Guide to the Papers of Charles Heberer
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Charles Heberer Papers
- Creator
- Heberer, Charles
- Collection Number
- MSS 931
- Extent
- .25 linear feet (1 box)
- Date
- 1866-1952
- Abstract
- Charles Heberer (1865-1952) was an artist and art collector who painted Pittsburgh landscapes and portraits of government officials, local socialites, and nationally known celebrities. These papers document Heberer's transition from art student, in the United States and Paris, to artist and fine art collector of works he admired.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
Charles Heberer (1865-1952) was an artist and art collector who painted Pittsburgh landscapes and portraits of government officials, local socialites, and nationally known celebrities. Raised in Centralia, Illinois, Heberer relocated to Paris, France, in 1887 to continue the art education he had begun at the School of Fine Arts in St. Louis.
While studying in Paris, Heberer supplemented his income by copying master artworks and creating his own originals to be sold. He also developed a fondness for Paris itself, married a Frenchwoman, and remained in France for approximately 35 years. His paintings were frequently exhibited in the Paris Salon.
Around 1924, Heberer grew increasingly disenchanted with living abroad because of the changes he perceived. An American he had befriended in Paris suggested that Heberer return to the States and settle in a small house on the friend's property in North Park near Pittsburgh. When actually touring that property, Heberer preferred an even smaller building near the house, a log cabin that more closely matched his artistic temperament. He and his French wife Marceline lived in that cabin for about eleven years.
In addition to being known as an excellent landscape artist, Heberer copied master works he admired and painted both local socialites such as Carolyn Margaret McKee and nationally known celebrities such as Greta Garbo and Jean Harlow for the covers of the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph Sunday Gravure section in the 1930s. His portrait of Attorney E. W. Smith was hung in Pittsburgh's City-County Building. The paintings Pine Creek and Morning Mist are among his many landscapes inspired by Allegheny County locales.
After living in Pittsburgh for about eleven years, Heberer and his wife moved to Sioux City, Iowa to be closer to their daughter. He died there in 1952.
Scope and Content Notes
The Charles Heberer Papers include passports and drawing books; news articles; correspondence including telegrams and letters from art dealers, and after his death, condolences to family members; and photographs and photocopies of photos of Heberer, his family, his paintings, and the Pittsburgh cabin and its surroundings.
Conditions Governing Access
None.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Archives Accession Number 1997.0232.
Preferred Citation
Charles Heberer Papers, 1866-1952, MSS 931, Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center
Processing Information
Finding Aid created by Rosemary J. Kovacs in April, 2013.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Subjects
- Heberer, Charles
- McKee, Carolyn Margaret.
- Smith, E. W..
- North Park (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Artists -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh