Lina Ammer in Eichstätt, a puzzle solved.

Lina Ammer's visit to Eichstätt (Bavaria)

(dating before 1929)

In the end Wolfgang usually finds what he is looking for solving the puzzle in last posting. The fountain is the "Willibaldsbrunnen" in Eichstätt in the heart of Bavaria. The building is Hotel "zum Träube" (the Grape). The name, closely examining, the artist even carved in the Block.

The Hotel has been under reconstruction in 1929 lifting the building with an extra floor (rows of windows).

Thank you Wolfgang !

And here're also with the help of Wolfgang and the "Allgäuer Auktionshaus Kühling" who on his request send the original photo's from their 2011 auction of these two Lina Ammer prints. Another Regensburg "Haus der Musik" (the right one)

 and a not identified historical but characteristic building.

  

Of this last one I "reconstructed", the left margin using Photoshop because it was hidden in the original photo.  

 

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

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.  

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

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

 ------------------------

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. 

   

Lina Ammer, painter & printmaker

Lina (Karolina) Ammer

maybe ! (Landau 1866-1933 Ering) 

German painter and printmaker 

Publishing this tribute to painter and printmaker Karolina or Lina Ammer (her cartouche-monogram is LA) maybe one day will help solving the mystery about her biography, or rather the absence of it. This obituary (right)  is maybe fitting "our" Lina Ammer according to which she died as a pensioner (without kin ?) and after a miserable last period. 

Lina Ammer was a teacher at the Regensburg Sankt Mariën Lyzeum für Englische Fräulein (St. Marie's school for English ladies) esth. in 1903 (left). It was founded and teaches after the principles of the English nun and founding sister Mary Ward (1585-1645) (read here*) 





Real and not armchair and web-based research will have to confirm the artist belonging to the obituary datings because her year of birth is also "mentioned" as 1871 and her death as 1935. Maybe also one day this posting will lead me to the highest ranking illusive parrot print on my wishlist. 

Sources indicate Landau is the city were she was born, Regensburg on river Donau were she taught at school and started and lead a private painting school for ladies from the late 1890's and Ering (near the Austrian border) the site were she (may have) died. These places are all situated in the south east of Germany (Bavaria) and not far, a crows flight, apart. Left a Regensburg painting by artist Hedwig Reisinger 1904-1998, below a contemporary panorama.

She is said to have studied in München's Kunst und Gewerbeschule (Arts and Crafts school) under Heinrich Stelzner (1833-1910), Anton Azbe (1862-1905), Bernard Buttersack (1858-1925) and Guido Joseph Kern (1878-1953). I give as many clues to ensure further possible future additions by readers. 

Seeing these works (and it has taken me quite some time finding, excavating and collecting them) it is again sad and bewildering so little is known and delivered to us. Not only about Lina Ammer's life but on so many other wonderful artists, lesser Gods and Goddesses of painting and printmaking. The wonderful blue parrots once were auctioned in the US: see below for a quick genealogical survey on the Ammer family and maybe how it came to be in America.

   

In one occasion I've found her name as an illustrator for a 1900 Regensburg history book. The name of only one Regensburg private student of Lina Ammer, who studied with her for 8 years, emerged from the internet: Gabriëlle Greger (1901-1982): no examples.

These two oil paintings, found in old auction catalogues, by Lina Ammer closing this posting on this artist and sharing all I have been able to trace on her life and her works. Hopefully the force of the Internet and help from readers will help changing this in near future.

Added print 24th april 2013

Notice: As I've experienced some of these postings, or the contents are obviously "used" as reference by third parties (and I do not blame them) I've added this last find, (from Ebay) April 24th. It has been enhanced and straightened just a little (you may object and complain) because of foxing, folds and creases in the original. But since comments are really scarce I'm confident it will be accepted silently and with gratitude.    

All pictures are mouse clickable to embiggen and

borrowed freely from the Internet for friendly, educational and non-comercial use only.
---------------------------

Some genealogical notes on a Bavarian Ammer family and the USA.

On the 6th of october 1908 one Lina Ammer (aged 40, so born around 1868) visited America travelling in the Norddeutsche Lloyd ocean steamer SS Rhein from Bremen and passed Ellis Island. The mentioned village of "Spperhofen" sadly doesn't ring any bell: it is probably misspelled. Maybe a certain Bavarian reader can help.

Years before all but two children of the Bavarian familie of Ludwig Gerstbrein (1834-1880) and Magdalena Leightinger: Alois, Otto, Theresa, Ludwig, Georg and Heinrich, all emigrated into the USA and to Pittsburg. After Ludwig died the widowed Magdalena followed her children in 1896 aged 60. She died in Pittsburg 1910. The family originated from small villages like Kimoden, Straubing, Hirschkofen, Metting all in a small circle in Bavaria. Magdalena travelled with SS Lahn from Bremen through Southampton. 

But two other sisters are said to have stayed in Germany: Maria (1863-1942) who married Xaver Ammer (1860-1939) and one Carolina Lena (with both names mentioned) said to have been married to an Ammer as well. Xaver Ammer was the son of Jacob Ammer (1830-1908) and Anna Wurm (1835-1898) from Metting Bavaria.

There is a possibility Lina Ammer actually is Lina Gerstbrein maybe visiting her brothers sisters and her mother Magdalena in 1908. 

Xaver Ammer and Maria Gertsbrein had 12 children, among them a Lina Ammer (1894-1961) who later also emigrated to the USA. She would/could have been Lina's namesake niece (after Magdalena) aged 14 in 1908. One of their other children was named Crescentia, probably after grandmother Magdalena's sister: Crescentia Leihtinger (1823-1901) and spelled without the h, who emigrated a generation before to Wisconsin USA. Family members travelled back and forth to Germany like brother Ludwig jr. marrying in Bavaria before returning to his home in the States. Others came back to die and be burried and in the motherland.