Artist Carl N. Werntz (1874-1944) was born in Sterling, Illinois. He studied art in the Chicago area under several teachers, including Alphonse Mucha. Werntz continued his artistic studies in Paris, Rome and Japan. Early in his career he worked...
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Artist Carl N. Werntz (1874-1944) was born in Sterling, Illinois. He studied art in the Chicago area under several teachers, including Alphonse Mucha. Werntz continued his artistic studies in Paris, Rome and Japan. Early in his career he worked for The Chicago record. Werntz founded the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts in 1902, later selling it in 1937. His illustrations appeared in various magazines and newspapers, and his work was often exhibited. With his wife, Millicent (nee Newman), Werntz traveled around the world numerous times, sketching people, places, objects, and events. Werntz died in Mexico City. Original travel sketches (primarily pencil) of dance, theater, music, and general subjects, by Carl N. Werntz, drawn during trips to places such as Japan, Java, Africa, Bali, Borneo, Ceylon, China, Guatemala, India, Indochina, Indonesia, New Guinea, the Philippine Islands, and Tahiti, between 1923 and 1938. The subjects are mostly people, including the famous Chinese performer Mei Lanfang, Japanese dancer Haruko Katayama (Yachiyo Inoue), and other performers. Also depicted are performances, such as Hamlet in Kyoto, Japan, ceremonies, events, places, and objects, such as masks. There are also a few watercolors, charcoal drawings, 1 photostat, and a typed list of numbered drawings in the collection.
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