M-511 Leopold Gast & Brother Lithograph Company

These graphite drawings were the work of the Leopold Gast & Brother Lithograph Company, St. Louis, Missouri in the mid-19th century. Some drawings are signed by the artists that include John Gast (1842-1896), Leopold Gast (1810-1898), Paulus Roetter (1806-1894), and Theodore Anders, however most are unsigned. The company was founded in St. Louis in 1852 by brothers Leopold and August Gast (1819-1891). The pair and their families immigrated from Germany in 1848 and brought with them their lithographic press. They started a successful printing company, originally called Leopold Gast & Brother Lithograph Company, which Leopold ran from 1852 to 1866 when he sold his share to his brother August.
St. Louis Mercantile Library Art Museum

Pages

1st Ward Engine House and Jail
Drawing of two buildings identified as the 1st Ward Engine House and Jail, drawing is mounted on another sheet of paper, pencil on wove paper, signed indistinctly, no date, 3 inches by 3 3/4 inches
Alex Leitch & Company Apothecary
Drawing of the Alex Leitch & Company Apothecary, pencil on wove paper, unsigned, 4 inches by 5 3/4 inches
Building with fence
Drawing of large residence with fence and side buildings, pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 5 1/4 inches by 8 inches
Card with hunting design
Design for a card or bookplate with hunting motifs in an oval layout around the edges of the card, including a mounted deer head, two trees, a dead duck and rabbit hanging from the tree, a dog looking up at the deer, a rifle, a horn, and other accessories. Pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 2 3/4 inches by 4 inches
Cast iron stove
Drawing of cast iron stove, potentially a model by the Excelsior Stove Works, pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 3 1/2 inches by 4 inches
City view
Drawing of European city, probably German, pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 4 inches by 7 1/4 inches
Classical figures and building
Drawing of ornate building flanked on the left by the seated Greek god Asklepios, often a symbol of medicine or healing, and on the right the seated figure of the Greek goddess Hebe associated with youth and the prime of life, pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 3 inches by 5 3/4 inches
Festival scene
Design with stylized floral motif up the left side leading to a festival scene of figures dancing around a maypole in the upper left corner that extends to a generalized landscape across the top. Across the top is a banner reading Paris, le 21 July 1839. Pencil on wove paper, initialed lower left "L G" (Leopold Gast), dated Paris 1839, 8 1/4 inches by 5 1/16 inches
Gunther
Drawing of the figure of Gunther standing on a low platform, with his proper left hand on the hilt of his sword; writing on the reverse of the image shows through the sheet. Ink on wove paper, not signed or dated, 5 1/2 inches by 4 3/4 inches
In Union There is Strength
Unfinished drawing of seated, draped figure holding tablet in proper right hand and writing implement in raised proper left hand; figure is surrounded by detailed landscape of cliffs facing a river with riverboat to the left side, a cabin in a woods on the right side, and on the ground beneath the figure are the words "In Union There is Strength." Pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 4 inches by 3 inches
Industrial building and river
Drawing of a large complex of buildings with tall central tower topped by a flag, with a smokestack behind, and facing a river where cattle graze and figures with fishing poles sit on the opposite bank. Pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 3 inches by 5 1/8 inches
Industrial landscape
Landscape drawing with industrial buildings including possibly a water treatment plant, with horse-drawn wagon and horses in foreground, pencil on wove paper, signed bottom right Paulus Roetter, no date, 4 inches by 7 1/2 inches
Landscape with train, boats, and building
Drawing of large complex of buildings on an isolated hill adjacent to a winding river on the right where two riverboats are visible and on the left a railroad train crosses a flat plain toward the hill. Pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 2 3/4 inches by 6 inches
Landscape with wagon train
Drawing of rugged landscape with wagon train winding through hills and rocks; one wagon drawn by oxen and one by horses; in the foreground two figures are near a small waterfall and one catches water in a cup. Pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 5 3/4 inches by 2 3 /4 inches
Man walking
Drawing of man walking, using a walking stick, with a rack on his back carrying unidentified items. Pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 4 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches
Native Americans in Elaborate Landscape
Detailed drawing of a tree and foreground foliage that frames the bottom, right side and top of an oval in which are sketched three figures, one standing with a Native American headdress, pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 5 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 inches
Native Americans with Tipis
Sketch of four Native Americans grouped in a landscape, with two men reclining in the foreground, one with a pipe; a woman seated and a man standing behind her. Pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 3 1/2 inches by 6 1/4 inches
People's Insurance Co. building
Drawing of the People's Insurance Company building with decorative border, pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 3 1/2 inches by 2 3/4 inches
Portrait of a young man
Drawing of the head of a young man with inscription above about missionary work in Africa, dated 1835, Berlin; pencil on wove paper, unsigned, 4 3/4 inches x 3 3/8 inches
Sheep
Drawing of two sheep heads, pencil on laid paper, signed bottom center John Gast Nov. 8th 18..(indistinct), 4 inches by 6 1/4 inches
St. Louis Cotton Factory
Drawing of cotton factory complex, pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 3 3/4 inches by 6 inches
St. Louis Courthouse
Miniature drawing of the St. Louis courthouse, pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 2 1/4 inches by 2 1/2 inches
Stoves
Miniature drawing of various stoves and two figures standing near one stove, pencil on wove paper, not signed or dated, 2 inches by 4 inches
Sugar refinery and shot tower
Drawing of St. Louis Steam Sugar Refinery, locatd on Lewis, O'Fallon and Bates Streets, St. Louis, owned by Belcher & Brothers, next to the St. Louis Shot Tower operated by Kennet, Simonds & Co., pencil on wove paper, not signed, c.1854, 3 1/2 inches by 4 3/4 inches
Tree
Detailed drawing of a tree trunk, pencil on laid paper, signed J Gast June 9th 1858, 6 inches by 5 inches
Unidentified building
Drawing of a two-story building with elevated entrance, pencil on on wove paper, signed Theod. Anders, no date, 3 1/4 inches by 2 1/2 inches
Urban scene with classical building
Drawing of a classical building on a city street corner with pedestrians and a wagon, pencil on wove paper, not signd or dated, 4 inches by 3 inches
Verein card with Christian imagery
Design with central area having indistinct text including the word "Verein" (German for club or charitable organization) in the header, with a border of eleven vignettes of Christian religious subjects including St. George and the dragon, angels, and an alter with cross and prayer book. Pencil and ink on wove paper, unsigned, 4 1/2 inches by 6 6 1/4 inches

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