Osborne Theomun Olsen

Osborne Theomun Olsen

Olsen circa 1930-1940
Born (1883-06-09)June 9, 1883
Chicago, Illinois
Died January 9, 1971(1971-01-09) (aged 87)
Chicago, Illinois
Occupation Porcelain
Spouse(s) Augusta Schmidt (m. 1905–71)
Children Perry Olsen (1907-1974)
Evelyn Olsen (1909-2002)
Parent(s) Anna Maria Jensen (1854-c1895)
Peder Matthias Olsen (1849-1896)

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.[1][2]

Biography

Osborne was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 9, 1883 to Anna Maria Jensen (1854-1896) and Peder Matthias Olsen (1849-1896) of Farsund, Norway. Osborne had the following siblings: Jennie Olsen (1881-?), Perry Olsen (1885-1971), and Harriet Olsen (1889-?).[1]

His father died of hyperthermia during the 1896 Eastern North America heat wave in Chicago.

With both of Osborne's parents dead by 1900 the four children went to live with their widowed maternal aunt Johanna Katrine Jensen (1857-1946). Katherine had two children: Henry Barca (1886-1961) and Leo Barca (1887-1924). In 1900 Osborne was already working as a decorator.[3] By 1911 he was a member of the Art Institute of Chicago.[4]

Osborne married Augusta Schmidt (1883-1974) on June 3, 1905, in Chicago and had the following children: Perry Olsen (1907-1974) and Evelyn Olsen (1909-2002). In 1910 he was using the name "Asbjorn T. Olsen".

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.[1]

Osborne Art Studio

Osborne owned Osborne Art Studio in Chicago (sometimes written as "Osbourne Art Studio") which decorated porcelain and other ceramics. He bought undecorated porcelain from Hutschenreuther and other manufacturers which he then decorated. Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson write: "There is no question that Osborne did beautiful work, but he is often accused of being a Pickard copyist, and this tends to hurt the value of many Osborne pieces."[2]

Gallery

Timeline

Porcelain blanks used by Osborne Art Studios


Wikimedia Commons has media related to Osborne Theomun Olsen.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Osborne Olsen". Chicago Tribune. January 11, 1971.
  2. 1 2 Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson (May 1, 2001). "A Plate with A Past". Scripps Howard News Service. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  3. 1900 US Census for Chicago, Illinois
  4. Art Institute of Chicago Annual Report. Art Institute of Chicago. 1911.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, February 12, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.