The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont
5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur,
Delaware 19735
Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator: Maurer, Louis, 1832-1932.
Title: Letters
Dates: 1925-1932
Call No.: Col. 450
Acc. No.: 71x107.32-.49
Quantity: 17 items (1 folder)
Location: 34 J 2
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
Louis Maurer was a German born lithographer and
painter who spent much of his life in New York City. Born on February 21, 1832, he studied art as
a boy in Mayence (Mainz), Germany. He
emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1851 and found work with the
publishing firm of T.W. Strong. He also
worked for Currier & Ives for eight years before moving to Major and Knapp
sometime around 1860-1861. From
1872-1884, Maurer headed the firm of Maurer and Heppenheimer. After his retirement, he continued to sketch
and paint at his residence at 404 W. 43rd St. in New York City. He died on July
19, 1932, several months after his 100th birthday.
Maurer married Louisa Stein (1840-1917). They had several children. In one letter, he mentioned his son Charles,
who was a lithographer. Another son was
the artist Alfred Henry Maurer.
Harry Twyford Peters (1881-1948) joined his father’s
coal business upon his graduation from Columbia University in 1903. He was also a sportsman, especially enjoying
equestrian sports, and an avid collector of Currier & Ives prints. Peters wrote several books, including a
two-volume work about Currier & Ives.
(His papers are held by the Museum of the City of New York.)
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
This collection contains letters from lithographer
Louis Maurer to Harry T. Peters. Some
letters contain information about lithographers Stahl & Jaeger, and Currier
& Ives. (Peters had solicited
information from Maurer for his book on Currier & Ives.) Many letters, however, contain personal
information such as holiday greetings, invitations to social events, and thank
you notes for fruit baskets sent by Peters.
Other letters request copies of prints and chromolithographs. In one letter, Maurer mentioned that he had
prepared sketches [not present] for book bindings, and was prepared to show
them to Peters.
ORGANIZATION
The letters are in chronological order, with undated
items at the end.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Gift of Harry T. Peters, Jr.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Peters, Harry Twyford, 1881-1948.
Maurer,
Charles L., 1861-1933.
Topics:
Currier & Ives.
Stahl & Jaeger.
Artists - Correspondence.
Chromolithography,
Victorian - History.
Lithography - History.
Painters, American.
Letters.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 34 J 2
All accession
numbers begin with 71x107.
All letters
were written by Louis Maurer, and all were written to Harry T. Peters.
.32 Nov.
10, 1925: accepting invitation for Nov. 16
.33 Dec.
26, 1828: thanks for fruit
.34a-b Jan. 15, 1929: glad to hear of progress with
Currier & Ives book; plates of the futurity race were made after his
painting; there were 13 plates for the 13 different colors, and they were made
under his superintendence and printed by Stahl & Jaeger
On Maurer’s letterhead stationery
.35 Jan. 16, 1929: Dr. Frank Weitenkampf at
the Public Library can show Peters a copy of the print of the futurity race
On Maurer’s letterhead stationery
.36-.37 Feb. 22, 1929: about color prints
done by Currier & Ives: Maurer did some sketches in india ink, and his son
Charles drew them on stone and made color plates with the firm Stahl &
Jaeger; these were color prints (not chromos); had forgotten about this until a
recent meeting with Miss Harriett E. Waite and son Charles.
.38 Nov. 11, 1929: accepting invitation to
Grolier Club
.39 March 31, 1930: Mr. Thurman at public
library has shown him fancy bindings and has worked up some preliminary
sketches, which am prepared to show Peters at any time
.40 Dec. 11, 1930: accepting Peters’
invitation for transportation to the Art Director’s Club
.41 Dec. 23, 1930: thanks for the fruit
.42 Feb. 24, 1931: thanks for fruit on 99th
birthday, and for the sketch, and could he have two more for friends?
.43 March 18, 1931: requests two copies of
the print of the sketch of Davy Crocket with a raccoon cap
.44 April 22, 1931: very much appreciates the
second volume of the Currier & Ives work – “so rich in information as in
entertainment”; P.S. “In ‘America on Stone’ may those stones succeed in
pronouncing their stories in a voice like of Thunder over the population of the
entire continent.”
.45 Feb.
23, 1932: thanks for gift on 100th birthday; memory still “bright
& vivid”;
.46 no
date: thanks for fruit sent on Christmas Eve
.47 no
date: Christmas and New Year’s greetings to Peters family
.48 no
date: Christmas and New Year’s greetings
.49 calling
card: Louis Maurer, 404 W. 43rd St.