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$1 | 158TH YEAR, NUMBER 11 | JONES COUNTY, IOWA | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013
Jones County’s Newspaper
Relative searches for great-grandfather’s art
By Becky DirksHaugsted
Staff Writer
In a scene so realistic the
water seems to spill off the
canvas, George F. Lehmann
portrayed his daughter and
niece looking for shells in the
Buffalo Creek.
“Hunting Shells” is one of
22 paintings Lehmann’s greatgrandson, Gary Lehman and
his wife Carol, own. The
painting, which was created in
1900, is believed to have
captured a first place award at
the Iowa State Fair in 1902.
Gary and Carol know the
location of 28 of the Lehmann
paintings. In addition to their
paintings, their cousins have
six. They are wondering if
others know the whereabouts
of Lehmann’s paintings.
“We know from articles in
old Anamosa Journal and
Eureka newspapers that he
sold paintings locally,” Gary
Lehmann said about his greatgrandfather, “We were made
aware by our parents of their
grandfather’s
talent
in
painting. However, they had
only half of the story.”
With their curiosity piqued,
Gary and Carol started
researching the life of George
F. Lehmann or “Fred” as he
was often referred to in
newspaper articles.
Fred Lehmann, was a
prolific painter from 1863 until
1917. He always signed his
paintings with a Capital “L”
over a capital “G”, with the
year shown below on the
bottom of the paintings or on
the back of the canvas.
The
Anamosa
Eureka
reported on Aug. 21, 1902,
that “Mr. F. G. Lehmann has
sent something like 14 of his
paintings to the state fair at
Des Moines next week and will
also have about the same
number on exhibition at the
Anamosa fair at the same
time.”
After capturing three first
and four second premiums on
his paintings at the state fair
and nearly all of the first and
second premiums at the
Anamosa and Marion fairs,
Lehmann exhibited more of
his work at the Monticello and
Mechanicsville
fairs
the
following week.
Lehmann’s most notable
painting was done in 1896. A
portrait of Dr. Sylvester
Matson was painted from a
photograph taken by Anamosa
photographer M.M. Mott for
the
State
Historical
Department at Des Moines.
The painting is still on
display
State
Historical
Museum of Iowa in Des
Moines among a display
featuring
Iowa’s
leading
education pioneers.
Dr.
Sylvester
Matson
graduated from the medical
college of the University of
Vermont in 1832 and moved
to
Jones
County,
Iowa
Territory, in 1839. He was a
member of the convention
that framed the first State
Constitution, and was also
elected a member of the First
and
Second
General
Assemblies of the state, and
came within one vote of being
elected speaker of the House.
He took an active part in
school matters, was chairman
of the Committee on Schools,
and assisted in passing the bill
that
located
the
State
University at Iowa City.
Locally, Dr. Matson practiced
medicine and owned a stone
quarry on the Wapsipinicon,
near Anamosa.
It has not been determined
whether Fred Lehmann was
commissioned to do the
painting, but according to the
newspaper article published on
Nov. 26 1896, he had the
painting
on
display
in
downtown Anamosa for a
week before it was shipped to
Des Moines.
Painting was not Fred
Lehmann’s only artistic talent.
He was also a noted florist. A
trait he learned from his father
in Dresden, Germany, where
they were gardeners to the
royal
family.
Fred
left
Germany at the age of 21 going
first to Chicago, then to
Clinton and from there, to
Anamosa where he made his
home for more than 54 years.
Married
twice,
Fred
Lehmann was known to have
had at least six children, three
of whom attained adulthood.
His daughter, Martha (Mattie)
Harvey, who lived in Anamosa
and Monticello, was rumored
to have many of her father’s
paintings in her garage, under
her porch, and hanging in her
house. She moved to the Los
Angeles California and spent
several decades there. Gary
had visited her there and
remembers some of the
paintings in her home.
One of the stories Gary
Lehman appreciates about his
great-grandfather is the one
about his home in Anamosa.
Fred painted murals on the
walls of his house, however,
after he lost his house to a fire,
he vowed only to paint on
canvas so his paintings might
be quickly gathered in case of
another fire.
“I hope we can find some of
Fred’s paintings out there,”
Gary Lehmann said. “His
obituary stated that his home
was full of the most beautiful
works of art, and the paintings
we have prove he was a
master.”
Anyone
knowing
the
whereabouts of a Lehmann
painting should to contact
Gary Lehmann at (319) 2277348
or
by
email
at
[email protected].