Description: A fascinating group of four 19th c. photographs advertising the sculpting and modeling prowess of the artist Hugo Herb.

 

There is a surprisingly minimal amount of biographical data related to this multi-talented artist. His June 10, 1912 obituary in the San Francisco Call states "Hugo Herb, a sculptor, a patient at St. Mary’s hospital committed suicide by hanging himself to the head of his bed by a piece of bell cord". A 1906 issue of Glass & Pottery World states "Hugo Herb, the famous waxwork expert from Berlin has joined [J.B.] Owens’ force as a modeler. His creations just ready for the market open a new era in American commercial art." N.F. Schneider’s book Zanesville Art Pottery indicates that "an early Weller catalog pictures dozens of designs for decorative wall plaques designed by Hugo Herb." Item #P00096.

 

Included in this group is: 

– An imperial cabinet photo (8 1/2" x 5 1/4") of a sculpted bust of a man on a sculptor’s stand with a placard "Hugo Herb Sculptor and Modeler"

– An even larger imperial cabinet photo (10" x 6") of a full standing liberty sculpture apparently created by Herb for the N.Y.C. architectural firm, Piesbach-Strahan

– Another slender cabinet photo (8" x 4") by Louis Gagler (350 Bowery, NY) of an 1888 Hugo Herb sculpture of a scantily clad woman

– An 8" x 10" photograph of what appears to be Herb’s studio with an array of bas relief plaques, architectural elements and full-figured sculpture

 

Condition: Bumped and chipped corners, but generally good condition. A fascinating group documenting a significant late 19th/early 20th century sculptor who played a role in the Arts & Crafts movement as well as the NYC streetscape.