Deja Vu....solved: Ernst Pickardt

Finding the complete text of a 1924 graphics catalogue resulted in solving this mystery signature in this print found recently see posting of May 25th. Thank you Wolfgang. The artist is Berlin Jewish painter an etcher:

Ernst Max Pickardt 

(Berlin 1876 - 1931 Berlin) 

I shall not reveal all biographic details here (that is for the book) but although largely forgotten today he was represented in that catalogue with some 50 etchings mainly of German composers and Poets and Italian views, obviously after an extensive trip. I would very much like to know more about his parents Hermann Pickardt (dates unknown, he had a brother Julius Pickardt also in the beer trade. Julius' name is frequently mentioned, but probably as anti-semitic propaganda, in relation to the "Dividend-beer fraud & scandals" in the 1870-80's (after the Berlin stock market collapsed in 1873) and his mother Dorothea Heimann (dates unknown). She may be however identical with Doris Pickardt-Hermann, daughter of Berlin rabbi and printer Hermann Samuel Hermann (1810-1889) and Jeanette Freund. In that case Ernst has 5 more brothers and 2 sisters. As a biographer I would like to know about all 19th century Berlin Pickardt family members, there weren't that many and they seem all related, James, Wilhelm, Max, Felix etc... 

Dorothea Heimann was Hermanns second wife, married around 1875. His first wife (dates and name unknown) died (aged 28) when their apartment at Oranienstrasse 52 collapsed due to unprofessional building activities in 1871. Their child (daughter) survived the crash. Revealed in 1871 newspapers and minutes of the 1872 criminal investigations to the cause leading to 3 fatalities.  

The Boulevard Montmartre view however is from his trip to Paris in 1928 and clearly a tribute to the impressionists Camille Pissaro and Gustave Caillebotte who kind of "invented" the boulevard view from a balcony from his posh Boulevard Hausmann residence.

-----------

Ernst's father Hermann was in the Berlin beer trade and he himself married 1917 the daughter of an heir of two Berlin fortunes (great-grandfathers): the Jewish jeweller to the imperial crown Zadig Freidländer (1801-1861) and Jewish king of textile Valentin Mannheimer (1815-1889): 

Leonie Martha Lehfeld (Berlin 1892-1964 Berlin) is said to have been "Kleinplastikerein" a sculptrice or ceramist creating figurines. Sadly she is not mentioned in any of the artist lexicons. She was the daughter of lawyer Dr. Robert Lehfeld (b. Breslau 1857) and Bertha Friedlander (b. Berlin 1869). The Friendländer-Manheimer Berlin ancestry is clear but I would very much like to know more about this Lehfeld family too.   

All information welcomed.   

Deja vu: Paris,Pissarro, Boulevard Montparnasse

An artist (I'm confident that with the help of readers we will be able to decipher the signature) travelled to Paris, took a room in Grand Hotel de Russie (photo below,  left) at the corner of Boulevard Montparnasse and Rue Drouot (Carrefour Drouot) and did what Camille Pissarro did 25-30 years before: enjoy the view from his balcony and make an image. 

Pissarro did not one but of some 15 of them, in 1897 when he was towards 70, acknowledging his mastership as "Father of Impressionism". They hang all over the world in treasured Impressionist collections. 

Although I think Pissarro obviously did enjoy the view and absorb the life and romance of this wonderful place, where 3 major Boulevards merge at Carrefour Drouot: Bd. Montparnasse, Bd. Italian and Bd. Hausmann. I also believe Pissaro "fiddled" with the point of vantage, recreating the perspective, in his paintings. He suggests to be positioned more or less in the centre of the road allowing him to see along the left row of trees. Something that would have been impossible from his balcony. 

Astonishingly: his has the same perspective as most of the postcard views. I could find no clues or discussions about this phenomenon in the public domain but I suppose these paintings will be analysed by the experts extensively.  Pissarro also exaggerated the width of the Boulevard considerably to emphasise its "grandeur" dramatising the importance of Paris' Grand Boulevards.

Speaking of postcards and photographs. Across the Hôtel de Russie is a large building with the name Reutlinger on it. Leopold Reutlinger continued the business his father had taken over from his brother Charles who started it in 1850. Their studios were located in this building. This classic (academic) nude  practising to be a Greek Godess or Maillol statue was taken (and composed)  by Leopold.    

The reversed letters upper right read Cadum ..von. They are no doubt from a soap advertisement that is known to be (and has been for a century) there although it should read Savon Cadum and not Cadum Savon. 

Reader Tom suggested the  etching artist saw a Neon light (iconic of Paris and in use since the end of WW-I) on the roofs opposite. Or the artist made a tiny mistake.   

About Grand Hotel de Russie in Paris (Rue Drouot 1) not much is to be found. In later photographs it also named Hotel de Brésil and by the time our artist checked in: La Maison du Cafe, which was also the name of a coffee brand.

     

At least until 1909 it was known as Grand Hôtel de Russie and was owned by Alfred Riguelle, the severe looking chairman of the French Cyclist Union.

See name of the Hotel upper right. 

All pictures embiggen by mouse click

   All help and suggestions on the etchers identity are welcomed !

(artist identity solved: august 10th 2018)
follow the label 

-------------

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