About Me

My photo
Sublimity, OR, United States
****WELCOME FRIENDS****
I am artist of texture and color. I enjoy working with textiles, mixed media and the graphic arts. I am an avid cottage gardener with a love for pass along plants and big fluffy pink peonies and pink roses. Many of my tangible creations reflect my love of the garden and all its wonderful colors. I have been selling my creations online since 2002 beginning as a hobby. After 10 years I quit the day job to pursue my art as a full time passion.

26 October 2009

Ellen Clapsaddle..a tribute


You see her art everywhere. You know it is vintage and she painted sweet faces of children and inviting scenes for almost every holiday. But just who was Ellen Clapsaddle?
I was recently at an artisian group meeting where I was working on some gift tags with Clapsaddle images. Someone inquired-- how old is that image on that gift tag you are making? I had to guess, well, it must be some where before 1925???
So I decided to "google" Ellen Clapsaddle. I found a remarkable story as well as a very sad ending to this talented artists life. I have pasted exerts from an web article here.

Ellen Hattie Clapsaddle (1863-1934), born in New York State, is among the best and greatest female American illustrator/commercial artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Not only is her style greatly admired and well recognized, today she is recognized as the most prolific souvenir/postcard and greeting card artist of her era

Ellen started out as an art teacher, and doing freelance work for wealthy families. In 1901, the International Art Publishing Company also offered her a paid 2-year trip to Germany for her and her mother. While in Germany, she refined her art talent by working directly and closely with the German engravers who were the actual manufacturers of the products offered for sale. Her designs started to appear in various forms like Valentines, souvenir/postcards, booklets, watercolor prints, calendars, and trade cards and other objects in the world of advertising.

She returned to New York around 1906. It is said that she established the Wolf Company backed by the Wolf brothers--a full subsidiary of the International Art Publishing Company of New York City. She was the first and only female souvenir/postcard artist of the era to establish her own enterprise. She was the sole artist and designer for this company.

At that time, few women were even employed as full-time illustrators. For 8 years she and the Wolf brothers enjoyed their success and there seemed to be no limit to the growth potential in the souvenir/postcard industry. (Some sources suggest that she was employed by the Wolf brothers). Nevertheless, confidence in the boom and high return in profits in this specialized area of commercial art during this boom period, led her and her partners to invest heavily in the years that followed in many Germany engraving and publishing firms. She returned once again to Germany to work with the engravers and publishers they used because they had the best printing plants.

The postcard and greeting card business was doing well, and Ellen was making good money most of which she invested in German printing firms.



By 1914, the war broke out. The majority of the souvenir/postcard publishers in the United States depended on German supplying firms but once they became disconnected from them, they had to go out of business. Many German factories suffered total destruction from bombings and all of Ellen's recent original artwork was lost along with the investments in those firms because of the destruction of the records and messages going back forth between the continents that never arrived or were never answered. Ellen was totally displaced and could not be found. She was penniless, lost, and alone in a far away land in the middle of the turmoil of the First World War.

By 1915, many firms in the United States, like the Wolf Company, did not have a business any more and in their case, their sole designer-artist was lost in Germany.

Although the United States did not enter the war until 1917. Between 1914 and 1919, Ellen was trapped and unable to leave the country. The end of the engraving and publishing industry in Germany came about suddenly and so did her livelihood and her future--so did her life and spirit and desire to live as she witnessed and suffered the war first hand.


With the end of the war in 1919, nothing was known about Ellen's fate in the United States. One or two of the Wolf brothers borrowed money so they could go to search for her in Europe. She was finally found six months later. By then, she had had a complete mental breakdown as a victim of the war, wandering through the streets, hungry and sick, and her health and spirit were totally broken-- she was only 55 years old. When the Wolf brothers approached her, she barely recognized them so disconnected from the world and reality. The Wolf brothers brought Ellen back to the United States.

Because Ellen was an only child who had never married nor had children of her own, she had no close relatives. Furthermore, she had spent all of her time and productive years dedicated to her artwork and there was no one to take care of her under those circumstances. The Wolf brothers took care of Ellen as long as they were able and alive but they too died destitute and poor. When they passed on, she was left penniless, alone, unable to work, and mentally incapacitated. She had lost the ability to make a living and her deteriorating health rapidly became a major obstacle.

She was admitted to the Peabody Home for the elderly and destitute on Pelham Parkway in New York City in January of 1932. One day short of her 69th birthday in 1934 she passed away. Like many residents of the home who had no relatives, she was buried in a potters' grave. She died totally destitute through no fault of her own just like the Wolf brothers--innocent victims of the world tragedy of the First World War.




I am sure Ellen is smiling down from heaven knowing that her art has endured and is loved and collected by so many. I for one, truly appreciate her incredible talent. Help yourself to any of these images!

to read the entire article you can find it here



16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I for one have always loved her art. There is no justice sometimes that someone who can make the world smile with their God given talent can end so tragically. So sad....
Love,
Marilyn

Unknown said...

Her art lives on as does her inspiration. Just imagine her glee as she looks down on us all and sees what wonders perpetuate her art today,and,the beautiful objects created with them.

Dawn said...

What a incredible and sad story. I have loved seeing all the post cards as I browsed for art but now I will have a much better appreciation of them. Thanks for sharing,
Dawn

Laura said...

What a touching story. Thanks for sharing it. I think I actually have two of her postcards and didn't even know it. I'm going to check them out more thoroughly.

Vicki said...

I so enjoyed this post today! I love her images so much. I am thankful that her paintings live on as a tribute to her and her wonderful talent! Blessings to you! Vicki p.s. Thank you for the free images, too.

Wendy McDonagh-Valentine said...

What a sad, sad story. I recognized so many of those photos. Thank you for putting a name behind all of those incredibly beautiful illustrations. Ellen Clapsaddle will live on forever. : )

~ Wendy
http://Crickleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

MISUKO said...

What a beautiful blog!I love vintage pictures. Have a nice day!

Sandy said...

I love Clapsaddle's postcards! I used to own quite a few, but alas I had to sell them. Thanks for the wonderful article!

Pink Roses and Teacups said...

Thank you so much for sharing this sad story. I love her artwork. What a wonderful tribute that people still love her artwork today. thank you for the free
images. :)

Debbie

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

Artists did not always do well back then and even today struggle.
I am not surprised that you would be the one to bring us her story and pay tribute to her. Not surprised at all. Thank you so much for sharing it!

joyh82 said...

What a sad story, her illustrations are wonderful.

Carol Anne's Boutique said...

I have always loved her art so much.
Thank you so much for sharing such a heartfelt tribute. She had such amazing talent and it is so very sad that her life ended so tragically.
Thank you for sharing some of her beautiful work.
Hugs, Carol Anne

Martha's Favorites said...

I know what you mean Debi, every bone in my body hurts. I have Noah, today, then Monday. Hopely we will be back to our regular scheduled before I drop! Have a Happy Halloween. Blessings, dear one, Martha

Sharon's Cottage Quilts said...

I am so happy to have visited your blog today! I've seen Ellen's work and admired it so many times, but didn't know her name and certainly not her story. What a fasinating life she had, and how tragically it ended. Wow! Forevermore, when I see her work I will think of your blog! Blessings~!Sharon

Sheila said...

WOW what a story .. Thanks for finding that and sharing it.. Sad ending for sure.

Dru said...

Thank you so much for this. I have been enamoured by her artwork for several years and use it extensively in a lot of my work. I too had googled her for information, but did not find this much. I love hearing her history albeit very sad and tragic. I think of her everytime I use her images - which is almost daily. Thanks again so much for sharing.

Every Saturday

Where we reside

Where we reside

The Oregon Coastline

The Oregon Coastline