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This drawing of the Art Academy Building for the People's University was used in several Lewis publications. The artist, Henry E. Steinbruegge, was a Lewis Publishing Company employee. The building was designed by St. Louis architects Eames and Young who had just designed the pylons for the Lion Gates. Lewis' intent was to have all the school and public buildings decorated with work done by the honor students, and the top of the Art Academy, as indicated in this drawing, was to have included full sized sculptures. Only three designs were ever selected, and none were completed.
Students at the People's University Art Academy designed the floats for the American Woman's League Convention parade. In this photograph, students, including honor student Christina Kiehl (behind the model, facing forward), are at work on the model for the float representing the sculpture division. This may have been a demonstration photograph, because three students are holding calipers and four are holding mallets and chisels. The float representing the League itself with models of George Julian Zolnay's lions and sphinxes is just visible on the left.
This portrait of the men associated with Art Academy of the People's University was taken in early 1910. Taxile Doat (seated) renowned ceramic artist from Sevres, France, was head of the ceramics division. Samuel Robineau (left), husband of Adelaide Alsop Robineau, was assistant editor of "Palette and Bench" and a ceramics instructor at the school. Edward Gardner Lewis (center) was founder and president of the American Woman's League and founder of the People's University. He was responsible for bringing together the incredibly talented staff for the Art Academy. George Julian Zolnay (right) was director of the Art Academy and head of the sculpture division. He had recently completed the lion sculptures of University City's Lion Gates.
On April 4, 1910, the first kiln of high fire porcelains was fired at the Art Academy of the People's University. All the pieces on the tables came from that first kiln. The plate in the center was created by Taxile Doat to commemorate this event. The artists who gathered for a photograph include (left to right) Frederick H. Rhead, Samuel Robineau, Edward Gardner Lewis, Adelaide Alsop Robineau, Mabel Gertrude Lewis, Eugene Labarriere, George Julian Zolnay, Emile Diffloth and Taxile Doat. This photograph appeared in "The Woman's National Daily" on April 9, 1910.
Taxile Doat, director of the ceramics division of the Art Academy of the People's University, posed for this photograph with two ladies. The ladies are not identified, but they were probably members of the American Woman's League. Members were welcome and frequently visited the Art Academy in University City.
The Ladies Guild of St. Louis Chapel (Episcopal Church) in University City, all of whom were members of the University City Chapter of the American Woman's League, held a musicale at the Art Academy on April 7, 1910. Mabel Lewis was president of the Chapter. This photograph appeared in "The Woman's National Daily" on April 11, 1910.
In commemoration of the first annual convention of the American Woman's League in June, 1910, Taxile Doat designed and decorated this great porcelain plate. The plate, almost four feet in diameter, was turned by his assistant, Eugene Labarriere. It was to be fired on the first day of convention along with the St. Louis vase (on the table behind Doat), and then the kiln could be opened the last day of convention. This photograph appeared in "The Woman's National Daily" on June 1, 1910.
In 1910 Edward Gardner Lewis persuaded John Vanderpoel to come to St. Louis to head up the drawing and painting division of the People's University Art Academy. In this photograph, John Vanderpoel (in the dark coat) is standing in the center. Mabel Lewis is the model. Students are not identified, but they are probably honor students. This photograph appeared in "The Siege of University City," by Sidney Morse, published in 1912.
Kathryn Cherry's china painting courses were some of the most popular ones offered at the Art Academy of the People's University. In this photograph, students are working on a variety of project from design on paper to painting on china. Mrs. Cherry is standing on the left.
Edward Gardner Lewis convinced Adelaide Alsop Robineau, one of the most talented ceramic artists in America, to come to University City where she could teach and also experiment with new clays and glaze techniques. In this photograph, Mrs. Robineau is working on her famed scarab vase. In 1911 it was part of the collection sent to Turin, Italy to represent University City pottery. The collection was awarded the grand prize. Lewis reported that if a single piece could have won a prize, the scarab vase would have taken top honors.
Frederick Hurton Rhead was one of the talented ceramic artists Edward Gardner Lewis hired to teach at the Art Academy of the People's University. He wrote the correspondence course materials for teaching studio pottery for the school. In this photograph he is in his studio in the Art Academy. A series of tiles and pottery examples, which may be student work, are on the table. His wife, Agnes Rhead, was also an instructor.
World renowned ceramic artist Taxile Doat had been associated with the Sevres Manufactory in France for many years when Edward Gardner Lewis convinced him to come to University City. In this photograph, Doat is in his studio at the Art Academy. Several pieces of his work are on the table in front of him as well as on the table against the wall. One of his popular designs was the gourd vase.
In 1912 when the People's University was closing, the Art Academy became more focused on the production of commercial ware and items that could be mass produced for sale. In this photograph Edward Gardner Lewis (standing left), founder of the Art Academy appears with associates (left to right, back) Frank Furman, an unidentified woman and an unidentified man. In front (left to right) are Mabel, his wife and an artist in her own right, and unidentified woman and Claudia Hazen White, Secretary of the Interior for the American Woman's Republic. The items on display are all made from molds and are awaiting decoration or glazing.
An unidentified artist at work on a vase in one of the studios at University City Pottery. The figure on the table was made from a mold, and the vase may have been as well. By 1912, the staff at the Art Academy was more focused on the production of commercial ware and items that could be mass produced for sale, rather than on artistic development.
When Edward Gardner Lewis convinced Taxile Doat to come from France to University City to head up the ceramics division of the People's University's Art Academy, he also convinced Doat to sell his personal ceramics collection to the school to be put on display and to serve as inspiration to the students. In this photograph, the collection which had been shipped from France has just arrived in University City on January 12, 1910, a very rainy day. The horse drawn van is on Oberlin Avenue next to the Art Academy, and workers are preparing to unload the collection. Doat is standing behind the van, just to the left of the planks that have been laid over the curb.
George Julian Zolnay had just completed the lions for Edward Gardner Lewis' Lion Gates when he became director of the People's University's Art Academy and head of the sculpture division. In this photograph, he is in the studio with several of the sculpture honor students. Christian Kiehl is on the left at the high bench. Caroline Risque is on the left working on a piece of sculpture on a stool. Zolnay is seated at the desk just right of center. Nancy Coonsman is kneeling on the far right. The large pieces of sculpture in the room are Zolnay's work.
This unidentified young worker is mixing clay and he is obviously enjoying what he is doing. Instructors and artists at the Art Academy of the People's University experimented with many types of clay from around the country in an effort to prove that American clays were equal or superior to European clays.
This photograph appeared in "The Woman's National Daily" on December 15, 1910, with another of Edward Gardner Lewis' promotion ideas called the League's Christmas Tree. Vases, statues and other items produced by the artists and honor students, and even Lewis himself, were valued as "units," wrapped and marked. Each "unit" was equal to $10 in subscriptions submitted to the American Woman's League. Items on the table include many of George Julian Zolnay's sculpture reproductions, and some of honor student Caroline Risque's sculptures of children.

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