Carl T. Schofer (1860-1920) was a German-born fresco artist and designer. After immigrating to Brooklyn, NY and working in Buffalo, NY, and Chicago, IL, he settled in Pittsburgh, PA, where he began recording his work in this collection of eighteen diaries.
Language
Diaries are in a combination of both English and German Languages.
Author
Jaimi Miller-Sutton, Jon E. Klosinski, and David R. Grinnell.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman) Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acqusition Information
Acquired through Dan Casavant Rare Books, August, 2019.
Arrangement
The Schofer diaries consists of eighteen volumes that are arranged chronologically.
Biography/History
Carl Theodore Schofer (1860-1920) was a mural and fresco artist who worked as a decorator in Buffalo, Chicago, and Pittsburgh.
Schofer was born in Pforzheim, Baden, (now Germany) on May 15, 1860 to August Schofer and Katherina Morlock Schofer. After completing trade school in Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg. He immigrated to the United States and resided in Brooklyn, NY in 1881 where he began designing sketches for structure paintings. He relocated to Buffalo, NY and Chicago, IL for work and eventually settled in Pittsburgh, PA in 1902, where he lived and worked the remainder of his life.
Known for his fresco work, art panels, stenciling, lettering, linoleum, and other interior architectural decoration, Schofer earned a living painting and decorating residential, commercial and public buildings. He was a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and is referenced in many period art journals including: the American Art Directory, American Art Annual and International Studio. He was a member of The Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers of America, Local Union # 84. In 1914, Schofer was among more than 60 artists to exhibit at the Frederick Galleries in Pittsburgh in the Spring Show.
His work on residential properties represents several high-profile homes throughout Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Michigan. In Pittsburgh, his residential projects included the Eberhardts, Childs, Shields, Kaufmann and Mellon homes. He spent five months working in Dearborn, Michigan on Fairlane, the estate of Henry and Clara Ford (Clara is mentioned often in the 1915 diary) and in Moline, Illinois he worked on the home of John Deere.
Commercial and public projects that Schofer worked on includes: the William Penn Hotel, Fort Pitt Hotel, Carnegie Libraries, City-County Buildings, Union Trust Building, Jenkins Arcade, and buildings at the new Carnegie Tech School (later Carnegie Mellon University). He also worked on projects at what would become Colonial Williamsburg (Va.).
While in Chicago, Schofer married Clara Linhorl in 1884. The Schofer's were the parents of three children: Clara (1884), Erwin (1886), and Martha (1888). Erwin appears to have followed his father in the business of decorating and mural painting. After moving to Pittsburgh, they resided in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Pittsburgh and later in the Borough of Crafton.
Carl T. Schofer died at the age of 60 years on December 4, 1920 of Pneumonia at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. The Schofer's are buried at the Mount Lebanon Cemetery, located in Mount Lebanon, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Preferred Citation
Carl T. Schofer Diaries, 1897-1918, AIS.2019.10, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Jaimi Miller, Jon E. Klosinski, and David R. Grinnell in September 2019.
Related Material
Schofer Family Papers and Photographs, 1880s-1970s, MSS 748, Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center
Records of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, 1910-2013, MSS #399, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
Eberhardt and Ober Brewing Company Records, 1883-1897, AIS.1994.07, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Henry Clay Frick Business Records, 1862-1987, AIS.2002.06, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Jenkins Arcade and Empire Building, Pittsburgh, Pa. and the Empire Hotel, New York, N.Y., Collection of Plans and Drawings 1897-1953, ais198401, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh
Union Arcade Building Photograph Collection, 1915-1916, AIS.2005.09, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Scope and Content Notes
The Carl Schofer diaries consist of eighteen pocket style diaries dating between 1897 and 1918 that document the professional work of the mural painter, decorator, and stenciler, Carl Theodore Schofer. His projects included work in residential, commercial, and public buildings. Commercial work includes banks, restaurants, theaters, hotels, fraternal and union clubs, libraries, opera houses, concert halls and billiard rooms. Some of his projects included preparations in Buffalo, NY the 1901 Pan American Expo World's Fair. One volume entitled "Europe Trip" documents his travel back to his native Germany.
Artistic techniques mentioned in the diaries include cutting stencils, tapestry patterns for walls, painting ceilings, sketches and designs, and flower painting.
Schofer's projects were located in Buffalo (NY), Chicago (IL), Dearborn (MI), Moline (IL), Pittsburgh (PA), Lawton (OK), Newark (OH), Sonora (PA), Scottdale (PA), and Williamsburg (VA).
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