Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Portrait |
Catalog Number |
1943.100.02 |
Description |
Portrait of Fredericka Augusta Levy. Oil painting, in oval format, framed with very ornate gold oval frame with dangling ornamentation at top. |
Provenance |
A copy of an April 29, 1933 newspaper article reports a meeting of the LCHS at which artifacts from the home of John M. Levy were displayed. Among them were "two large oil portraits in elaborate gilt frames...They were loaned to the society by John Foley, north side hotel owner. The pictures, it was reported, were painted in 1858 by Charles Jenkins in England." A penciled note in the margin notes: "gift, 1943." Note: Charles Waldo Jenkins (1821-1896), presumably the artist mentioned, was American, who worked in New York. |
Date |
1858 |
Signature Location |
Right hand side, just below middle of frame |
Signed Name |
Charles Jenkins, 1856 |
People |
Levy, John Levy, Fredericka Augusta |
Subjects |
Art "Things that Matter" |
Search Terms |
"Things that Matter" |
Notes |
Fredericka Augusta Levy (1820-1890) was born in Germany and married John Levy in St. Louis, MO. Augusta Levy was one of La Crosse's most energetic pioneers. Her memoirs, dictated to her niece in German, provide a colorful look at the early history of the town of La Crosse. She welcomed many strangers and newcomers to her home, first as a boarding house and later a hotel. Featured in Things that Matter: This painting, signed by Charles Waldo Jenkins (1821-96) and dated 1848, is of Fredericka Augusta Levey (1820-90). "Gussie" and her husband, John, came to La Crosse in 1846 when the white settlement of Prairie La Crosse consisted of a smattering of crude log homes along the riverbank. They opened a store attached to their house, which also served as La Crosse’s first hotel. Augusta and John welcomed and assisted new settlers, ran the post office and opened their home for church services for several denominations. During the frequent times when John was away trading, Augusta ran the store and hotel. The couple embodied the spirit of community building in the earliest years of La Crosse. Her memories of life in Prairie La Crosse were preserved through an interview, conducted in her native German, by a grandniece when Augusta was in her 80s. The first published histories of La Crosse included information from the memoir, often without recognition for the author. Gussie’s memoir remains a valuable historical document of life in early La Crosse. This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune. Title: Portrait of Early La Crosse Settler Publish Date: February 21, 2015 |