Person Record

Metadata

Name

Hackner, Egid

Other Name

Egidius Hackner

Birth Date

12/27/1856

Birthplace

Forscheim, Bavaria, Germany

Deceased

1952

Place of Death

La Crosse, WI

Mother

Crescentia Hackner

Father

John Hackner

Spouse

Juliana Kracklauer Hackner

Children

Rev. Willabald T. Hackner
Sister Mary Marietta (Elizabeth) Hackner
George Hackner
Julia Hackner
Anna Hackner
Mrs. Henry Schmitt
Robert Hackner
One other unnamed child

Occupation

Master woodcarver, sculptor, and church art/altar carver
Founded the E. Hackner Company in 1881, in La Crosse WI

Role

Trades

Education

Apprenticeship under master of church art (1871-1874)
Munich School of Art (1878-1880)

Places of Residence

Forscheim, Bavaria, Germany
Freistadt, Germany
Muenchen (Munich), Germany
La Crosse, WI
Cashton, WI

Notes

Egid Hackner was born in Forccheim, Bavaria, Germany on December 27, 1856 to John and Crescentia Hackner, the youngest son in a family of 15 children. As a child, he helped his parents run their farm and hostelry. His family was very religious, and as a child he saw the altars in their church being renovated and became fascinated. When his oldest brother, Joseph, married, the farm was given to him as local customs dictated, and the rest of the family moved to another farm a few miles away. Egid excelled at his new school, but his older brother Willibald, the student and reader of the family, was the one that was sent to receive further education instead of Egid. Willibald was recruited by Rev. Michael Heiss, the first bishop of La Crosse, WI and came to Wisconsin to finish his seminary training at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, WI. Meanwhile, Egid finished his schooling and got an apprenticeship with a master of church art in Freystadt. After his training from 1871 to 1874, he traveled throughout Germany from 1874 to 1878 to expand his knowledge of church art while working as a master woodcarver in several churches and cathedrals. In 1878, he found work as an altar builder and enrolled in the Munich School of Art. In 1880, at the behest of his brother Willibald, he immigrated to La Crosse and met his brother at St. Joseph's Cathedral before heading to his brother's parish, St. Mary's Ridge, a few miles east of Cashton, WI. He soon found a home in La Crosse, WI and established the Hackner Company in 1881, a woodcarving company that would make altar pieces for churches across the country. After settling in La Crosse, he contacted his fiancé Juliana Kracklauer, who had been living in Chicago, IL, and asked her to join him. The couple married were married by Willibald Hackner in St. Joseph's Cathedral on May 10, 1881. In total, they had eight children: Willabald, Elizabeth (later re-christened to Sister Mary Marietta), George, Julia, Anna, Robert, a daughter known only as Mrs. Henry Schmitt, and a final, unnamed child. Egid expanded his woodcarving company after the marriage, attending meetings of the La Crosse Board of Trade and employing several immigrants from all over Europe, including those from Germany, Poland, Norway, and Switzerland. He often held annual company picnics to encourage uniting his immigrant employees as fellow Americans. All of their carvings were done by hand until 1910, when Hackner built a new factory and began using machines to aid in the carving. With the expansion, 50-75 new workers were hired, and several of Egid's own children worked for him. Juliana passed away in 1932, and Egid passed away in 1952. His woodcarving business stayed in the family until 1963, finally closing in 1967.

Related Records

Altarpiece - 1976.007.02
Unpainted white plaster model of a Christ figure on the cross. Style is early 20th c. modern, with thin, attenuated limbs and narrow, angular face. Pencil marks where artisans checked scale while copying are visible.

Record Type: Object
Catalog, Sales - 1993.002.07
Book of photos of altars around the country that were created by the E. Hackner Company of La Crosse.

Record Type: Archive
Catalog, Sales - 1993.002.09
Sales catalog form Hackner Altar Company. Catalog contains photos of individual statues and other objects for churches made and sold by the E. Hackner Company of La Crosse. Also includes photos of altars already created by the company and drawings of proposed altars not yet created. Includes a recommendation on the last page from the Bishop of La Crosse, James Schwebach, dated August 1, 1916.

Record Type: Archive
Catalog, Sales - 1993.002.10
Pew catalog from the E. Hackner Company of La Crosse. Offering pew ends in different styles, pew fronts, accessories for pews, sanctuary chairs, and other church furniture. Printed by G.A. Keller, printer in La Crosse.

Record Type: Archive
Drawing, Architectural - 2018.fic.599
An architectural drawing of the Shrine of St. Mary's at St. Michaels Church in Chicago, Illinois. The Shrine was designed and built by Hackner Altar Company of La Crosse, WI. The image was copywritten 1904. The drawing includes a scale at the bottom of the image with the design of the shrine above the text and scale.

Record Type: Object
Figure, Religious - 1976.007.03
Bas relief sculpture of Christ figure. Made of painted plaster on a wooden framework. This was a model used in the showroom, and for artisans to copy. It is a working model, so pencil lines are visible across the surface where artisans divided the pieces into sections.

Record Type: Object
Mold - 2018.fic.973
Aluminum mold from Hackner Altar Company. Rectanuglar block with pointed oval ornate design.

Record Type: Object
Mold - 2018.fic.974
Aluminum mold from Hackner Altar Company. Square block circular cross ornate design.

Record Type: Object
Mold - 2018.fic.975
Aluminum mold from Hackner Altar Company. Rectanuglar block with pointed oval ornate design.

Record Type: Object
Mold - 2018.fic.976
Aluminum mold from Hackner Altar Company. Rectanuglar block with pointed oval ornate design.

Record Type: Object
Pattern, Woodworking - 2018.fic.972
Woodwork template from Hackner Altar Company. Piece is oval shaped with two flame shaped openings in the center. Template still has original pencil markings as well as "Template" written in ink.

Record Type: Object
Tombstone - 2010.fic.14
Wood model of a marble Hackner gravestone. Made from two thick pieces of wood, glued together and hand carved with a cross flanked by two angels in profile, whose wings form the lower half of a band that encircles the upper part of the cross. The cross is decorated on all four arms with carved grape leaves and bunches of grapes. In the center of the cross the letters "A P W" are carved into a decrative circle. Under the angels and cross the name ...

Record Type: Object
Trim, Furnishing - 2018.fic.952
Woodwork example from Hackner Altar Company. Portion of molded trim with elaborate details.

Record Type: Object
Trim, Furnishing - 2018.fic.953
Woodwork example from Hackner Altar Company. Triangular portion of molded trim with elaborate details.

Record Type: Object
Trim, Furnishing - 2018.fic.954
Woodwork example from Hackner Altar Company. Portion of molded trim with elaborate details of fruits and flowers.

Record Type: Object
Trim, Furnishing - 2018.fic.955
Woodwork example from Hackner Altar Company. Portion of molded trim with elaborate details. This trim is square-shaped and has flowers bursting from the center towards the edges.

Record Type: Object
Trim, Furnishing - 2018.fic.956
Woodwork example from Hackner Altar Company. Portion of molded trim with elaborate details. This piece of trim appears to have been part of a larger piece of decoration.

Record Type: Object
Trim, Furnishing - 2018.fic.957
Woodwork example from Hackner Altar Company. Tear drop shaped motif of molded trim with elaborate details.

Record Type: Object
Trim, Furnishing - 2018.fic.958
Woodwork example from Hackner Altar Company. Portion of molded trim with elaborate details.

Record Type: Object
Trim, Furnishing - 2018.fic.960
Woodwork example from Hackner Altar Company. Rectangular portion of molded trim with elaborate details.

Record Type: Object