Featured American Cameo Carvers

Discussion in 'Jewelry' started by PepperAnna, Feb 10, 2022.

  1. PepperAnna

    PepperAnna Well-Known Member

    I came across a few articles recently featuring American cameo carvers. I thought this might be an interesting subject, as often cameo artists are considered to be from Italy, France or another European country.

    Keeping a running list of American cameo carvers would be helpful in the off-chance someone in the forum happened upon a signed cameo and couldn't place the artist.

    To start off, here is a link to an article called "Some American Cameo Portraitists by Gertrude S. Cole from The Magazine Antiques, September 1946, pp. 170-171.

    https://www.sites.google.com/site/robertballhughes/Home/sculpture-gallery/cameos


    Below is a list American Cameo Artists from the article. Many were also sculptors and painters, using cameo carving as their stepping stone to larger works:

    John Crookshanks King, Boston, active ~1837-1860
    Peter Stephenson, Boston, active ~1839-1860
    Joseph A. Greenough, Boston, active ~1848-1879
    Margaret Foley, Boston and Rome, active ~mid-1840's-1877
    Mary Ann Delafield Dubois, New York, born 1813, died 1888
    William Morris Hunt, Boston, active?
    Erastus Dow Palmer, Albany NY, active ~1845-1860s
    Launt Thompson, Albany and New York City, active ~1850s-?
    Robert Ball-Hughes, Boston, active ~1840-1860s
    George O. Annable, Providence, RI active ~1850s
    Augustus St. Gaudens, New York City, Paris, Rome, active ~1861 - late 1800s
    Louis Avet (originally from France), New York City, Cincinnati, and New Orleans, active ~1849-1884
    Jules Le Brethon (originally from France), New York City, active ~1850-1860s?
    Louis St. Gaudens, Rome, active ~1870- 1900?
    Louis Herzog, Rome, active ~1870- 1900?
     
  2. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    Louis Zoellner (originally from Germany) Brooklyn, 1871 - ~1930

    Avet & then Lebrethon were teachers of A. St. Gaudens.
     
    PepperAnna likes this.
  3. PepperAnna

    PepperAnna Well-Known Member

    Yes, and Louis Avet apparently had a very bad temper! He actually fired St. Gaudens in a fit of rage and then, realizing his mistake, tried to hire him back at a higher wage. St. Gaudens refused and moved on to the workshop of Jules Le Brethon.

    Interestingly, Louis Avet primarily carved cameos in stone and semi-precious gems, not shells, and his work was incorporated into jewelry at many high end stores in New York City, like Tiffany & Co. and Ball, Black & Co.

    https://erenow.net/common/the-greater-journey-americans-paris/8.php
     
    Bronwen likes this.
  4. PepperAnna

    PepperAnna Well-Known Member

    A few more American cameo cutters, this time located in Ohio (link to book reference below).

    Eugene Joseph Franz, born 1866 died 1949
    Augustin Rostaing, Cincinnati, active ~1832-1844
    Frank Peabody (Franklin Winchester Peabody), Cincinnati and other cities, active ~1850s-1900s
    Theodore Jung, Dayton, active mid-1880s

    https://books.google.com/books?id=ZdICm_W8xKwC&pg=PA313&dq=american+cameo+carver+ohio&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiBw57k_P_1AhVRLTQIHXgMB90Q6AF6BAgFEAI#v=onepage&q=american%20cameo%20carver%20ohio&f=false
     
  5. PepperAnna

    PepperAnna Well-Known Member

  6. PepperAnna

    PepperAnna Well-Known Member

  7. PepperAnna

    PepperAnna Well-Known Member

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