Osborne Theomun Olsen
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| Osborne Theomun Olsen | |
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 Olsen circa 1930
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| Born | June 9, 1883 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died | January 9, 1971 Chicago, Illinois |
| Occupation | Porcelain |
| Spouse | Augusta Schmidt (1883-1974) |
| Parents | Anna Maria Jensen (1854-c1895) Peter Olsen (1844-1892) |
| Children | Perry Olsen (1907-1974) Evelyn Olsen (1909-2002) |
Osborne Theomun Olsen (June 9, 1883 – January 9, 1971) was the owner of Osborne Art Studios in Chicago, Illinois, which existed from 1910 to 1973.
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[edit] Biography
Osborne [1] was born in Chicago, Illinois to Anna Maria Jensen (1854-c1895) and Peter Olsen (1844-1892) of Farsund, Norway. [2] Osborne had the following siblings: Jennie Olsen (1881-?) who married a Henning and may have been buried in Mount Olive Cemetery; Perry Olsen (1885-1971) who died in Oakland, California; and Harriet Olsen (1889-?).
Both of Osborne's parents were dead by 1900 and the four children went to live with their widowed aunt: Johanna Katrine Jensen (1857-1946), who was born in Frsund, Norway and had been married to Steffen Barca. Katherine had two children: Henry Barca (1886-1961) and Leo Barca (1887-1924). In 1900 Osborne was already working as a decorator.
Osborne married Augusta Schmidt (1883-1974) on June 3, 1905, in Chicago and had the following children: Perry Olsen (1907-1974) who married Lavina Minnie Price (1909-1989); and Evelyn Olsen (1909-2002) who married Wilbur Lamond (1912-1983). In 1910 he was using the name "Asbjorn T. Olsen" [3]
[edit] Osborne Art Studio
Osborne owned Osborne Art Studio in Chicago (sometimes written as "Osbourne Art Studio") which decorated porcelain and other ceramics. He bought unglazed china from Hutschenreuther and other manufacturers and provided the decorative artwork and the firing. Alan B. Reed in the Collector's Encyclopedia of Pickard China writes:
He Anglicized his first name early in his career, and by age 18 [in 1902] he was already decorating china professionally. In 1905 he married a girl his own age and they had two children, a boy and a girl. During the first seven or eight years of his career, he probably worked for one or more of the decorator wholesalers such as Pitkin & Brooks. Several antique dealers have insisted that he received his early training at Pickard. While not discounting these claims, diligent searches at antique shows and auctions and among private collections have turned up no example. Certainly, he was not one of Pickard's top artists nor was he ever Pickard's art director as a few dealers have claimed. By the time of the 1910 Census [under the name 'Asbjorn T. Olsen'] he describes himself as 'working on his own account', that is, he had his own china-decorating business in his home, and by 1914 he had opened a separate studio at 2520 North Milwaukee Avenue. Osborne did not use a backstamp on much of his product, being content to sign his name on the face of the piece, or in the case of all-over gold pieces, to scribe his signature on the bottom, In other cases, he used gummed foil labels that were easily removed after purchase. Therefore although he did employ other artists one cannot distinguish between unstamped pieces signed by an artist while working for Osborne and pieces which that artist may have made on a freelance basis. He does not seem to have encouraged - or perhaps even permitted - other artists to sign their work for him. An Osborne piece signed by anyone other than Osborne has yet to be found. Although he seems to have been devoted primarily to decorated china, he always characterized his studio as an 'art studio' and himself as simply an 'artist'. The studio was not a large one, and inasmuch as Osborne sold art supplies as well as decorated china from a store at the front of the building, he probably employed no more than six or eight china decorators at the studio's height. Nevertheless, he did employ some very good artists. (used with permission from Reed estate)
Other decorating studios found in the Chicago area include: Edward Donath Studio, Keates Art Studio, LeRoy Art Studio, Luken Art Studio, Pickard China, Pitkin & Brooks, Stouffer Company, Whites Art Company, and Yeschek.
He died on January 10, 1971, and his funeral notice appeared in the Chicago Tribune on January 11, 1971. Osborne was buried on January 12 at Acacia Park Cemetery, Chicago. His widow, Augusta; and his son, Perry continued the china business until 1973.
[edit] Timeline
- 1883 Birth of Osborne Olsen in Chicago
- 1895 (circa) Death of both parents
- 1900 (circa) Begin work as a china decorator for another studio
- 1900 Living with Katherine Jensen (1857-1946) his widowed aunt
- 1900 US Census working as "decorator"
- 1905 Marriage to Augusta Schmidt (1883-1974)
- 1907 Birth of Perry Olsen (1907-1974)
- 1909 Birth of Evelyn Olsen (1909-2002)
- 1910 Start of Osborne Art Studio
- 1910 US Census working as "china decorator" in "shop"
- 1914 Workshop opened at 2520 North Milwaukee Avenue
- 1918 World War I draft registration of September 12th
- 1918 Working at 6935 Overbill Avenue
- 1920 US Census
- 1930 US Census
- 1971 Death of Osborne Olsen in Chicago
- 1973 Osborne Art Studio closed
[edit] Porcelain blanks used by Osborne Art Studios
- Reinhold Schlegelmilch of Tillowitz, Germany
- Hutschenreuther of Selb, Germany
[edit] References
- Alan B. Reed; The Collector's Encyclopedia of Pickard China; ISBN 0-89145-646-5
- Jim Harran and Susan Harran; Collectible Cups & Saucers
- Chicago Tribune, January 11, 1971; Osborne Olsen Dead
[edit] See also
[edit] External link
[edit] References
- ^ Osborne T. Olsen's name was erroneously thought to be "Osborne Titaman Olsen" by his descendants. It was found written in the World War I draft registration as "Osborne Theomun Olsen". This was discovered in 2006.
- ^ His birth certificate incorrectly lists him as "Oscar Olson", and lists his parents as "Annie Jenshon Olson", age 29, and "Peter Olson", age 39, of Farsund, Norway.
- ^ He registered for the draft on September 18, 1918 under the name "Osborne Theomun Olsen". He listed his job as "china painting" at 2520 North Milwaukee Avenue. He had blue eyes and brown hair, and did not serve in World War I.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Olsen, Osborne Theomun |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Olsen, Osborne |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Chicago china decorator |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 9, 1883 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chicago, Illinois |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 9, 1971 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Chicago, Illinois |
