George Herzog
Encyclopedia
George Herzog was an American interior designer and decorative painter, best known for his work on Philadelphia Masonic Temple
.
(1832-1932), he trained under Joseph Schwarzmann, and at Munich's Royal Academy of Arts
. His family immigrated to the United States in the early 1870s, and he joined the Philadelphia firm of decorators Konstantine & Otto Kaiser. His work received prizes at the 1876 Centennial Exposition for upholstery design and fresco painting, and in 1879 he assumed management of the firm.
It specialized in ceiling and wall decoration, and sometimes oil portraiture. At the Albert H. Disston house, the goddesses playing musical instruments on the music room ceiling may be portraits of the client's relatives. The diningroom of industrialist Peter A. B. Widener's house included wall murals of his children dressed in Renaissance garb. The firm's ornate interiors often combined stencilled geometric patterns with painted floral and classical-inspired scenes:
He decorated major rooms at Philadelphia City Hall
, including the Mayor's Reception Room, the Supreme Court Room, the Judges' Consultation Room and the Law Library. He was a member of the Philadelphia Masonic Temple
and the Union League of Philadelphia, and completed multiple commissions for each. He decorated the city and country houses of industrialists, churches, and Keneseth Israel, the largest synagogue in Philadelphia. He did work at Shelby County Courthouse in Memphis, Tennessee. He opened an office in New York City, and decorated interiors there and on Long Island, including the Harmonie Club
with McKim, Mead & White.
Louis Comfort Tiffany
had formed Associated Artists in 1879, joining together various artisans to create a comprehensive (if short-lived) design company. Perhaps in imitation, Herzog (decorative painting and textiles), Charles F. Vollmer (furniture and cabinetry), Alfred Godwin (stained glass), J. E. McClees (art and imported goods), and Sharpless & Watt (decorative tiles and metalwork) joined in 1893, to form Associated Art Workers. They opened a showcase house at 1518 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, but the company appears to have disbanded by 1895.
Most of Herzog's work does not survive, it was demolished, destroyed or painted over. His most-intact interiors are at the Philadelphia Masonic Temple
, where he designed roughly 80% of the decorative painting. Collections of his watercolor renderings are at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia
, Philadelphia Masonic Temple
, and the Carnegie Museum of Art
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
Masonic Temple (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
The Masonic Temple, built in 1873, is a historic Masonic building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Located at One North Broad Street, directly across from Philadelphia City Hall, it serves as the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Free and Accepted Masons...
.
Career
The son of the German painter Hermann Ottomar HerzogHermann Ottomar Herzog
Hermann Ottomar Herzog was a prominent nineteenth- and early twentieth-century European and American artist, primarily known for his landscapes. He was born in Bremen, Germany and entered the Düsseldorf Academy at age seventeen. Herzog achieved early commercial success, allowing him to travel...
(1832-1932), he trained under Joseph Schwarzmann, and at Munich's Royal Academy of Arts
Academy of Fine Arts, Munich
The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich was founded 1808 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria in Munich as the "Royal Academy of Fine Arts" and is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany...
. His family immigrated to the United States in the early 1870s, and he joined the Philadelphia firm of decorators Konstantine & Otto Kaiser. His work received prizes at the 1876 Centennial Exposition for upholstery design and fresco painting, and in 1879 he assumed management of the firm.
It specialized in ceiling and wall decoration, and sometimes oil portraiture. At the Albert H. Disston house, the goddesses playing musical instruments on the music room ceiling may be portraits of the client's relatives. The diningroom of industrialist Peter A. B. Widener's house included wall murals of his children dressed in Renaissance garb. The firm's ornate interiors often combined stencilled geometric patterns with painted floral and classical-inspired scenes:
Herzog's interiors–commonly consisting of wall as well as ceiling treatments–mixed meticulous German training with late-Victorian American tastes. Their closest analog is the oeurvre of the Herter Brothers, European-trained partners who designed interiors for New York's elite. Like the Herter Brothers, Herzog frequently exercised control over the entire interior design process, including walls, ceilings, furniture, draperies and glass.
He decorated major rooms at Philadelphia City Hall
Philadelphia City Hall
Philadelphia City Hall is the house of government for the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At , including the statue, it is the world's second-tallest masonry building, only shorter than Mole Antonelliana in Turin...
, including the Mayor's Reception Room, the Supreme Court Room, the Judges' Consultation Room and the Law Library. He was a member of the Philadelphia Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
The Masonic Temple, built in 1873, is a historic Masonic building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Located at One North Broad Street, directly across from Philadelphia City Hall, it serves as the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Free and Accepted Masons...
and the Union League of Philadelphia, and completed multiple commissions for each. He decorated the city and country houses of industrialists, churches, and Keneseth Israel, the largest synagogue in Philadelphia. He did work at Shelby County Courthouse in Memphis, Tennessee. He opened an office in New York City, and decorated interiors there and on Long Island, including the Harmonie Club
Harmonie Club
The Harmonie Club is an exclusive private social club in New York City. Founded in 1852, the venerable club is the second oldest social club in New York. It is located at 4 East 60th Street, in a building designed by Stanford White.-History:...
with McKim, Mead & White.
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements...
had formed Associated Artists in 1879, joining together various artisans to create a comprehensive (if short-lived) design company. Perhaps in imitation, Herzog (decorative painting and textiles), Charles F. Vollmer (furniture and cabinetry), Alfred Godwin (stained glass), J. E. McClees (art and imported goods), and Sharpless & Watt (decorative tiles and metalwork) joined in 1893, to form Associated Art Workers. They opened a showcase house at 1518 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, but the company appears to have disbanded by 1895.
Most of Herzog's work does not survive, it was demolished, destroyed or painted over. His most-intact interiors are at the Philadelphia Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
The Masonic Temple, built in 1873, is a historic Masonic building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Located at One North Broad Street, directly across from Philadelphia City Hall, it serves as the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Free and Accepted Masons...
, where he designed roughly 80% of the decorative painting. Collections of his watercolor renderings are at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Athenaeum of Philadelphia
The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a special collections library founded in 1814 to collect materials "connected with the history and antiquities of America, and the useful arts, and generally to disseminate useful knowledge" for public benefit...
, Philadelphia Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
The Masonic Temple, built in 1873, is a historic Masonic building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Located at One North Broad Street, directly across from Philadelphia City Hall, it serves as the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Free and Accepted Masons...
, and the Carnegie Museum of Art
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh are four museums that are operated by the Carnegie Institute headquartered in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
Philadelphia
- Albert H. Disston house, 1530 North 16th Street, Philadelphia, Edwin Forrest DurangEdwin Forrest DurangEdwin Forrest Durang was an American architect. He kept offices in Philadelphia and specialized in ecclesiastical and theatrical design.Durang was born in New York, into a distinguished theatrical family...
, architect (1881-82). - Saint James Roman Catholic Church, 38th & Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, Edwin Forrest DurangEdwin Forrest DurangEdwin Forrest Durang was an American architect. He kept offices in Philadelphia and specialized in ecclesiastical and theatrical design.Durang was born in New York, into a distinguished theatrical family...
, architect (1881-87). Now St. Agatha–St. James Roman Catholic Church. - Union League of Philadelphia, 140 South Broad Street, John FraserJohn Fraser (architect)John Fraser was a Scottish-born American architect who practiced in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC....
, architect. Library ceiling, restaurant ceiling, banquet room, other work (1881-89). - Reuben O. MoonReuben O. MoonReuben Osborne Moon was Republican member of the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania.Moon was born in Jobstown, New Jersey. He graduated from the National School of Oratory, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1874. He became a professor in the National School of Oratory, and engaged in lecturing...
house, 1516 North 16th Street, Philadelphia (1884). - Peter A. B. Widener house, Broad Street & Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, Willis G. HaleWillis G. HaleWillis Gaylord Hale was a late-19th century architect who worked primarily in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, architect (1887, demolished 1980). - Young Maennerchor Society Hall, 6th & Vine Streets, Philadelphia, Paul Bonner, architect (1889, demolished).
- Philadelphia City HallPhiladelphia City HallPhiladelphia City Hall is the house of government for the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At , including the statue, it is the world's second-tallest masonry building, only shorter than Mole Antonelliana in Turin...
, John McArthur, Jr.John McArthur, Jr.John McArthur Jr was a prominent American architect practicing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Designer of some of the city's most ambitious buildings of the Civil War era, few of his works survive...
, architect. Mayor's Reception Room ceiling, Supreme Court Room, Judges' Consultation Room, Law Library, other work (1889-91). - Philadelphia Masonic TempleMasonic Temple (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)The Masonic Temple, built in 1873, is a historic Masonic building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Located at One North Broad Street, directly across from Philadelphia City Hall, it serves as the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Free and Accepted Masons...
, Broad Street, Philadelphia, James H. WindrimJames H. WindrimJames Hamilton Windrim was a Philadelphia architect who specialized in public buildings.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he apprenticed under John Notman, and opened his own office in 1867...
, architect. Egyptian Hall, Ionic Hall, Norman Hall, Renaissance Hall, Corinthian Hall, Library and Museum, other work (1889-1903). - William Kemble house (Kemble-Bergdoll mansion), 2201-05 Green Street, Philadelphia, James H. WindrimJames H. WindrimJames Hamilton Windrim was a Philadelphia architect who specialized in public buildings.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he apprenticed under John Notman, and opened his own office in 1867...
, architect (1890). - William Lukens ElkinsWilliam Lukens ElkinsWilliam Lukens Elkins was an American businessman, inventor, and art collector.-Career:Although his father was a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, William Elkins was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He started his working life at a grocery store in Philadelphia where his family had returned to...
house, 1218 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, William Powell, architect (1890, demolished). - Keneseth Israel Temple, 1717 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, Oscar Frotscher & Louis Caron Hickman, architects (1891-92, demolished).
- Bank of North America, 305-07 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, James H. & John T. WindrimJames H. WindrimJames Hamilton Windrim was a Philadelphia architect who specialized in public buildings.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he apprenticed under John Notman, and opened his own office in 1867...
, architects (1893-95, demolished 1972). - Girard CollegeGirard CollegeGirard College is an independent boarding school on a 43-acre campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States.Girard is for academically capable students, grades one through 12, and awards a full scholarship with a yearly value of approximately $42,000 to every child admitted to the...
, Philadelphia, unidentified commission (pre-1901).
Elsewhere
- Liederkranz SocietyLiederkranz of the City of New YorkThe Liederkranz of New York City is an organization devoted to cultural and social exchange as well as the sponsorship of musical events. Its activities are dedicated to the support, development and preservation of culture in New York City...
, 111-19 East 58th Street, New York City, Hermann Schwarzmann, architect (1886, demolished 1964). - "Beaumont" (William L. Austin mansion), 601 Ithan Avenue, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Baily & Truscott, architects (1901). Now Beaumont at Bryn Mawr retirement community.
- Shelby County Courthouse, Adams Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee, James Gamble RogersJames Gamble RogersJames Gamble Rogers was an American architect best known for his academic commissions at Yale University, Columbia University, Northwestern University, and elsewhere....
, architect (1905-10). - Harmonie ClubHarmonie ClubThe Harmonie Club is an exclusive private social club in New York City. Founded in 1852, the venerable club is the second oldest social club in New York. It is located at 4 East 60th Street, in a building designed by Stanford White.-History:...
, 4 East 60th Street, New York City, McKim, Mead & White, architects (1906).