and helped the volunteers understand the exact locations shown in the Brader drawings.
See more pictures.
October 3: Another drawing for Lake Township! This as yet uncatalogued drawing #603 from 1888 brings the total number of drawings to 177. Wonderful contribution to the ongoing quest to know more about Ferdinand Brader and the path he took through our countryside.
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| Gary Spangler, chair of the Visual Arts department opened the program |
October 3: What a wonderful evening in the Malone University Library! Old friends and new gathered to share information and Brader stories. Here is Malone's
press release and
YouTube interview. There are more pictures
HERE.
September 29: Thanks to the family who volunteered the location of a Jackson Township drawing #623 with a marvelous self portrait of the artist
. This drawing, shown at the left, is one of only two known in which Brader drew himself as an artist. Over the years, there has long been a belief that Brader included himself in his drawings. Families usually point to an observer standing in a barn door, or a fellow chatting on a road, sometimes an observer seated on a bench, occasionally he is said to have drawn himself as helping with some of the farm chores. The existence of these two drawings with an artist clearly drawing the scene in front of him adds credence to the notion that the artist did include himself as an observer in other drawings.
September 15: Two more volunteers have come forward to offer to help with this exciting research project.
Judy Pocock of the Plain Township Historical Society will be researching the location and stories behind the Plain Township drawings.
Cary Coates of the Perry Township Historical Society will be working with the Perry Township drawings.
(Thank you both for your enthusiasm and support of this worthwhile project!) Read about more volunteer opportunities.
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| The C.J. Fortna property, from a glass negative in the collection of the Massillon Museum |
September 6: Her great attention to detail led Massillon Museum archivist Mandy Pond to the discovery of another Perry Township drawing! Mandy was processing a group of glass negatives and came across a Teeple Studio glass negative with an image which she recognized as a Brader drawing. Although the caption of the drawing does not appear on the negative, the barn roof carries this inscription "C.J. FORTNA / 1888". Research indicates the C.J. Fortna farm was in Perry Township so her discovery brings the Perry Township total to 5, the Stark County drawings to 100 and the total number of landscape drawings to 176. Wonderful progress! By the way, these numbers do not include the numerous small floral drawings and certificates which Brader made; however, you will be able to see some of these floral drawings in the exhibit.
August 29: BREAKING NEWS! The record books of the Stark County Infirmary have been found! The location of these records of the County Home, where Ferdinand Brader is known to have wintered, has been a mystery for over half a century. But now, thanks to the actions of a conscientious, responsible woman and her daughter, these records are now in the Ramsayer Research Library of the Stark County Historical Society. You can see copies of the references to Ferdinand Brader HERE
August 27: Volunteer intern joins research staff. Post-grad history student Jeremiah Unkefer recently offered his services to further our Brader research. Jeremiah who lives in Stark County’s Marlboro Township is pinpointing the exact location of each of the 11 Marlboro Township drawings, and documenting the family stories connected with each drawing. We need your help too! Read about more volunteer opportunities.
August 10: Brader drawing found in Mahoning County, Ohio! This discovery sheds new light on Brader's travels, as this is the first drawing to be cataloged in this county. This drawing of the Beutler farm located in Smith Township is in an area apparently settled early in the 19th century by Swiss immigrants. This drawing is filled with amazing true-to-life details, for example this close-up shows the Swiss cowbells.
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| The Beutler cows, Smith Township, Mahoning County, OH |
August 8: The Gund Gallery of Kenyon College in Gambier Ohio has posted an interview with our Brader Exhibit guest curator. Here is the link to the
Gund Gallery Interview
August 2: We just heard that three of the drawings brought in for Brader Day have now been professionally cleaned and the old wooden back-boards replaced with new acid free backing. This is a critical step to preserving these drawings, and this preservation has been a bonus of the information sharing of that special Saturday.
July 30: Joshua Blay, curator at the
Historical Society of Berks County in Reading PA emailed
"ANOTHER BRADER FOUND!" " In the midst of preparing our art storage room for a project, we have just found a Brader in our collection not previously identified. We did have a record of it but the record never identified as a Brader, just a pencil drawing of a farmstead. Its unframed, rolled, but in pretty good shape with very minor tears found. Graphite on heavy brown paper. "The Property of John and Magdalena Reiniger, Elsace (Alsace) Town: Berks County. 1882." Signed at lower right corner "F. Brader 1882." House, barns, and outbuildings. Women working farm fields. Cows, chickens. At upper left is a wagon with men, horses, and a dog. Two men standing in doorways of barn at right, barn decorated with three stars. 30.75" high, 50.5" wide. "
July 14: There was a wonderful turnout for "Bring your Brader Day"at the Canton Museum of Art. 26 Brader drawings were brought in to be studied and professionally photographed. Read more here.
July 9: Gary Brown wrote an interesting feature story for The Canton Repository about Ferdinand Brader and the search for more of his drawings. You can still read the informative story here.
June 28: We had the opportunity to view the Brader drawing of the Portage County Infirmary which is in the collection of the
Portage County Historical Society in Ravenna where one can still see the site of the old infirmary. Although it does look much different today, one can still sense how the countryside was in 1892 when the drawing was made.
June 26: Joshua Blay,
curator at the
Historical Society of Berks Society in Reading PA gave Lynnda and Kathleen a tour of their beautiful facility and extensive collections before directing them to a study room with the collection of Brader drawings. They also toured the HSBC current exhibit which features two Brader drawings. Later that day,
Boots Fehr, who curated the 1986 ground-breaking
Brader in Berks exhibit, graciously welcomed us to her home and encouraged our on-going research.
June 25: Jennifer Royer, curator at the
Landis Farm Museum welcomed Lynnda and Kathleen into the museum's amazing new storage building to study the two Brader drawings in their collection.
June 20: The staff of the
William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum welcomed staff members from the Canton Museum of Art to study the eight drawings in their collection.
(Thank you especially to Curator Kim Kenney for the warm welcome and for supporting the research into the Stark County drawings)
June 19: We had the opportunity to study the Brader drawing of the Schuring property at the
Art Institute of Chicago.
June 14: Kenyon College summer intern Maddie Gobbo interviews Brader guest curator about Ferdinand Brader's life and work, especially
George Dilger's Brewery which is now at the beautiful new
Gund Gallery on the college campus.
June 12: Thanks to an anonymous donor, the
Genealogy Department of the Stark County (Ohio) Library now has the microfilm of the Portage County Infirmary Registry of Inmates. This enables us to examine the record of Brader's stay there from December 12, 1891 through April 18, 1892.
(The search continues for information about where he passed the winter in other years)
June 1: A wonderful packet of information about Brader drawings arrived today! Thanks to the generosity of major folk art dealer
David Wheatcroft, our knowledge of Brader drawings has increased substantially.
May 30: Kiko Auction, North Canton, Ohio. The well-attended auction included sale of the 1885 Brader drawing of the
Property of William and Clementina Oswalt, Lexington Twp, Stark County, Ohio. This provided opportunity for much conversation amongst fans of Ferdinand Brader's work.
May 17: We had the opportunity to study the Brader drawings at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art and at the
American Folk Art Museum in New York CIty.
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| Studying the Gicker drawing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art |
May 16: Hollie Davis has written an insightful essay about the intriguing life and work of Ferdinand Brader, and you can read it in full at Riddle, Mystery, Enigma on the Prices4Antiques blog.
May 4-6:
Midwest Antiques Forum in Cincinnati. Great forum with wonderful conversations about the life and work of Ferdinand Brader with museum curators, collectors, auctioneers, dealers, appraisers, a genealogist and a conservator.
May 3: Meeting this morning with members of
Washington Township Historical Society to work out plans for identifying locations of the farms pictured in the 9 drawings known in that township. The planned road trip to follow Brader's path through that beautiful Ohio countryside will be fun indeed!
May 2: A family member visited the current exhibit at the Historical Society of Berks County (Reading PA) in which several Brader drawings are exhibited. This charming exhibit Barnyard Animal Art of Berks County will be on display through August 31, 2012. The Brader drawings on view are unusual in that one is of an uncaptioned and unkempt farm (perhaps a social commentary?) and the other is captioned as the property of a single woman (Mary Miller) rather than the usual husband and wife title. (A big
April 27: Great response to request for help at today's meeting of Stark County Garden Clubs
April 21: Wonderful news from Switzerland! Wolf Seelentag has posted the results of ongoing Brader genealogical research at Swiss Genealogy Forum.
April 20: One for Columbiana County !!!
April 18: Discovery of another Nimishillen drawing!
April 10: Just identified another drawing in Plain Township !
April 9: Exciting happening at the
Osnaburg Township Historical Society meeting when a member shared a previously uncatalogued drawing. (
Thank you Ida for sharing this and bringing the Osnaburg total to 5!
March through July 2012: A fine Brader drawing was part of the Gund Gallery exhibit exhibition "Persistence: The Rural in American Art" at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio. The drawing, shown below, captioned George Dilger's Brewery and Residence, Louisville OH, 1885, on loan from the Canton Museum of Art.
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Image of #427, the Dilger Brewey, courtesy of Canton Museum of Art
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| Image of #501, the Kreibuill farm, courtesy of Canton Museum of Art |
Image of Hertzog farm at the top of the page is courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York
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© 2023 Center for the Study of Art in Rural America, Inc. All rights reserved.
April 12: Another drawing surfaces and finds a new home! This marvelous floral drawing was recently sold on eBay, and is now back in Berks County where it originated at the hand of Ferdinand Brader. It commemorates the wedding of Caroline Hill to Daniel Olinger, who were married August 22, 1874 in Reading, Pennsylvania. We know that Brader often made these small floral drawings for families whose farms and homesteads he drew. Wouldn't it be grand if that large drawing would also come to light? Thanks for this information goes to the happy eBay customer who won this drawing, and later called the offices at CSARA (Center for the Study of Art in Rural America) to purchase his copy of the Brader catalog to learn more about this fascinating artist.
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June 25: Another drawing added to the list for Portage County! A gracious couple welcomed us to their home to talk about Brader and to see their drawing. Here is a detail of that farm in Portage County (OH). (Thank you, nice folks, for your hospitality and the interesting conversation.)
June 7: We had the opportunity to carefully examine two Ohio drawings today side-by-side, which provided some interesting visible contrasts, including this small detail which Tiffany noticed drawn on a tiny log cabin in drawing #357.
