Summary Information
Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath Papers 1918-2009
- Lichtner, Schomer, 1905-2006
- Grotenrath, Ruth, 1912-1988
UWM Manuscript Collection 328
- 13 cubic ft. (29 boxes)
- 14 videocassettes
- 5 digital video files (4.68 GB)
- 14 safety film negatives
- 7 nitrate negatives
UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)
Papers of Milwaukee-area artists Ruth Grotenrath and
Schomer Lichtner. Grotenrath is well known for her dramatic, colorful floral images
while Lichtner is best known for his whimsical and cheerful paintings and sculptures
of cows and ballerinas. While the collection documents the work and lives of both
artists, the bulk of the collection documents Lichtner's work, as he was more
prolific and outlived his wife by 18 years. English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0328 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Ruth Dorothy Grotenrath was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1912. She graduated from
Milwaukee State Teachers College in 1933 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, intending
to teach art. Grotenrath married fellow Milwaukee artist Schomer Lichtner in 1934,
and both found employment with the art programs of the Federal Works Progress
Administration (WPA) in 1935. While Grotenrath worked primarily as an artist, she
taught art on and off throughout her life, teaching still life painting part-time at
the Layton School of Art in 1945 and design at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
in 1961. She also taught alongside Lichtner at The Clearing, a learning retreat in
Door County, Wisconsin, for several years. Grotenrath enjoyed a fifty yearlong
career. Her work was exhibited at the World's Fairs of New York and San Francisco;
the Metropolitan Museum in New York; the National Gallery, Washington, D.C.; the
Chicago Art Institute; the Milwaukee Art Museum; the Virginia Museum; and a variety
of other museums. She passed away at the age of 75 in 1988 due to complications from
multiple bypass heart surgery.
Frank Schomer Lichtner was born in Peoria, Illinois in 1905. He studied at the
Milwaukee State Teachers College, the Chicago Art Institute, the Art Students League
of New York, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He married Ruth Grotenrath in
1934. In 1935, both Lichtner and Grotenrath found work with the art programs of the
Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). Lichtner is known for two dominant
motifs in his artwork: cows, inspired by the summers spent on the farm, and
ballerinas, which came from an interest in ballet. While primarily focused on
creating art, Lichtner also occasionally taught drawing and painting at the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the 1960s, as well as courses at the Layton
School of Art in Milwaukee, the Wustum Museum of Fine Arts in Racine, and the
Milwaukee Art Institute. During the 1950s and 1960s, Lichtner and Grotenrath both
taught art courses at The Clearing, a learning retreat in Door County, Wisconsin.
Lichtner enjoyed a very long and successful career. He was awarded the Wisconsin
Visual Arts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. His work was exhibited at the
Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh; the National Gallery, Washington D.C.; the Art
Institute of Chicago; the Milwaukee Art Institute; the Boston Museum of Fine Art;
the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Milwaukee State Teacher's College, and
several other galleries and museums. He passed away at the age of 101 in 2006.
Grotenrath and Lichtner maintained a home in Milwaukee on Maryland Avenue near UWM,
as well as a farm near Holy Hill, in Washington County, where they spent their
summers. These homes were decorated to reflect the art and tastes of Grotenrath and
Lichtner. The artists had one child, Peter Lichtner.
Scope and Content Note
Scope and content notes for each series are included in the contents list.
Arrangement of the Materials
The records are arranged into the following series:
-
General Files,
1918-2007
-
Artwork,
1927-2009
-
Videos, 1981-2006
The files are organized alphabetically by folder heading or video title within each
series.
Preferred Citation
Citation Guide for Primary Sources
Related Material in the UWM Libraries
Administrative/Restriction Information
Researchers must use access copies of electronic records. There are no other
access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members
of the public in accordance with state law.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel,
privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection
(Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).
The Estate of Lichtner and Grotenrath donated the collection to the Archives in
October 2010 (accession 2010-022).
Charlie Tonelli, Hayley Jackson, and Christel Maass processed the collection from
January to December 2013.
Contents List
|
Series: 1. General Files, 1918-2007 : This series consists of correspondence, notes and musings, biographical
materials, press clippings, and other materials largely related to the
artists' work, though the bulk of the materials in this series were produced
by Schomer Lichtner. Also included are photographs of the artists, their
homes, their family, and Lichtner's 90th and 100th birthday celebrations.
Some of the earliest materials in this series are family photos which are
largely unidentified. More recent materials pertain to Schomer Lichtner's
death and/or life and estate, and unveiling of Lichtner murals at the
Oconomowoc Historical Museum in 2007.
|
|
Box
1
Folder
1
|
Art Classes and Demonstrations, Catalogs and Fliers,
1948-1970
|
|
Box
1
Folder
2
|
Art Classes, Notes and Other Documents,
1948-1968
|
|
Box
1
Folder
3-4
|
Art Musings, 1979-2004, undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
5
|
Artspace Exhibition, 1987-1991
|
|
Box
1
Folder
6
|
Awards and Accolades, 1939-2007
|
|
Box
1
Folder
7
|
Biographical Information,
undated
|
|
|
Biographical Notes and Documents
|
|
Box
1
Folder
8
|
Ruth Grotenrath, undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
9
|
Schomer Lichtner, 1918-2007, undated
|
|
Box
2
Folder
1
|
Book Correspondence, 1963-1964
|
|
Box
2
Folder
2-4
|
Business Correspondence and Paperwork,
1940-2003
|
|
Box
2
Folder
5
|
Business-Related Drafts,
1981-1990
|
|
Box
2
Folder
6
|
Center for Research into the Art and Artists of Wisconsin,
1993-1998
|
|
Box
28
Folder
1
|
Composition and Exhibition Plans, Schomer Lichtner,
1966-1988, undated
|
|
|
Correspondence
|
|
Box
2
Folder
7
|
Ruth Grotenrath Drafts,
1950-1987
|
|
Box
2
Folder
8-9
|
Schomer Lichtner Drafts, 1946-2003, undated
|
|
Box
3
Folder
1-2
|
Schomer Lichtner Drafts, 1952-2004, undated
|
|
Box
28
Folder
2
|
Schomer Lichtner Drafts,
undated
|
|
Box
3
Folder
3
|
Schomer Lichtner with Peter and Wife,
1975-1994, undated
|
|
Box
3
Folder
4-8
|
Correspondence from Josephine Ainsworth,
1937-1942, undated
|
|
Box
3
Folder
9
|
Correspondence Related to Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath,
1940-2007
|
|
Box
3
Folder
10
|
Correspondence Related to Various Exhibitions,
1960-1996
|
|
Box
3
Folder
11-14
|
Correspondence to Ruth Grotenrath,
1937-1989
|
|
Box
4
Folder
1-8
|
Correspondence to Schomer Lichtner,
1935-2006
|
|
Box
28
Folder
3
|
Correspondence to Schomer Lichtner,
1988
|
|
Box
5
Folder
1-5
|
Correspondence to Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath Family,
1937-1997, undated
|
|
Box
5
Folder
6
|
Correspondence with Unnamed Recipients,
1938-1998, undated
|
|
Box
5
Folder
7
|
Credited Programs and Listings,
1948-2003
|
|
Box
28
Folder
4-6
|
Documents Relating to WPA, Heinemann's, and Other Murals,
1935-2007, undated
|
|
Box
6
Folder
1-3
|
Estate, 1990-2006, undated
|
|
Box
6
Folder
4
|
Farm Correspondence, 1941-1995
|
|
Box
6
Folder
5
|
Gallery Contract, Draft Notes,
1981-2002
|
|
Box
6
Folder
6-7
|
Greeting Card Correspondence, 1947-1951, undated
|
|
Box
6
Folder
8
|
Interviews, Press, Promotions, and Mission Statement,
1939-2005, undated
|
|
Box
7
Folder
1
|
Japan Musings and Correspondence,
1965-1966
|
|
Box
7
Folder
2
|
Japan Trip Diary, Ruth Grotenrath,
1965
|
|
Box
7
Folder
3
|
Ledger, 1971-1984
|
|
Box
7
Folder
4
|
Linda King Video Tribute to Schomer Lichtner,
2003
|
|
Box
7
Folder
5
|
Memorial Exhibitions, 1989-2003, undated
|
|
Box
7
Folder
6
|
Milwaukee Ballet, 1978-1998, undated
|
|
Box
7
Folder
7
|
Miscellaneous Drafts, 1981-2003, undated
|
|
Box
7
Folder
8
|
Mitchell Field/Gimbels Mural Proposals,
1953-1954
|
|
|
Musings
|
|
Box
7
Folder
9
|
Ruth Grotenrath, undated
|
|
Box
7
Folder
10
|
Schomer Lichtner, 1966-2003, undated
|
|
Box
28
Folder
7
|
News Release, 1964
|
|
Box
7
Folder
11
|
Newsletter Notes, 1982-1999, undated
|
|
Box
8
Folder
1-2
|
Notebooks/Journals, Schomer Lichtner,
1989-2004
|
|
Box
8
Folder
3
|
100th Birthday Correspondence, Schomer Lichtner,
2005
|
|
|
Photographs
|
|
Box
10
Folder
1-3
|
Family, 1919-2005, undated
|
|
Box
27
|
Family, undated
|
|
Box
10
Folder
4
|
Family Collage (Photocopied), undated
|
|
Box
27
|
Farm, undated
|
|
Box
10
Folder
5
|
Home, Maryland Avenue, undated
|
|
Box
27
|
Peter Lichtner and Wife, undated
|
|
Box
27
|
Ruth Grotenrath, undated
|
|
Box
10
Folder
6
|
Schomer Lichtner, 1981
|
|
Box
27
|
Schomer Lichtner, undated
|
|
35 mm Safety Film Box
4
|
Schomer Lichtner, Negatives, 1981 4 35 mm safety film negatives
|
|
Box
10
Folder
7
|
Schomer Lichtner, 90th Birthday Party,
1996
|
|
|
Press Clippings
|
|
Box
8
Folder
4-10
|
1926-1988
|
|
Box
9
Folder
1-3
|
1990-2007, undated
|
|
Box
9
Folder
4
|
Press Clippings Related to Ruth Grotenrath and Schomer Lichtner
Family, 1922, 1967, undated
|
|
Box
9
Folder
5
|
Printmaking Grant Application,
1967
|
|
Box
9
Folder
6
|
Projects, 1955
|
|
Box
9
Folder
7
|
Retrospective Exhibit, 1984
|
|
Box
9
Folder
8
|
Self-Acceptance Interview and Notes,
1994?
|
|
Box
10
Folder
8
|
Slides, Ruth Grotenrath, undated
|
|
Box
9
Folder
9
|
Urban Art Study Proposal,
undated
|
|
Box
9
Folder
10
|
Wright and Taliesin, Drafts and Musings,
1987-2004, undated
|
|
|
Series: 2. Artwork, 1927-2009 : This series consists of artwork-related materials. Included are sketches and
drawings, and published materials, such as books and booklets, calendars,
greeting cards, exhibit catalogs, and publications within which the artists'
work appeared. This series also contains extensive photographs (or copies
thereof) of the artists' output, including images of paintings, murals,
sculptures, and retrospective exhibitions and celebrations of their work.
The artists appear in some of the photographs with their artwork. Some files
in this series also contain work-for-hire artwork.
|
|
Box
11
Folder
1
|
Alphabet Drawings, Schomer
Lichtner, 1973
|
|
Box
28
Folder
8
|
Art on Metal Sheets, undated
|
|
Box
11
Folder
2
|
Artwork Notebook, 1932-1946
|
|
Box
11
Folder
3
|
Beans and Barley Project, 1995
|
|
|
Books/Booklets
|
|
Box
11
Folder
4
|
Ruth Grotenrath, 1980-1991
|
|
Box
11
Folder
5-9
|
Schomer Lichtner, 1978-2004, undated
|
|
Box
11
Folder
10
|
Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath,
1999-2000
|
|
Box
12
Folder
1
|
Business Stationary and Advertising,
1947-1993, undated
|
|
Box
28
Folder
9
|
Business Stationary and Advertising,
undated
|
|
Box
12
Folder
2
|
Calendar, 1963
|
|
Box
12
Folder
3
|
Calendars, 2003-2009
|
|
Box
12
Folder
4
|
Christmas Cards, Notebook,
undated
|
|
Box
12
Folder
5
|
Cow Cutouts and Foldouts, Schomer Lichtner,
1986, undated
|
|
Box
12
Folder
6
|
Documents Written by Ruth Grotenrath for Others,
undated
|
|
Box
12
Folder
7
|
Drawings, Schomer Lichtner,
1964
|
|
Box
12
Folder
8
|
Drawings from the Nude, Schomer
Lichtner, 1974
|
|
|
Exhibit Catalogs
|
|
Box
17
Folder
1
|
Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath,
1962-1988
|
|
Box
17
Folder
2-8
|
Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath with Other Artists,
1930-1974
|
|
Box
28
Folder
10
|
Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath with Other Artists,
1964
|
|
Box
18
Folder
1-4
|
Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath with Other Artists,
1980-2004, undated
|
|
Box
18
Folder
5-7
|
Exhibit Fliers, Mailers, and Invitations,
1925-2005, undated
|
|
Box
19
Folder
1-2
|
Exhibits, Books, Catalogs, Notes and Drafts, Schomer Lichtner,
1940-2004, undated
|
|
Box
12
Folder
9
|
Fan Art, Schomer Lichtner, 1982-1984, undated
|
|
Box
13
Folder
1-2
|
Flexagons, Schomer Lichtner, 1970-1976, undated
|
|
|
Greeting Cards
|
|
Box
13
Folder
3-5
|
1958, 1975-1996, undated
|
|
Box
28
Folder
11
|
undated
|
|
Box
13
Folder
6
|
Ballet, 1978-1997, undated
|
|
Box
13
Folder
7
|
Birds, undated
|
|
Box
14
Folder
1
|
Cows, 1969-1989, undated
|
|
Box
14
Folder
2
|
Holiday, 1975, undated
|
|
Box
14
Folder
3
|
Holy Hill, undated
|
|
Box
14
Folder
4
|
Landscapes and Flowers, 1969, 1988-1993, undated
|
|
Box
14
Folder
5
|
Taliesen, 1987-2000
|
|
Box
29
|
Handkerchiefs, Schomer Lichtner,
undated
|
|
Box
29
Folder
1
|
Inventory, Schomer Lichtner Retrospective,
undated
|
|
Box
14
Folder
6
|
Milwaukee Ballet, 1983-2000, undated
|
|
Box
14
Folder
7
|
Milwaukee Dance Theater,
1992-2004
|
|
Box
14
Folder
8
|
Miscellaneous, 1940-2000, undated
|
|
|
Murals
|
|
5 x 7 Nitrate Box
2
|
1950s 5 3.5" x 5.5" nitrate negatives
|
|
8 x 10 Safety Film Box
1
|
Schomer Lichtner, Negatives,
1934 3 5" x 8" safety film negatives
|
|
5 x 7 Nitrate Box
2
|
Schomer Lichtner, Negatives,
1952 2 3.5" x 5.5" nitrate negatives
|
|
Box
29
|
Placemats and Napkins, undated
|
|
|
Photo Album, Schomer Lichtner
|
|
Box
20
Folder
1
|
Art Exhibit, 2004
|
|
Box
20
Folder
2
|
Sculpture, Downtown Milwaukee,
undated
|
|
Box
20
Folder
3
|
WPA Art and 100th Birthday,
2005
|
|
|
Photographs, Ruth Grotenrath
|
|
Box
21
Folder
1-6
|
Artwork, 1936-1983, undated
|
|
Box
23
Folder
1
|
Artwork, 1983-1985, undated
|
|
Box
27
|
Artwork, undated
|
|
Box
23
Folder
2
|
Artwork and Artist, undated
|
|
Box
23
Folder
3
|
Retrospective, 1988, undated
|
|
|
Photographs, Schomer Lichtner
|
|
Box
22
Folder
1-5
|
Artwork, 1927-1999, undated
|
|
Box
25-26
|
Artwork, undated : Some images of Ruth Grotenrath's artwork may be mixed in.
|
|
Box
28
Folder
12
|
Artwork, undated
|
|
Box
22
Folder
6
|
Artwork and Artist, 1986-2005, undated
|
|
Box
22
Folder
7
|
Artwork and Artist, Images from Lillian Schultz,
1999
|
|
Box
22
Folder
8
|
Artwork and Artist, 100th Birthday, 1997, undated
|
|
Box
23
Folder
4
|
Cow-themed Gala, undated
|
|
Box
23
Folder
5
|
Sculpture, 1990, undated
|
|
Box
22
Folder
9
|
Sculpture, 1997, undated
|
|
35 mm Safety Film Box
4
|
Sculpture, Schomer Lichtner, Negatives,
undated 1 35mm safety film negative
|
|
Box
23
Folder
6
|
Wisconsin Lutheran College,
2000
|
|
35 mm Safety Film Box
4
|
Wisconsin Lutheran College,
2000 6 35 mm safety film negatives
|
|
|
Photographs, Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath
|
|
Box
22
Folder
10
|
Artwork, undated
|
|
Box
28
Folder
13
|
Murals, 1935-1938, 1999, undated
|
|
Box
23
Folder
7
|
Murals, 1986-2000
|
|
Box
29
Folder
2
|
Posters and Oversize Advertising, 1951-1996, undated
|
|
Box
14
Folder
9
|
Publication Containing Art of Schomer Lichtner and Ruth
Grotenrath, 1962
|
|
Box
14
Folder
10-11
|
Publications Containing Art of Ruth Grotenrath,
1936-2001
|
|
Box
15
Folder
1
|
Publications Containing Art of Schomer Lichtner,
1927-2000
|
|
Box
15
Folder
2
|
Sales Pad, 1991-1994
|
|
Box
15
Folder
3-4
|
Sketches and Drawings, Schomer Lichtner,
1980-1993
|
|
Box
16
Folder
1-11
|
Sketches and Drawings, Schomer Lichtner,
undated
|
|
Box
29
Folder
3
|
Sketches, Drawings, Painting, and Miscellaneous Oversize, Schomer
Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath, 1958, undated
|
|
Box
22
Folder
11
|
Slides, Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath, Artwork,
1967-2000, undated
|
|
Box
15
Folder
5
|
Spotted Cow Drawings, Schomer
Lichtner, 1969
|
|
Box
15
Folder
6
|
Travel Sketches, Ruth Grotenrath,
undated
|
|
|
Work for Hire
|
|
Box
29
Folder
4
|
Heinemann, 1941
|
|
Box
15
Folder
7
|
Various, 1954-2003, undated
|
|
|
Series: 3. Videos, 1981-2006 : This series consists of a videos, mostly focusing on Lichtner, his home, and
his artwork. Many of the videos contain raw footage of interviews and
Lichtner working on his art.
|
|
Electronic Folder
|
Earth Care,
undated 1 digital video file (00:24:31)
|
|
Video
1
|
Film of Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath Made for Kohler
Show, 2004 Videocassette (VHS)
|
|
Video
2
|
Five Milwaukee Artists, undated Videocassette (VHS)
|
|
Electronic Folder
|
Meet the Artists: Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath,
undated 1 digital video file (00:11:42)
|
|
Video
3
|
Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath Involvement with the WPA,
1981 Videocassette (VHS)
|
|
Video
4
|
Schomer Lichtner Goes to the Milwaukee Ballet, Sketching Dancers,
undated Videocassette (VHS)
|
|
Video
5
|
Schomer Lichtner, His Yard and His Art, Interview with Lorrie
Otto, 1991 Videocassette (VHS)
|
|
Electronic Folder
|
Schomer Lichtner Interview in Studio,
undated 1 digital video file (00:32:31)
|
|
Video
6
|
Schomer Lichtner Interview with Winnie Rhyn,
1995 Videocassette (VHS)
|
|
Electronic Folder
|
Schomer Lichtner Painting on Kitchen Table,
1990 1 digital video file (00:46:32)
|
|
Video
7
|
Schomer Lichtner's Home and Studio, Interview with James Auer,
undated Videocassette (VHS)
|
|
Electronic Folder
|
A Tribute to Schomer Lichtner,
2006 1 digital video file (00:07:42)
|
|
Video
8
|
Wisconsin Artists: Schomer Lichtner and Sculpture, with Mary Anne
Epstein, 2003 Videocassette (VHS)
|
|
Video
9
|
Wisconsin Artists: Schomer Lichtner, Artwork and Sculpture,
Lorrie Otto Interview, 2003 Videocassette (VHS)
|
|
Video
10
|
Wisconsin Artists: Schomer Lichtner in Studio,
undated Videocassette (VHS)
|
|
Video
11
|
Wisconsin Artists: Schomer Lichtner, Reception and Dedication of
Sculpture, Marquette Park, Milwaukee,
2003 Videocassette (VHS)
|
|
Video
12
|
Wisconsin Artists: Schomer Lichtner Residence,
2003 Videocassette (VHS)
|
|
Video
13-14
|
Wisconsin Artists: Taliesen,
undated Videocassettes (VHS)
|
|
|