Margarethe Braumüller-Havemann: from Grabow in county Mecklenburg

Braumüller-Havemann, Margarethe

(Grabow/Mecklenburg 1877 -  died c.1955)

Painter, sculptor and printmaker.  

"Cloth Line"  

This rather well known print by rather unknown Margarethe Havemann  ("Flatterende Windeln") printed and published in 1905 by Seemann for Leipzig art revue "Zeitschrift fur Bildende Kunst" probably made Margarethe, still in het twenties, instantly famous. She was among Germany's pioneering printmakers and although I have no idea about edition numbers it turns up so every now and then in Ebay. 

Listen here*  to an unknown Cloth Line Ballet: one of my favorite Fats Waller (1904-1943) original compositions. He too was inspired by cloth fluttering in the winds: childhood memories ?  

Grabow in Margarethe's time, the village and Havemann residence (left)  

Margarethe was one of 6(*) surviving children of well to do Friedrich (Fritz) Wilhelm Heinrich Havemann, owner of an international seed business in Grabow in county Mecklenburg, a small trading village situated and connected by road, river, canal and train roughly between Hamburg and Berlin, and Therese Marie Lautrup who originated from Flensburg in Denmark.  

Besides this supplement edition print a handful of illustration-like (calendar ?) prints by her hand turn up regularly. One of them shows the old centre of Hamburg, a view well familiar because the "Alsterfleet" impression by Hugo Amberg (one bridge up) appeared not so long ago in this Blog (follow the label below). Working and living in Hamburg the Braumüller and the Amberg couples will probably have been acquainted. 

"Alsterfleet" woodblock by Hugo Amberg

She had studied with painter, printmaker Ernst Neumann (1871-1954) in Münich and was married to painter and printmaker Philipp Georg Braumüller (1870-1927). The couple  moved to and worked in Berlin (1905) and later moved to Hamburg where Margarethe was appointed teacher in the “Kunstgewerbeschule für Mädchen” in Hamburg in 1909. 

She exhibited, like and possibly with her husband between 1900-1908, in the Münich “Glaspalast”, in Berlin (“Große Berliner Kunstausstellung”) and in Bremen in 1906. She worked for the Magazine “Licht und Schatten” and was a close friend of Ida Demel (1870-1942). With her she co-founded the “Bundes Hamburger Künstlerinnen und Kunstfreundinnen”. Her subjects were landscape, cityscapes of Hamburg and Berlin. Her work is collected in the graphic collection of the Folkwang-Museum in Essen.

The most interesting print by Margarethe however is this "Herbst" (Fall). Although it is probably also a view of something else. I will show in next posting.

(*) Margarethe, Hedwig, Fritz (died 1907), Otto (died 1914), Robert, Richard and Hans 
  

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She was a sister of Richard Havemann (1875-1943) a famous trainer of wild animals. He started his career as an animal care-taker in Berlin Tiergarten Zoo. There he developed a show with big cats he often raised with a bottle from birth but eventually this show was judged "not appropriate" by the ZOO direction. It is good to hear ethics and thoughts about animal welfare are not exclusively from "our days". 

Havemann then bought the animals, travelled all over Europe and the USA, with his act, witnessed the San Francisco earth quake in 1906, lost many of his animals, returned to Germany and joined Hagenbeck's Circus with his act. Eventually, obviously he did not retire, his luck ran out and he was killed by his act: he was attacked by a bear he’d raised and trained as a cub and died, aged 68, from his injuries.
  

She was also sister of Hans Havemann (1887-1985) an influential teacher and writer who was the father of dissident and partisan and head of Berlin Humboldt University Physical Chemistry Department Robert Havemann (1910–1982).

Her sister Hedwig (b.1882) was a children's book writer and was married to poet Albert Sergel (1876-1949). They lived and worked in Berlin. Sadly Albert later turned sympathetic towards national socialist ideas.  

I found a book by the Sergels illustrated by Germany's famous children book illustrator Else Wenz-Vietor (1882-1973). She was one of the first women illustrators who could make a living from her work. Sadly her work today is often "related" with the national socialist world. She claimed artistically being inspired by British illustrator Arthur Rackham (1867-1939).    

Margarethes husband Georg Braumüller is interesting enough to have his own posting which will follow next.  

Margarethe is possibly related to (a niece of) printmaker Antonie Ritzerow (Grabow 1877 - ?) but that is still under investigation and will be revealed in due time. 

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

Hugo Amberg: in Hamburg, Alsterfleet

Hugo Amberg 

(Hamburg 1872 - 1943 Osnabrück)

German painter, teacher, etcher and printmaker. 

HAMBURG 

ALSTERFLEET & ADOLPHSBRÜCKE 

Recently American reader Tom sent me a picture of this woodblock print hoping  I had a clue where it was and who the maker was. Well here goes: 

I've learned that modern Germans today hardly know how to read the Sütterlin script (after Ludwig S. who perfected it) anymore. It became the German standard in 1935, by Adolph Hitler, and also abolishing it in 1941, some say was the best thing the villain ever did. And although I do not claim mastering it: I like a good puzzle. Focusing on and researching the lives of German Women Printmakers born before 1900 it also cannot be avoided. 

The signature posing no problem, the left part however is more difficult to read. Knowing the scene helps, even not being German and born 10 years after the complete destruction of this Venice of the North by Anglo-American bombing in 1943: Alsterfleet, the very heart of this friendly city. So, I think it reads:

Alsterfleetbrücke - Hamburg

Holzschnitt - Handdruck.

A good opportunity to focus on the geography and recent history of Hamburg Neustadt, Alsterfleet, after all the most important city and harbour in the Frisian region: German, Danish and Dutch. Starting with a view on the Reesendamm Brücke dividing the Innen and Außer Alster, a small river affluent in River Elbe.  

The star I've placed on the Schleussenbrücke is where Hugo Amberg sat.   

The bridge shown in Tom's print is the Adolphsbrücke (build in 1843 and named not after A.H. but after  Adolph IV, Count of Holstein who died in 1261) as seen from the Schleussenbrücke (the locks, protecting this part of the Innenalster from Elbe tides and creating the reservoir of the Außenalster. (In this photograph below the locks are still in function). The famous Arkaden (Arcades) have also been rebuild to its former grandeur and glory.  

The same contemporary view (below) after the rebuilding of Hugo's native Hamburg and a 1964 print by an unknown printmaker.    

Researching into the history of Tom's print besides "bringing it home" my personal reward was in finally (!) discovering about Hugo Amberg's wife and her family: the illustre and much admired by me printmaker Ilse Koch (1869-1934). But that I will safe for a next posting. 

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

All pictures are mouse clickable to embiggen. 

Follow the labels (or use the search function) to find more on Hugo and Ilse in older posts. New posts with new examples of prints are in preparation.

(Leaving a comment by the way is the reward bloggers thrive on and may be encouraging to continue).    

  

Ilse Koch and Hugo Amberg

ILSE KOCH (born 2-7-1869 Amberg - ...... )

The Blogs header showing part of this lovely woodblock print by Ilse Koch.

A good way to start this adventure. I will show you what I have discovered, sofar, about the artists I particularly like. This Ilse Koch "original Handdruck" one of my alltime favourites because of the composition in blue and orange is so very appealing.

Searching the Internet, scanning books and auction cataloques. And other Blogs, some very informative others even professional. I like to know and find out as much as I can about my favourit artists.

Mostly there is not that much to tell or to share. Thus, pictures will have to tell the story of their talent. Details about their lives? Often only an entry in an Artist or Künstler Lexikon. Sometimes not even that.

These lesser Gods and Godesses of linoleum and woodblock printing eventually and gradually became enveloped in obscurity. Their art fell out of grace, was forgotten and disposed of. Their pictures ending up in carboot sales and Salvation-Army stores. Ikea art flourishing as a standard for good taste nowadays. Famous once, forgotten later.

There were so many very talented men and woman in the high days of woodblockprinting. I will try to do some of them at least, honor. They deserve bringing their works out of the dark into the light.

I will limit myself to the lesser Gods. Other Blogs, Websites, and books cover many great celibrated and famous artists. And to start with, I shall only deal with flower (bouquets) woodblock prints. And some topics related perhaps. Because that's what I like most. And because I am just a beginner in the Blog-world.

Woodblock and Linoleumprinting, once so very popular was an art form many excelled in. Reaching great hights and popularity. Roughly between 1900-1945. Before TV, telephone and computers took over our evenings. At first imitating and later developing Japanese woodblockprinting technics into a new, more Western styled art form. Introducing linoleum as a new cutting and printing medium popularised this artform greatly.

"Koch (Koch- Amberg), Ilse, Malerin, geb. 2. Juü 1869 in Amberg, Schülerin der Kunstgewerbesch. in Hamburg; tätig ebenda".

This is her entry in :
ALLGEMEINES KÜNSTLER'LEXIKON, LEBEN UND WERKE DER BERÜHMTESTEN BILDENDEN KÜNSTLER 1922 Prof. Dr. Hans Wolfgang Singer
"The lives and works of the most famous conceptual artists"

Translated:
"born 2th of july 1869 in Amberg, student of the (famous) “Künstgewerbe” Artschool in Hamburg and that she worked in Hamburg at the time (1922) ".

Trying to find information about Ilse Koch on the Internet is greatly hindered by her horrible namesake, the concentration camp warcriminal and devilish Ilse (Köhler-) Koch. The disturbed wife of the Buchenwald concentration/exterminationcamp Kommandant.

Ilse Koch married:
HUGO AMBERG (born 11-10-1872, Hamburg – died (after?) 1943, Osnabrück) . The same 1922 Lexikon stating: "Amberg, Hugo, Maler und Graphiker, geb. 11. Okt. 1872 in Hamburg, auto-didaktisch gebildet. Er malte, radierte und stach Landschaften".

"Painter, etcher and grafic-landscape artist, auto didact. He was known as a free creating artist since 1899.





Hugo Amberg teached drawing at the “Künstgewerbe” Art school in Hamburg 1922-1923" (and maybe after that because I havent a clue were this "auction" information came from or when it was dated)

Sofar I have found only three examples of Hugo Amberg's woodblock prints. They are simple but very well executed gems. The pinetree-print in a very recent auction cataloque. Bidding starting at: 100 Euro…… But, helas, I was too late. Sold !

I dearly hope to own my own Ilse Koch one day. Eventually I will put up my "other" collected woodblock prints to trade, swap or sell on the Blog. Limiting my collecting to flower (bouquet) prints only.

So ......just 4 woodblock examples sofar of Ilse Koch's great talent and only 3 by Hugo Amberg.

Surely there will be more examples in existance ? Any information on their woodblock prints, their lives and careers would be welcomed. And added to my Blog. Perhaps and hopefully a photograph of who they were and what they looked like.

In the meantime I plan to contact the Hamburg "Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe", existing to this day, for more information on this talented couple.

To be continued .........................

Feel free to comment and send any additional information.