Emil Hermann, American (1871-1966)

Emil Hermann was born in Vienna of French and Austrian parents. His did not consider art a proper profession, but his talents were so obvious, the his father let him enter the Royal Academy in Vienna. He went on to study at the National Art Institute at Budapest and the Rembrandt Art Institute in Amsterdam. In 1889, Hermann came to the United States to study at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts at the age of nineteen.

After enrolling in the Academy, he opened his first studio in Philadelphia. In 1890, he received his citizenship papers.

His first break came when a Dayton art dealer invited Hermann to hold a one-man art show. From this show, he obtained a position as a muralist with the great Schachne Studios. Soon, he became one of the best known portrait artists in the area, drawing the leading citizens of Dayton to his studio.

Shortly before moving to Wichita Falls, Hermann married Minnie Roberts in 1919, who died in 1951. And the years in Wichita Falls were fruitful ones. In 1960, at the age of 90, Hermann told reporters that probably 500 of his works, including 100 portraits, hung in homes and public buildings in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

Emil Hermann died in his studio in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1966 at the age of 95. His brush captured the likeness of great and ordinary men with equal vigor during his 75 year artistic career. He completed more than 1,000 portraits, murals, and landscapes during his lifetime - many of which grace Texas homes and public buildings, today.