Bertha Schrader continued: Blaues Wunder !

Bertha Schrader

(Memel 1845 - 1920 Moritzburg/Dresden)  

Painter and woodblock printmaker 

In 1893 the “König Albert Brücke” spanning the Elbe River was opened. A marvel of technical engineering it was the worlds first bridge this length spanning an entire river without a central pillar. It connects the Dresden townships of Blasewitz and Loschwitz. It was named after King Albert of Saxony (1828-1902) but in 1912 it was renamed "Loschwitzer Brucke" and knicknamend lovingly "Blaues Wunder". 

It was Dresdens 5^th bridge across the Elbe river and the only one to survive WWII devastations (and German sabotage) undamaged.  

Bertha Schader will have witnessed its construction, completion and opening. In 1912 a painting showing the bridge in a "recent Exhibition of Women Painters" in Dresden is mentioned (below). Sadly I cannot find any records of it other then this article in the prestigious magazine “The Studio”. The painting is probably lost.

The exhibition was held under the auspices of H.R.H. princess Mathilde, (she appeared earlier in this Blog here*) and was herself also represented with a painting. She was the artistic daughter of Albert’s successor, his brother King Georg of Saxony (1832-1904) but he died after just two years of reign. 
     

Bertha's view on Loschwitzer Bridge, painting owned by reader Katy in America

Bertha Schrader was as most (all?) pioneering women printmakers an accomplished and professional painter first. Until last week her history (she came from Memel in the Baltic) was shrouded in the mist of time. And lost in the total destruction of Dresden. She must have loved this spot because from the few surviving and known paintings by her hand there are 4 she made from this bend in the river upstream from the bridge and the "Altstadt". In the pointillist style of her teacher Paul Baum (1859-1932) in Dresden and also in the style of another of her teachers: Paul Graeb (1842-1892) from Berlin (below). 

Both paintings by Bertha Schrader

Dresden, build over centuries, “Florence on the Elbe”, was destroyed in just two days between 13 and 15 February 1945 as act of barbaric retaliation by civilized nations on a scale the world had never seen before. Disguised as, justified a necessity by bomber command to end a war that already was coming to an end. We today judge. Probably 25.000 citizens died in the firestorms, nobody knows. Exactly. Today Dresden is rebuild to its former glory.

Bertha Schader appears only as foot-notes in the transcendent German "Thieme Becker Künstler Lexikon" and French “Benezit”. She had been a student of Paul Baum, a former Meissen porcelain painter. He had been living and working since 1890 in the Knokke “artist colony” in Belgium and had returned in 1895 to be involved in the Dresden Secession. He himself had been a student of landscape painter Theodor Hagen (1842-1919) in Weimar.

Paul Baum (above), considered Germany’s last impressionist, soon returned to the Low Lands living and working in Sint Anna-ter-Muiden, near Sluis in province Zeeland for almost twenty years (1895- 1914). But eventually he returned to Dresden as a professor in Dresden Art Academy. Comparing Bertha with Paul Baum one can see how close they must have been: paintings by the student and the master are hardly distinguishable. Bertha, I'm sure, stayed with Baum in Sluis (below) and I could see them painting together on the canal.
    

"Canal" (possibly Sluis) by Bertha Schrader and "Sluis" by Paul Baum

(added info, see comments) 

In Sluis Baum also was visited by Lovis Corinth (1858-1925) the master from Berlin who on the occasion painted him (below). Max Liebermann (1847-1935) also liked to paint on the Dutch and Belgian coast.

Meeting Dutch painter Theo van Rijsselberghe (1862-1926) and already a (late or post-) follower of the Impressionists Baum later adopted the pointillist technique and colour theories of George Seurat (1859-1891) and Paul Signac (1963-1935).   

As we shall see in next posting Bertha (above right, probably in the Netherlands, left: Seurat in Honfleur) had besides her colleague and teacher (and friend?) Paul Baum family connections in the Netherlands. As she had in Norway where she also travelled to, to visit and to paint. 

She visited relatives and family on a little island connected with a wooden bridge to the mainland and no doubt has met a couple of very illustrious and famous colleagues (like the one above who happened to live there). All this I learned thanks to Katy, the present owner of this “Blaue Wunder” painting which today is in America. She is distantly, not directly since Bertha stayed unmarried, related to Bertha Schrader and Katy has found me through the Blog. Wonderful ! More to follow soon.

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

Bertha Schrader: mother of all women printmakers ?

Bertha Schrader

(Memel, Lithuania 1845 - 1920 Möckritz-Dresden) 

German painter and woodblock printmaker. 

In my ongoing research Bertha Schrader was possibly the oldest female artist-painter to try at woodblock printmaking. She will have been taught in Berlin by  Emil Orlik, but lived in Dresden at the time, where Martin Erich Philipp (1887-1978) was active with printmaking as early as 1908. She must have been in her early 60's, after having already a career as an accomplished and successful painter. I know of only two prints by her, monogrammed BS, and here's what I've been able to compose from the collected bits and pieces.

"Der Zwinger", the grand and impressive barok palace in Dresden, destroyed in WW2 but was restored to the museum complex it now houses. Build for the King of Poland, August the Strong (1670-1733) between 1710-1728.

Two other woodblock printmakers choose the Zwinger Palace as subject: Heine Rath (1873-1920 in the same year as Bertha Schrader) en Otto Westphal (1878-1975) also from Dresden. 

   Dutch Canal woodblock print and oil painting by Bertha Schrader, after her travels to neighboring Netherlands.  

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Born in Memel (Lithuania) Bertha but spend her youth in St.Peterburg (Russia) and from 1854 was living in Dresden (1894, Sidoniënstraße 14). Landscape and interior painter and printmaker  working and living in Dresden. Student of Paul Greab (1842-1892) in Berlin and Paul Baum (1854-1932) in Dresden. Eventually she embraced an impressionist style of painting. Only two woodblock prints of her are known at this moment. She started her career in Berlin but moved to Dresden Mockritz on the Elbe river. Travels to the Northsea and Ostsee, the Netherlands, Switzerland. Denmark and the North of Italy. 

Exhibited in Berlin, Dresden, Hannover, Hamburg and Bremen. She was a member of the VdBK in Berlin 1882-1916 and exhibited there 1882, 1884, 1886, 1888, 1892, 1894, 1901. She was chairwoman of the Dresden Women Artists Association. 

And here are two of her finest paintings:

Bertha Schrader: "An der Elbe" an impressionist impression 

Claude Monet: "River Seine at Vetheuil" 

Emil Nolde: "Elbe Schlepper" 

Max Liebermann: "River Elbe"

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Bertha Schrader: River Elbe near Möckritz-Dresden where she worked and lived. The Elbe flows all the way across Germany from Dresden to Hamburg on the North Sea.  

Rudolph Pöschmann (1878-1954), a local Dresden painter. 

In 1912 princess Mathilde of Saxony (1853-1933) opened a women artist exhibition in Dresden where a painting of Bertha Schrader was displayed. This was mentioned in the British 1912 Volume of the prestigious magazine "the Studio". See also "Mathilde Reuß, a royal printmaker ?" in this Blog by following the label below.  

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

All further information on Bertha Schrader would be very much welcomed. 

MR: more Mathilde Reuss in Erfurt ?

There're 100 years between this print of Erfurts St. Mariën Cathedral ("Domkirche") and the spires of Saint Severins church and the photographs. Building started 1200 years ago in the year 752 in honor of Bonifatius. Who wasn't a Saint yet  and who was to be murdered in Dokkum just two years later and not far from where I live today. Building of Saint Severins chapel and church started in the 13th century. 

The chestnut trees from the 1920's have been replaced by new specimens. And probably the sketching artist probably sat while the photographer stood explaining the slight difference in perspective. Incredible and amazing, how this comparison, with a century (!) in between pictures, can be made from the arm chair. From another country. From another time.   

Since my recent discovery, Mathilde Reuss in the before posting, I cannot help thinking this print lingering in Ebay for some time and monogrammed MR (lower left) is, or might be, another example by the printmaker royal. Other intelligent suggestions are of course welcomed. 

MR

is also the monogram used by Suisse painter and printmaker Marie Rollé (1865-1942), who I only know by this one print

My personal explanation the Princess/Countess was maybe less artistically gifted but had trained hard making up and becoming quite skillful. (Maybe) taking famous artists of her days as an example. Like Norbertine Bresslern Roth in her Marabus print. Mathildes monogram in that print resembling St. Severins spires is purely a coincidence of course. The hint of buildings on the horizon on the left just above the tree line making the difference between a snapshot and a well considered composition.   

If I had to do a blind test (no signature, no monogram, no clue) I would have guessed the Erfurt print could have been made by Helene Mass (b.1871). Because of the chestnuts and maybe created on a less inspiring day.  

Erfurts Cathedral complex in the times of Mathilde (1863-1933). 

The cathedral and church complex of Erfurt once the seat of the Saxon Empire was only mildly damaged in WWII in contrast to the destroyed marvels of Dresden, Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Stuttgart and so many other historic cities (Coventry, London, Breslau, Groningen, Rotterdam………..)   

Mathilde Reuss: a royal printmaker and a puzzle

Reuss, Mathilde

(Dresden 19-03-1853 – 1933 Dresden)
Princes and once heir to the throne of Saxony.

painter an printmaker.

(added 1-november 2015) It has become clear that the princes Mathilde is not identical with Mathilde Reuss, student of Angelo Jank and working in Munich. Mathilde Reuss known from a handful of color woodblock prints will be treated in an updated posting based on new information soon.   

Planning to compose a book on the first generation of German women  printmakers, born 1855-1900 and active before WWII I'm doing a lot of research lately, reading and checking biographies. Trying to fill up gaps and often starting with nothing. Like in this case. Who ever heard of Mathilde Reuss now considering there are two printmakers with that name.

It's combining archived pictures of prints gathered from old auction catalogues, books, on-line auction sites etcetera and the result of some serious puzzling together fragments, bits and pieces of facts and data. Today an example of my efforts unobscuring a forgotten and before unknown (unidentified) printmaking artist. My genealogical experience helping sometimes. 

The signature reads: Mathilde Reuß, München.  

Besides: Reuss or Reuß isn't a usual or "common" German family name either. It belongs to the House of Sachsen (Saxony), German (intermarried) royalty. Inherited from her great-great grandmother maternal: Countess Auguste Caroline Sophie Reuß zu Ebersdorf (1757 - 1831). Maybe her monogram in this African Storches or Marabus print is hinting at her royal status. RMR. the second R for Royal or Regina ?

Poster for the exhibition "Frauenkunst zum Besten fuhr Mutter und Kind" for the "Illustrierte Zeitung", Dresden 1912. 

So her full name is:  Mathilde Marie Auguste Viktorie Leopoldine Karoline Luise Franziska Josepha of Saxony, Duchess of Saxony. Eldest surviving daughter of King (for two years 1902-1904) George of Saxony  (1832-1904) and Maria Anna of Portugal (1843-1884). (They had 8 children but before Mathilde 2 girls died in infancy).

 Dresden Zoo Marabus or African Storks. Etching by Martin Erich Philipp

Princess Mathilde stayed unhappy and unmarried after being refused and rejected an arranged marriage by her fathers strategic choices. Twice. She was not a beauty and the lucky candidates obviously pernickety. Leaving the poor girl embittered,  seeking consolation in alcohol she was nicknamed “Schnapps Mathilde” by the Saxons. What a sad story. 

Marabus by Helene Grande-Tupke (1871-1946), in Breslau or Dresden Zoo.

Nevertheless Mathilde took up a career of painting and printmaking following painting lessons in Dresden with Alfred Diethe (1836-1919) from 1890 to 1901. And she was rich enough to have asked Norbertine Bresslern Roth (1891-1978) for some good advice because looking at her Marabus print she obviously was acquainted with her work. She certainly could afford summoning every artist in the land to her house in Dresden. 

She was given this villa in Dresden Hosterwitz. The von Sachsen-Coburgs were immensely, filthy rich: British Queen Victoria was one (by her mother) and she married one (prince Albert). Best way of keeping the money in the family and when you're lucky the children will turn out not too bad. Here Mathilde stayed, traveling, painting, making prints and posters, illustrating a book or two and maybe drinking once in while reflecting how her life would have looked like if she had married, had children like 3 of her 5 brothers and sister. Aunty Mathilde died in the villa aged 70 in 1933. What was left of the great house after the rage of WWII was broken up in shelters for the homeless first and later converted into dwellings for ordinary people. 

A bookplate made for Mathilde Reuss by Ferdinand Nockher, a Munich painter, illustrator and bookplate (ex-libris) maker.

See also the before posting for the Marabu print by Philipp Reisdorff: a coincidence. 

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

The Marabu print by HTG: from the Japonism Blog. Thank you Lilly!