William Jacob Baer
Encyclopedia
William Jacob Baer considered the foremost American miniature painter was born in Cincinnati, Ohio
January 29, 1860 and died in East Orange, New Jersey
in 1941.
Baer was a lithographer's apprentice at Donaldson and Company in Cincinnati from 1876 to 1879. During the same period he attended an evening modeling class at the McMicken School of Design
, taught by Louis Rebisso
. He continued his training in Munich
at the Royal Academy from 1880 to 1884, studying oil painting with Ludwig Löfftz
. He received medals in all his courses, and the Academy purchased one of his watercolors.
Upon his return to the United States, Baer settled into the Montclair, New Jersey
art colony to continue his career as a genre, portrait painter and teacher. He was attracted there by his friend, Alexander Drake (the art editor Scribner’s Monthly
). Drake encouraged him to teach a class in engraving and black-and-white draftsmanship for illustrators; class members were dubbed the "Carbonari". In 1888 Baer became the instructor at Round Lake, New York
, for summer classes at a Chautauqua
-like cultural enterprise to which he remained attached until 1891; in 1893 he took over the classes at Chautauqua itself for several for several years. In 1892 and ’93, he turned from figure painting to miniatures (both portraits and other subjects), initially under the patronage of Alfred Corning Clark
, and soon Baer not only became the most renowned miniaturist in the country but also spearheaded the miniature-painting revival that began at that time. He was the first president of the Society of Painters in Miniature, New York.
Baer exhibited at the Chicago Worlds Fair
of 1983. In New York and at the Paris Exposition
of 1900, Baer was awarded a 1st class medals. He also was a regular exhibitor at the National Academy of Design
, N.Y., the Chicago Art Institute and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. Among his miniatures are "The Golden Hour", "Daphne", "In Arcadia" and "Madonna with the Auburn Hair".
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
January 29, 1860 and died in East Orange, New Jersey
East Orange, New Jersey
East Orange is a city in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the city's population 64,270, making it the state's 20th largest municipality, having dropped 5,554 residents from its population of 69,824 in the 2000 Census, when it was the state's 14th most...
in 1941.
Baer was a lithographer's apprentice at Donaldson and Company in Cincinnati from 1876 to 1879. During the same period he attended an evening modeling class at the McMicken School of Design
Art Academy of Cincinnati
The Art Academy of Cincinnati is a private college of art and design, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, in Cincinnati, Ohio...
, taught by Louis Rebisso
Louis Rebisso
Louis Thomas Rebisso Italian born American sculptor and teacher. After immigrating to the United States Rebisso settled in Cincinnati, Ohio where he spent the most productive years of his career...
. He continued his training in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
at the Royal Academy from 1880 to 1884, studying oil painting with Ludwig Löfftz
Ludwig Löfftz
Ludwig Löfftz was a German genre and landscape painter.- Biography :He was born at Darmstadt. He was a pupil of August von Kreling and Karl Raupp at Nuremberg, then of Wilhelm von Diez at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, where he became professor in 1879, and of which he was director between 1891...
. He received medals in all his courses, and the Academy purchased one of his watercolors.
Upon his return to the United States, Baer settled into the Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
art colony to continue his career as a genre, portrait painter and teacher. He was attracted there by his friend, Alexander Drake (the art editor Scribner’s Monthly
Scribner’s Monthly
Scribner's Monthly: An Illustrated Magazine for the People was an American literary periodical published from 1870 until 1881.-History:Charles Scribner I, Andrew Armstrong, Arthur Peabody, Edward Seymour, Josiah Gilbert Holland, and Roswell Smith established "Scribner & Co." on July 19, 1870 to...
). Drake encouraged him to teach a class in engraving and black-and-white draftsmanship for illustrators; class members were dubbed the "Carbonari". In 1888 Baer became the instructor at Round Lake, New York
Round Lake, New York
Round Lake is a lake and a village in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 604 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from a circular lake adjacent to the village...
, for summer classes at a Chautauqua
Chautauqua
Chautauqua was an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with...
-like cultural enterprise to which he remained attached until 1891; in 1893 he took over the classes at Chautauqua itself for several for several years. In 1892 and ’93, he turned from figure painting to miniatures (both portraits and other subjects), initially under the patronage of Alfred Corning Clark
Alfred Corning Clark
-Biography:He was born on November 14, 1844 to Edward Clark, a founder of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. He married and had as his children: Edward Severin Clark, Robert Sterling Clark, Frederick Ambrose Clark and Stephen Carlton Clark, Sr....
, and soon Baer not only became the most renowned miniaturist in the country but also spearheaded the miniature-painting revival that began at that time. He was the first president of the Society of Painters in Miniature, New York.
Baer exhibited at the Chicago Worlds Fair
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
of 1983. In New York and at the Paris Exposition
Paris Exposition
Paris Exposition or Paris Exhibition can refer to*The French Industrial Exposition of 1844-World's fair:* Exposition Universelle , The Paris Exposition of 1855* Exposition Universelle , The Paris Exposition of 1867...
of 1900, Baer was awarded a 1st class medals. He also was a regular exhibitor at the National Academy of Design
National Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
, N.Y., the Chicago Art Institute and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. Among his miniatures are "The Golden Hour", "Daphne", "In Arcadia" and "Madonna with the Auburn Hair".
External links
- William Jacob Baer writing about painting ivory from the Smithsonian Archives of American ArtArchives of American ArtThe Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 16 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washington, D.C...