Otto August Kuhler (German-American, 1894-1977), "Mississippi Evening." 1923. Etching on laid paper. Signed in pencil on the lower right. From a limited edition of 25 prints. A fine view from the shoreline of a steamer with "AMERICA" written on the paddle wheel gliding along the Mississippi River. Handwritten in pencil on the lower left "Del el imp 1923 Ltd. Ed. 25" and "Mississippi Evening" at center. Size: plate measures 7.875" L x 10.375" W (20 cm x 26.4 cm); sheet measures 11.125" L x 14.875" W (28.3 cm x 37.8 cm)
Although perhaps best known for his industrial designs, Otto Kuhler is also well regarded as a fine artist and draftsman. Born in Germany, Kuhler was the sole heir to his family’s established steel business, Kuhler Forges. After World War I; however, the business along with the family fortune came to a demise. After living in Dusseldorf for a brief period, and partly thanks to the advice of his friend Joseph Pennell, Kuhler took up etching and emigrated to the United States in 1923. Kuhler’s etchings of the industrial world sprang from the same optimistic response to technology that led to his colorful streamlined designs for the Milwaukee, Lehigh, and other railroads in the 1930’s. Bridging art and industry, his freely-sketched scenes celebrate precise engineering and industrial might. His merging of industry and art was so successful that eventually a locomotive based on Kuhler’s designs was actually realized. The Hiawatha departed from a yard in Schenectady, New York in May, 1935. As the first streamlined steam locomotive to be built from the ground up in Americam, the Hiawatha signaled the beginning of the next phase of Kuhler's career as a successful industrial designer.
Provenance: private Denver, Colorado, USA collection
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#129442
Condition
Signature, title, and notes in pencil on margins. Generally very good.