Two printmakers and a Munich teacher.

Kempter, Caroline (Lina)

(Illertissen 05-02-1856 – 27-08-1925 Illertissen)

German painter and printmaker private painting tutor in Munich. 

Lina Kempter was the daughter of prosperous estate and Inn “zum Hirsch” owner in Illertissen (N.W. of Munich) Max Josef Kempter and Caroline Rief. 

Working on my Index on Germany's first generation of modern printmaking women artists I found her name in an article recently. I read that a painting (above) by her hand had returned to Illertissen with the help of a helpful gallery owner (read here*).  It is the only example of her work I was able to find. Her life and career are are considered exemplary for the struggle of women to achieve a career in art and her life following the development of the women-rights movement. As many of  the 250 women I am researching she was of prosperous (or well to do) background and stayed unmarried.

She went to study in the “Königliche Kunst und Gewerbeschule” in Munich 1881-1883 and also with landscape painter Adolf Stäbli (1842-1901) in Munich. It is said that in later life she produced several color woodblock prints but I've not been able to find an example proving her efforts as a printmaker. 

Kempter family home: the Inn "zum Hisrsch" in Illertissen - Bavaria.

In 1894-95 she travelled to Valparaiso in Chili possibly visiting family members who had immigrated. She worked 1899-1904 as a teacher in the “Damenakademie des Künstlerinnen Vereins München” specializing in flower-, landscape- and still-life painting and started her own painting school and studio. From 1916-1925 she stayed and painted every summer and fall in Landsberg am Lech. She is buried in Illertissen.

Her family owned, since founding and building in the late 18th century, the Inn "Zum Hirsch" in Illertissen. Generations of Inn owners expanding the business with the well known Brewery best known by the name of its last owner Adolf Kempter (1851-1914). It went out of business in 1914.   

Her buste was created by arts and craft artist and sculptress Antonie Weber Petsche (Magdeburg 03-03-1845 -  after 1921) and was shown in 1893. She also created a buste of Adolf Stäbli in 1881, Kempters professor in Munich, shown in 1902 in Chur (Sw). She is still mentioned (“Kunstgewerblerin”) in Dressler 1921 living Adalbertstrasse 35  in Munich (then 76 years of age).

Other artists studying with Lina Kempter in Thieme-Becker/Folmer Künstler Lexikon:
Augustin, Josefine   (01-08-1882 –
Brendeke, Paula      (18-01-1879 -
Lasser-Schmalix, Ida von  (22-01-1879 –

Any examples of paintings or prints by Lina Kempter and biographical notes are most welcome for sharing in this Blog.  

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Most interesting was what I discovered digitally cross-referencing my (not yet published) Index. Just two tiny footnotes in history connect printmakers Lina Ammer (1873-1935) from the small town of Straubing near Regensburg and Anna Feldhusen (1867-1951) from Bremen with Lina Kempter's painting school in Munich.

Anna Feldhusen: Oldenburg landscape 

Anna Feldhusen later returned to the North joining the Worpswede artist colony finally settling in Bremen. She is mainly known for her flower paintings and landscape etchings and became close friends with Marie Stein-Ranke (1873-1964) Germany's foremost woman portrait-etcher. 

Marie Stein-Ranke: selfportrait

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Lina Ammer returned to Regensburg and had a career as painter, is well known for her fine woodblock prints and like her Munich teacher started her own painting school in Regensburg. One of her prints recently was identified by faithful reader Wolfgang as showing the "Haus der Musik" and backside of the "Dominikaner-kirche St.Blasius" in Regensburg. 

This particular view is not to be found in pictures in the Internet but this (above)  is what I glued and stitched together to show the actual situation of the print. 

And with this arial view it is clear were Lina Ammer must have sat sketching to fit two Regensburg historical buildings in one composition.

Working on more unknown or forgotten locations shown on prints we ask the help of readers to identify two more prints by Lina Ammer. There is this typical for the South of Germany small road-side shrine. Called in German a "Bildstock" or "Marterl". This type is also commonly seen in Austria. Perhaps an impossible task to find where Lina Ammer saw it. 

And this fountain situated in a town square, opposing a medieval house. Surely showing St. Jakob (with the staff): "St Jakobsbrunnen" ? But where ? It could also be no longer existing because Wolfgang who usually succeeds in eventually finding what he is looking for was unsuccessful so far. 

See next posting for the solution of this location.    

All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for friendly, educational and non commercial use only.