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New York Sketch Club
We have some consensus artist Alex Oscar Levy is pictured at #35 at this Salmagundi Club Tile Club Dinner Feb. 3, 1904. Although was born in Bonn Germany 1881, he studied 1902-03 at the New York School of Art near Greenwich Village founded and taught by William Merritt Chase. He worked at Chasmar- Winchell Press from 1903- 1908 while presumably also studying art. By 1909 Levy had moved to Buffalo to work for the Matthews-Northrup publishing company.
The Salmagundi Club, is the oldest social club for American artists. It's current web site is here. Alex contributed a pastoral painting in 1934 for the Salmagundi Club library benefit auction . Reference is "The Salmagundi Club Painting Exhibition Records, 1889-1939: A Guide to the Annual Exhibition of Oil Paintings and The Annual Exhibition and Auction Sale of Pictures by Alexander W. Katlan, 2008".
The long thin stemmed clay pipes are a trademark of the historic lower Manhattan (Lambs Club, Chophouse, Keens Steakhouse) Keens Chopshop as they have the worlds largest collection of clay churchwarden pipes. Also notice the gentleman on the left caressing the (marble?) sculptured bust of a woman. Keens has a Lillie Langtry Dining Room dedicated to Lillie Langtry (the phenonomen), because she sued Keens in 1905 and gained entry to the this exclusive men's dining club. She was the mistress of England's King Edward . She had performed in Broadway plays during Dec 1902 thru Oct 1903. "A chop-house on sixth avenue where many of the artists dined quite regularly". A nostalgic look back at the steak house here.
The mugs with the double set of two horizontal lines in this photo are similar to the ones pictured in this 1898 Salmagundi Club Tile Dinner photo. The artists decorate stoneware tiles for sale to help the club library. Charles Volkmar, a landscape painter, was one of the oldest members of the club who also fired mugs at Charles Volkmar pottery located Greenpoint, NY in 1879. The Volkmar pottery company made 24 mugs each year that members would decorate and sell at auction. Those distinctive hour glass shaped mugs apparently came a few years hence. In 1911 when
Lenox in NJ took over. In the picture at the top the artists appear to be making a special effort to display the dozen mugs. There appear to be identification name tags on the paintings (to be auctioned for the cause).
It seems that most of Levy's associates have gained significant fame as artists. Deciphering the details will be an interesting and ongoing adventure for the sake of art history.
On special occasions the Salmagundi Club would honor an individual. Member Louis Comfort Tiffany (stained glass) was honored the year before Levy arrived in town.
Alex Levy 1912 ish
1 Gutzon Borglum ? Borglum and Langtry guests 1898 Lillie Langtry
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9 ??? Died 8/8/1902 .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_Twachtman
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12 Thomas Wilmer DeWing top ten pastel master. "The Ten" American Impressionists Smihsonian 1908. S.C. Prelude 1883. Wiki bio DeWing makes the most definitive picture match corroborating the time, place, and event
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18 age 55 Pirie Macdonald photographer biography member 1903 age 36 self portrait at the Met 1910
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22 ??? Fredrick Dielman. later photo
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25 http://archive.org/stream/lifeandartofwill005564mbp/lifeandartofwill005564mbp_djvu.txt
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29. .??? Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Feb 4, 1904 Napoleon Saronys Photo Gallery Union Square. sculptor standing Lincoln
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32. .??? Archer Milton Huntingtion. and National Acadamy history and Family history
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35 Alex Oscar Levy S.C member1934
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Feb 2, 1904 Wm Merritt Chase supposed to be gust of honor at S.C. dinner but daughter Mary Content Chase born, telegram to Fredrick Dielman with news. Musician played impromptu violin lullaby.
Feb 3, 1904 newspaper report confirms attendees at Tile Club Dinner.
4 Robert Henri also taught Levy in this NY school.
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9 Rockwell Kent 1900-1902 fall Kent web site a good friend of Chatterton 1908 photo
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18 Edward Hopper 1882-1967. Hopper bio
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22 Clarence Kerr Chatterton class 1902
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William H Drake 1903
John Ward Dunsmore 1903
Charles Warren Eaton 1903 born in Albany studied at the National Academy of Design in NY Spanierman Gallery Flikr photo 1908 Salmagundi VanLaer-Eaton
My first involvement with Levy's art was to verify his painting was in fact a rendition of a 1915 Knox Mansion in Buffalo built by the wife of nickel and dimer Seymour Knox I who started Woolworths department stores. The Seymour Knox summer estate is in East Aurora ( cuz Mikey).Their son, Seymour Knox II was contributed to the Albright Knox Art Gallery further up Delaware Ave. By using Bing.com Birdseye View you can obtain four oblique views and match the architectural details with the artists rendition. Note that it is Seymour Knox III who first owned the Buffalo Sabers hockey club.
Levy became President of the Buffalo Society of Artists and came into conflict with the management of the Albright-Knox Gallery due their inclinations toward impressionism rather than his leanings toward realism.
Alex became Director of Art at Larkin Company in Buffalo 1913-1925. He also designed the seal for the City of Buffalo. My ancestors also had Buffalo/ German roots. Uncle Dick Schmidt (aged 96) told me this week that he remembers touring the Larkin Company and vividly recalls watching them making those famous Sweet Home brown soap bars. Uncle Sonny lived on Sweet Home Road. When I stayed with Grandpa Schmidt on Main Street downtown Buffalo, I remember him showing me his white clay pipe. His was a stubby though with a walnut mouth piece.
Frank Lloyd Wright was a personal friend of the President John D Larkin and designed a house for him in 1905 as well as the company headquarters building.
Coming to America, Levy spawned a long line of engineers. Descendants ran the Savoy Restaurant Bar and Grill near the Elm Tree Golf course in South Cortland, both of which I enjoyed.
related background information
best online searchable Salmagundi sources:
1. The Salmagundi Club Painting Exhibition Records , 1889-1939: A Guide to the Annual Exhibition of Oil Paintings and The Annual Exhibition and Auction Sale of Pictures by Alexander W. Katlan, 2008". An 8 page pdf excerpt.
2. The Salmagundi Club , A History by William Henry Shelton, 1918
S.C. Club Locations:
1871 Jonathan Scott Hartley studio
1878-1887 Black and White
Leavitts Art Gallery Broadway
Kurtz Gallery (American Art Association)
National Academy of Design and National Academy Museum and National Academy School and. National Academy history
Napoleon Sarony’s Photographic Gallery at Union Square share room with Tile Club attended by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, R. Swain Gifford, W. C. Baird, F. Hopkinson Smith, Frederick Diehlman, George H. Maynard, F.D. Millet, and Joseph Hartley, to name a few Salmagundi artists who were Tile Club
members.
1894 First permanent club home at 14 West 12th Street former home sculptor John Rogers
Early S.C. members:Elihu Vedder, Carlton Wiggins, Gustave Wiegand, Charles P. and his son Emil Gruppe, Emil Carlsen, John Carlson, William M. Post, Harry Roseland, Carle Blenner, F. Luis Mora, Edward Potthast, Bruce Crane, Childe Hassam and others of the Old Lyme School, John Folinsbee and others of Pennsylvania school, and Thomas Moran and other Moran family artists. From its very founding non-artist members, called lay members, were always a welcome part of the club. When Stanford White was proposed for membership, another member took the floor solemnly to explain that an architect was not an artist. Notwithstanding this objection, Stanford White joined the club as an artist member. Other distinguished members include John Phillip Sousa, the American songwriter who became a lay member in 1904
1904 Tile Club Dinner
1917 Auction #2 at 14 West 12th Street
1917 purchased current brownstone Irad Hawleys Mansion 47 Fifth Avenue
Member 1904 John Philip Sousa. And Stars and Stripes forever , THE national march music of the USA
art school
William Merritt Chase (self portrait) founded the Salmagundi Club which was a bit of breakaway from the cubist/impressionist movement of the Art League of New York that was taking place in NY and the world. Chase taught at several places.
Studied under Russian painter Ossip Leonovitch Linde also taught at the NY school.
George Inness, Jr 1902
George Inness, Jr was President of the Salmagundi Club in 1901-1903 and achieved great fame for his landscapes as did his father considered to be one of the famed Hudson River School of painters.
J Scott Hartley 1903-1905 Salmagundi Club met at various locations including early on at home of Johnathan Scott Hartley
Alexander T. Van Laer 1905-1908
Salmagundi members:
Places to visit to confirm facts:
Salmagundi - library, photos, mugs, records of dinners
NY Historical Society -library photos of SC dinners
Keens Steak House -look for room setting
Parsons School, historical records
National Academy library/ museum records
more notes
As I began this investigation I came across this recent photo from France which is humorous each time viewed.
Nice thumbnail (3 pg) sketch of Salmagundi Club
Beginning with the move to the Rogers Studio, the Salmagundi became a dining club, and five functions were scheduled annually, one to acknowledge the laurel-crowned winner of the Samuel T. Show Purchase Prize and another honoring an American artist. Edwin Austin Abbey, Louis C. Tiffany, and J. Alden Wier were among those so recognized. Distinctive invitations were designed for each event. For special occasions, the walls of the dining room were draped with brown paper, to be painted by the members. Elaborate decorations were installed, one time even including a pond, and it appears that the wine flowed freely in convivial and characteristically bohemian gatherings. A costume dinner, into which the members seemed to have thrown themselves with creativity and abandon, was finally phased out.
gas light ceiling fixture
Mechanics Institute Industrial and Art School Cincinnati Ohio 1890-91 Carriage Drawing and Mathematics
1893 Alex Levy age 12 studied art at Art Academy of Cincinati under Fran Duveneck who was endorsed for membership in Salmagundi by W.M.Chase and F. Church in 1882.
1905 Lewis Wickes Hine photography (silver gelatin)
Howard Chandler Christy illustration instructor 1900-1905 NY School of Art Nice web site
Walter Appleton Clark illustration instructor 1899- 1902 Art Students League
2013, I now have this Levy print from ebay.
A common source of blue and gray salt glaze pottery during this is also Whites of Utica according to Steve Smith. See the Oneida Co Stoneware book.
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