Philippine E. Von Overstolz

Philippine Espenschied Von Overstolz (May 1, 1847 – September 6, 1925) was a musician, linguist and artist.

Philippine E. Von Overstolz, A woman of the century

Early life

Philippine Espenschied Von Overstolz[1] was born on May 1, 1847, in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of Louis Espenschied (1821-1887), a wagon-maker owner of Louis Espenschied Wagon Co.,[2] and Catherine Weber (1824-1887).[3] She was of German-Spanish descent. Her father was one of the first settlers of St. Louis.[4] Through the affluence of her highly-cultured parents she was enable to enjoy rare advantages of education and full development of the talent she possessed. In early childhood, she had a well-equipped art studio, and it was at the time the only private studio in St. Louis. At the age of eight years, she won medals and other premiums for pencil-drawings and several studies in oil, and she continued to win premiums offered to young artists until her thirteenth year, when a serious illness caused by the effects of oils prevented further paint work. She took up the study of vocal music. In instrumental music, she commanded a knowledge of harp, piano, organ, violin, mandolin and banjo, and her proficiency was marked. She had an aptitude for language, and in Germany she was pronounced an exceptional German scholar for one born and bred an American.[5]

Career

Her talent for modeling was evident, and without any instruction she achieved success. Busts of herself in bronze and marble were made by the distinguished sculptor, Frederick Ruckstull, and exhibited in the Paris Salon. Other were displayed at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. In her husband, Henry Overstolz, Overstolz found help and encouragement in both art and literature. One of his legacies to her was a large library and a collection of paintings, valued at $100,000 ($100,000 in 1893 are $2,591,699.31 in 2017), which was widely exhibited in large fairs and expositions and requested for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893.[5]

She was a patron of arts and helped young artists like William Merritt Chase, William Henry Howe, Wiemer, Tracey, George Chambers (son), Joseph Rusling Meeker, Frederick Ruckstull.[4]

Later in life, Overstolz undertook the study of medicine as an additional provision for herself and live children against possible adversity[5] and graduated from a western medical college.[6]

Personal life

In 1875 Philippine E. Von Overstolz married Henry Clemens Overstolz (1822-1887),[7] a member of the oldest living German family in the world, and twice mayor of St. Louis.[4] The Overstolz ancestry was direct from the Roman family named Superbus, and whose home, "The Tempel-Haus," on the banks of the Rhine, No. 43 Rhein-Strasse, Cologne, Germany, was retained by the royal rulers of Germany.[8][5] They had six children, among whom: Charles Henry von Overstoltz (1880-1941),[9] Ida von Overstoltz (1878-1961), Marie E. von Overstoltz, Catherine Philippine von Overstoltz, and Lucile Alice von Overstoltz Koeck (1876–1948).[10][11]

In 1894 she remarried to Dr. Otto Edward Forster (1858-1920), a graduate of the Washington University Medical School in 1881.[12][13] Forster was the son of Marquand Forster, a millionaire brewer. Despite being 11 years younger than her, Dr. Forster died in 1920, five years before his wife.[14]

An anecdote says that she was the only young lady with whom President Ulysses Grant danced during his occupancy.[6]

She died on September 6, 1925, and is buried with her first husband at Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri.

gollark: > it's not humanOkay, this is a bad attitude.
gollark: Apiologically equivalent to randomly posting lots of song lyrics during conversations.
gollark: You could probably reasonably consider it spam.
gollark: no semicolon you.
gollark: Then !readd!epicbot!?

References
  1. The National Magazine: A Monthly Journal of American History, Volume 10. Magazine of Western History Publishing Company. 1889. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  2. Athearn, Robert G. (1978). In Search of Canaan: Black Migration to Kansas, 1879-80. Regents Press of Kansas. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  3. "Coachbult.com - Espenshied Wagon Co". www.coachbuilt.com. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  4. "19 Jan 1896, Sun • Page 26". St. Louis Post-Dispatch: 26. 1896. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  5. Willard, Frances Elizabeth, 1839-1898; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice, 1820-1905 (1893). A woman of the century; fourteen hundred-seventy biographical sketches accompanied by portraits of leading American women in all walks of life. Buffalo, N.Y., Moulton. p. 552. Retrieved 8 August 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. "30 Nov 1891, Mon • Page 2". Detroit Free Press: 2. 1891. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  7. "Death Claimed Him - 30 Nov 1887, Wed • Page 1". The Decatur Herald: 1. 1887. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  8. Christensen, Lawrence O.; Foley, William E.; Kremer, Gary (1999). Dictionary of Missouri Biography. University of Missouri Press. p. 587. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  9. Year: 1880; Census Place: Saint Louis, St Louis (Independent City), Missouri; Roll: 724; Family History Film: 1254724; Page: 229B; Enumeration District: 142; Image: 0407.
  10. Title: California, Death Index, 1940–1997 Author: Ancestry.com Publisher: Ancestry.com Operations Inc Publisher Date: 2000 Publisher Location: Provo, UT, US.
  11. Bulletin of the Missouri Historical Society, Volume 18, Issues 2-4. The Society. 1962. p. 91. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  12. The Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association. St. Louis Missouri: Missouri State Medical Association. 1920.
  13. Hyde, William; Conard, Howard Louis (1899). Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis: A Compendium of History and Biography for Ready Reference, Volume 3. Southern History Company. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  14. "Cupid's Pot Pourri - 24 May 1894, Thu • Page 3". The Leavenworth Times: 3. 1894. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.