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History of the Collection: Early St. Louis Artists

Audubon GalleryThe St. Louis Mercantile Library
An Early Haven for Art in St. Louis

EARLY ST. LOUIS ARTISTS

Following is a short-name list of artists who passed through St. Louis when the Library was young, on their way to immortality in depicting the story of Western America:

Sources – City Directories, the Mercantile Library’s special files, and the writings of John Francis McDermott and others; dates reflect times by which listed artists flourished in the city. Often, only the last name is given in an ad, a notice, a letter. The list is a tantalizing reminder of St. Louis as an art center and hopefully will serve as an opportunity for further research.

1796
Joseph Warin

1809
Christopher F. Schewe

1812
Francis M. Guyol

1819
John Vos

1820
John J. Douberman
Chester Harding
James O. Lewis
Jeremiah Paul

1826
Charles Alexandre LeSueur

1828
Basil Hall

1829
Peter Rindisbacher
James G. Sawkins

1830
Antonio Mondelli

1831
A. Nickell

1832
George Catlin
Leon Pomarede

1833
Karl Bodmer

1834
Barker
H.G. Fette
B.W. Jenks

1835
George Caleb Bingham

1836
William R. Herve
G. Markham
M.E. Mynerts
Charles Soule

1837
Mary H. Mauro
Daniel Steele
Mrs. Daniel Steele

1838
J. Phillip Gerke
Paul Kane
T.H. Stevenson

1839
J. Atwood
E.M. Clifford
Marchant
Martin

1840
John Banvard
H. Bridport
Charles Deas
Nicolas Point
J.C. Wild

1841
Charles E. Bowes
Bromie
Fronpuffer
Hicke
Mrs. H.L Hoffman
C.R. Parker
John R. Smith
Mrs. Charles Thomas
Trego
Vansnith

1842
Bremmer
Debolle
Emmanuel J. DeFranca
C. Freligh
Mrs. E. Holden
S. Wise

1843
John J. Audobon
William C. Cooper
P. Ord

1844
A. Andrews
C. Mayer

1845
C. Carpenter
James Carson
Thomas B. Harris
Henry Lewis
Sam Stockwell
James F. Wilkins

1846
Sarah Peale
W.R. Simpson

1847
W.P. Cowperthwaite
Donnell
Freeman
F. Kurz
John Lee
Stout
Miss F. Sweeney

1848
Herman D. Canfield
Seth Eastman
Shelton S. Fogus
Mrs. Merrick
L. Waite
A.S. Waugh
Wilgus

1849
G.I. Barnett
F.T. Boyle
James Sidney Brown
W. Coggswell
A.J. Conant
T.W. Dodge
George C. Eichbaum
Peter Grummen
Matt Hastings
C. Hoffman
Henry C. Isaacs
Edward Kern
Lamasson
Mayer
Murdock
J.R. Meeker
Alfred J. Miller
G. Mueller
Thomas S. Noble
L. Patniel
Fred. Piercy
Powers
John Reid
E. Robyn
Paulus Roetter
Louis Schultze
Seymour
J.M. Stanley
Mme. Subit
Van Name

1850
George St. P. Brewer
P. Dreesbach
Fasel
Charles Wimar

1851
Bauer
Heade
Frank B. Mayer
Charles Rogers
T.B. Thorpe

FOR FURTHER READING:

American Frontier Life: Early Western Paintings and Painters. New York: Abbeville, 1987.

Art and the Excited Spirit: America in the Romantic Period. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Museum of Art, 1972.

Judith A. Barter and Lynn E. Springer. Currents of Expansion: Paintings in the Midwest, 1820-1940. St. Louis Art Museum, 1977.

Engravings and Lithographs for a Mississippi River Metropolis. Columbia: University of Missouri, 1989.

Elizabeth Johns. American Genre Painting: the Politics of Everyday Life. New Haven: Yale, 1991.

Nancy Rash. The Painting and Politics of George Caleb Bingham. New Haven: Yale, 1991.

Perry Rathbone, ed. Westward the Way: Pioneering the Louisiana Territory. St. Louis: City Art Museum, 1954.

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