Artist Charles Plein's Family Visits Omaha Public Library
The family of an Omaha artist whose work is better known than his name visited Omaha Public Library staff offices in March to research the Omaha Public Library’s special collections and to share stories, photos and articles about Charles M. Plein.Joining the group was Omaha historian Jeffrey Spencer, who shared significant information from his extensive research and collections of the time period.
Plein (1870-1920) was the great-uncle of Jean McElheney of Rippey, IA (seated). He lived for a time in that area after emigrating from Alsace-Lorraine and before settling in Omaha in the 1890s. Jean told the library staff members that she had heard many stories about Plein from her mother, Elizabeth, Plein’s favorite niece. The family collection includes photos of Charles; his brother, Eberhardt (Tony) Plein, who also lived in Omaha; vintage postcards sent to Elizabeth; published articles and personal letters. Jean now owns two bronze sculptures created by Plein, discovered and purchased in Omaha.
As his primary employment, Plein, who lived with his wife in Florence, was the chief colorist in the studio of Omaha photographer F.A. Rinehart. The studio is remembered for portraits of Native Americans, many of whom gathered for the Indian Congress associated with the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition at Omaha. Plein illustrated what became known as the “red border prints” of Native Americans such as Geronimo and Sitting Bull. These images appeared as posters, postcards and calendars.
Plein also worked with Gus Renze, painting backdrops for the Ak-Sark-Ben “den” shows and designing parade floats for the electric light parades. He is known to have been a collector of rare books and Native American artifacts. Below, in an image supplied by Jeffrey Spencer, is a picture of Charles Plein standing at the far right in Native American dress. Seated to the far left is Dr. Robert F. Gilder, and two unidentified persons; the one seated next to Dr. Gilder is believed to be from the University of Nebraska.
Charles Plein’s paintings included a variety of subject matter. The Douglas County Historical Society is searching for information about a lost Plein painting, “Corn Princess" which Plein painted for the 1908 Corn Expo in Omaha. You can see the letters spelling O-M-A-H-A in the background circling her head, and his signature "CP" by her right foot.
Anyone with information about the location of this painting is urged to contact the Douglas County Historical Society. Jean’s daughter, Phyllis Lepke, also from Iowa, accompanied her mother during the visit. She noted that virtually any family can enjoy exploring family history. “At a time when various media draw our attention away from the dialogue between generations, pursuing family history together is truly rewarding,” she said. “We are grateful to the Omaha Public Library staff members for providing assistance in bringing Charles M. Plein to the attention of more Omaha-area residents. We hope to hear from anyone who knew of Plein or his work.”
Anyone with more information about Charles Plein or his work can contact Patrick Esser or Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh at the Omaha Public Library, (402-444-4800), Gary Rosenberg at the Douglas County Historical Society (402-451-1013) or Phyllis Lepke at 515-450-8837 or phyllislepke@hughes.net.
Anyone with more information about Charles Plein or his work can contact Patrick Esser or Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh at the Omaha Public Library, (402-444-4800), Gary Rosenberg at the Douglas County Historical Society (402-451-1013) or Phyllis Lepke at 515-450-8837 or phyllislepke@hughes.net.
Below is a transcript of an article written about Plein upon his passing by Gus. S. Williams entitled "The Passing of a Western Artist Who Left His Imprint" from the Omaha World-Herald, February 1, 1920:
Napoleon's observation that “a just appreciation of man is very difficult” appears peculiarly applicable to the life and work of Charles M. Plein, artist, who died at his home 3133 Reynolds Street, Florence, of pneumonia, on January 23, at the age of 49 years.
The artist himself, shortly before his last illness, remarked to his wife: “I am not appreciated here. I feel that I am not. But some day they will understand – and give me credit-someday-after I am dead.”
Yet, many are the admirers who have in the last week extolled the abilities of Mr. Plein, and who have appreciated him and his work through all the twenty-three years that he has labored among them in Omaha. And they are unanimous in their verdict that this city has lost one of her most remarkable citizens in the passing of the man who first gained prominence as the painter of the famous “Rinehart Indians.”
Spread His Activities
It is difficult to estimate at this early date the true worth of Mr. Plein's work, for several reasons, chief among which is the fact that he spread his activities over such a wide field of endeavor. Adept with the oils, equally dexterous in water colors, excelling in the art of china painting, an exquisite book decorator, he exercised his talents in many different directions. And most remarkable of all, he became in the course of his twenty-six years' residence in this country one of the foremost authorities on the history of the American Indian, and western American history in general.
Although it was not one of the many pursuits in which he was perpetually engaged, Mr. Plein was doubtless better known to Omahans through his work with Gus A. Renze, as a designer of Ak-Sar-Ben floats, with whom he labored each fall for more than twenty years in the work of preparing the floats for the annual autumn pageants.
Mr. Plein was also one of the city's most indefatigable book and curio collectors, and his library today contains more than 5,000 rare volumes which he gathered in many different parts of the world, besides one of the most valuable collections of Indian curios in the country.
Mr. Plein was born on August 29, 1870, in the village of Billstock, in the shadows of the foothills that skirt either side of the fertile valley lying between Metz and Saarbruck, in Alsace-Lorraine. His father was the proprietor of a bookshop in the village, and he exerted every possible effort to give his son a sound education. The lad was placed in the famous cloister of Metz at an early age, where he pursued the usual academic studies until he was nearly 16, when he was sent to Mettlach, in Rhineland, where he studied china painting under the tutelage of the firm of Villeroy and Boch. Later, when he had returned to Billstock, his father suggested that his son permit him to set him up in business in the village. The boy had expressed a desire to learn photography, and a photograph studio was mentioned.
Didn't Like Small Town
“Charles did not like the idea of the small town” says Mrs. Plein, in referring to this period of her husband's experiences, “and he asked his father to send him to school some more”, insisting that he knew he was “intended for bigger things”.
So he was sent to Munich. Where he studied for four years. About this time, Plein also worked as a military photographer, taking pictures for the German government in Alsace-Lorraine, which country had been occupied by the Imperial government following the war of 1870.The young man was sent into all parts of Alsace-Lorraine, photographing fortresses, cities, roads and other topographical features of military interest.
And curious to relate, more than a quarter of a century later, in response to an appeal by the American government at the time of the contemplated offensive against Metz, for all the available photographs in this country of the Alsace-Lorraine country, Mr. Plein, who had retained many of the plates and developed photographs he had made as a young military photographer in the employ of the Imperial German government. Laid before the managing editor of the World-Herald an entire album of photographs, invaluable, by reason of their accuracy, to the American cause. These photographs were sent to Washington.
Comes to America
After three years at Munich, where he studied painting, specializing, however, in drawing, young Plein began a sort of pilgrimage over Rhineland, settling finally at Bonn, where he secured work at last, as a china painter. He showed such marked skill however, that he was rapidly advanced over men of much maturer age and wider experience. Albeit, the pay was miserably inadequate to his needs, and the manifestations of jealousy on the part of his co-workers caused him finally to write to his sister, Mrs. Rosa Feith, who had come to America several years previous and was then living in Rippy, Iowa, where her husband owned a large farm and was interested in the coal mining business, telling her he desired to leave Germany. The sister wrote him to come to America, and he followed her advice, landing in New York in the fall of 1893.
He went to the farm in Iowa, where he spent several months, and his impressions of the free, open-air life in the middle west are recorded in a series of pencil drawings which he made at odd moments, and which are now in the possession of his widow.
But Plein soon grew restive under the infamiliar sameness of rural existence and moved down to St. Joseph, where he secured work as a painter of china, and re-toucher. He also did some interior decorating there, it seems, some of which may be seen in certain of the older buildings of the city, it is said.
It was in 1897 that Theodore Lieben, father of Oscar Lieben, who is connected with the Ak-Sar-Ben work, discovered young Plein in the Missouri city, and returning to Omaha, he said to Gus Renze: “I have found the man you want. He is a bit green, but he is an artist.”
And so it came about that Charles arrived here and naively informed Mr. Renze that he would work for “a very low salary.” Renze, however, replied that he would give him a good salary and keep him-or a good salary-for one week-and a ticket back to St. Joe. Plein worked a week, at the end of which he came haltingly to his employer, and received his pay. “But where is my ticket back to St. Joseph?” he asked. Mr. Renze smiled. “Wait a while for that” he answered. Plein was associated with Renze from that time until his death, twenty-three years afterward.
It was three days after arriving in Omaha that Mr. Plein met at the home of Theodore Lieben, Miss Flora Frey, recently landed in this country from her home in Vienna, who one year later became his wife. Mrs. Plein, in relating the story of their romance, lays special emphasis on a fortune-telling séance which took place in Vienna shortly before her departure for this country.
Fortune Tellers Prediction
“We were having a party at my home one evening.” she said, “and there was a woman there telling fortunes. She read mine, among the others, and I remember how she said; “My daughter, you are going to take a long trip. I see people waiting disappointed at the station because you did not arrive. You will cross the broad waters, and at your destination, you will meet a young man, blond and smooth-shaven,who will become your husband.”
“I laughed at her” says Mrs. Plein, “but shortly afterwards I left for America. I missed the first boat, and in truth, Mr. Lieben's family waited “disappointed” for me at the station. I caught the next one, however, and at the Lieben home in Omaha I met Mr. Plein who had been in the city just three days. We were married one year later.”
Mr. Plein worked in the Frank A. Rinehart studios for thirteen years, severing his connection there about four years ago. It was while engaged at these studios that he achieved prominence by his artistic colorings of the “Rinehart Indians”, a series of Indian photographs which grew out of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition held in Omaha in 1898.
Rinehart succeeded in securing many of the notable chieftains and princes of the western tribes to pose for him, copyrighted the pictures and had them colored. Mr. Plein did mots of this work, it is said. He colored the photograph of Wolf Robe, a Cheyenne warrior, whose picture was broadcast over the world as the perfect type of the American Indian. Others who posed at the Rinehart studios during the Exposition included Geronimo, the notorious Apache chief; Hollow Horn Bear and Goes-to-War, Ogallala Sioux; Chief Josh, an Apache; Standing Bear from the Rosebud agency; Peatwytuck, a Sac and Fox Indian, and White Swan of the Crow tribe.
He Decorated “Rubaiyat”
Mrs. Rinehart, in estimating the work of the artist, says that he excelled in book decoration. “He colored a volume of Omar Khayyam's “Rubaiyat” which was the most beautiful piece of work of that kind I have ever seen”, she said. “He did a similar bit of coloring on a little volume of Coleridge's 'Ancient Mariner.' These books sold later for almost fabulous sums but of course Mr. Plein did not realize on them. One such book, I understand, sold for $5000.00, though I am not sure whether Mr. Plein colored that one or not.”
Mr. Plein did re-touching for many of the photographers of Omaha thought it seems reasonable to believe this was a sort of “side line” with him, engaged in by reason of the inevitable necessity of supplying himself with the “quoi de vivre.”
At the time of the San Francisco earthquake, the World-Herald received a picture of the ruins which was the first to be published this far east, following the catastrophe, and it was Mr. Plein who re-touched the picture, brought out certain defects in line and perspective, and made it printable.
American Indian Authority
But in an entirely different direction, though in a way closely related to his art, Mr. Plein devoted much of his time and money during the last twenty years of his life; namely in studying the American Indian, collecting data for a history he hoped one day to write, and in collecting old volumes of rare books.
Henry F. Kieser has a wealth of anecdotes relative to these pursuits on the part of the artist, which with their setting in the back of the book store, are delightfully reminiscent of the “Pisco Punch House” days in Frisco, when Robert Louis Stephenson, Mark Twain and Bret Harte used to assemble to visit with “the boys”.
“For the past seven years”, says Mr. Kieser, “the artist spent nearly every Saturday afternoon in the back of my store, talking with his acquaintances – always about western history, Indians, or rare books. Among those with whom he visited here from time to time were O.J. Wilde, book collector; Levi Levering, of Macy, successor to the chief of the Omaha tribe; Louis Statzer; a millionaire ranchman of Wyoming, and one of the country's greatest Napoleonic collectors. He also loved to chat with John Butler, chief of the Omaha fire and police departments in the sixties.”
For a site upon which to erect a home, Mr. Plein chose the summit of a steep hill at the head of Reynolds street, just off Thirtieth, in Florence, overlooking a broad expanse of valley. Here he built his little house about ten years ago, and here he spent the last days of his life.
The interior of the modest home reflects the artistic tastes of the man who arranged it. The colors are piquant but subdued; there is a pleasing contrast of shades without injury to the harmonious blend of the whole. The study abounds in old Indian curios – blankets, tomahawks, laces, knives, etc., and in the library are to be seen a few of the more than 5,000 rare volumes which Mr. Plein owned at the time of his death.
Mr. Plein has left behind him in Omaha works that have made for the advancement of art in the city, and a memory cherished by every person who came to know him in the years that followed his arrival at Gus Renze's place to go to work “for a very low salary.”
The artist himself, shortly before his last illness, remarked to his wife: “I am not appreciated here. I feel that I am not. But some day they will understand – and give me credit-someday-after I am dead.”
Yet, many are the admirers who have in the last week extolled the abilities of Mr. Plein, and who have appreciated him and his work through all the twenty-three years that he has labored among them in Omaha. And they are unanimous in their verdict that this city has lost one of her most remarkable citizens in the passing of the man who first gained prominence as the painter of the famous “Rinehart Indians.”
Spread His Activities
It is difficult to estimate at this early date the true worth of Mr. Plein's work, for several reasons, chief among which is the fact that he spread his activities over such a wide field of endeavor. Adept with the oils, equally dexterous in water colors, excelling in the art of china painting, an exquisite book decorator, he exercised his talents in many different directions. And most remarkable of all, he became in the course of his twenty-six years' residence in this country one of the foremost authorities on the history of the American Indian, and western American history in general.
Although it was not one of the many pursuits in which he was perpetually engaged, Mr. Plein was doubtless better known to Omahans through his work with Gus A. Renze, as a designer of Ak-Sar-Ben floats, with whom he labored each fall for more than twenty years in the work of preparing the floats for the annual autumn pageants.
Mr. Plein was also one of the city's most indefatigable book and curio collectors, and his library today contains more than 5,000 rare volumes which he gathered in many different parts of the world, besides one of the most valuable collections of Indian curios in the country.
Mr. Plein was born on August 29, 1870, in the village of Billstock, in the shadows of the foothills that skirt either side of the fertile valley lying between Metz and Saarbruck, in Alsace-Lorraine. His father was the proprietor of a bookshop in the village, and he exerted every possible effort to give his son a sound education. The lad was placed in the famous cloister of Metz at an early age, where he pursued the usual academic studies until he was nearly 16, when he was sent to Mettlach, in Rhineland, where he studied china painting under the tutelage of the firm of Villeroy and Boch. Later, when he had returned to Billstock, his father suggested that his son permit him to set him up in business in the village. The boy had expressed a desire to learn photography, and a photograph studio was mentioned.
Didn't Like Small Town
“Charles did not like the idea of the small town” says Mrs. Plein, in referring to this period of her husband's experiences, “and he asked his father to send him to school some more”, insisting that he knew he was “intended for bigger things”.
So he was sent to Munich. Where he studied for four years. About this time, Plein also worked as a military photographer, taking pictures for the German government in Alsace-Lorraine, which country had been occupied by the Imperial government following the war of 1870.The young man was sent into all parts of Alsace-Lorraine, photographing fortresses, cities, roads and other topographical features of military interest.
And curious to relate, more than a quarter of a century later, in response to an appeal by the American government at the time of the contemplated offensive against Metz, for all the available photographs in this country of the Alsace-Lorraine country, Mr. Plein, who had retained many of the plates and developed photographs he had made as a young military photographer in the employ of the Imperial German government. Laid before the managing editor of the World-Herald an entire album of photographs, invaluable, by reason of their accuracy, to the American cause. These photographs were sent to Washington.
Comes to America
After three years at Munich, where he studied painting, specializing, however, in drawing, young Plein began a sort of pilgrimage over Rhineland, settling finally at Bonn, where he secured work at last, as a china painter. He showed such marked skill however, that he was rapidly advanced over men of much maturer age and wider experience. Albeit, the pay was miserably inadequate to his needs, and the manifestations of jealousy on the part of his co-workers caused him finally to write to his sister, Mrs. Rosa Feith, who had come to America several years previous and was then living in Rippy, Iowa, where her husband owned a large farm and was interested in the coal mining business, telling her he desired to leave Germany. The sister wrote him to come to America, and he followed her advice, landing in New York in the fall of 1893.
He went to the farm in Iowa, where he spent several months, and his impressions of the free, open-air life in the middle west are recorded in a series of pencil drawings which he made at odd moments, and which are now in the possession of his widow.
But Plein soon grew restive under the infamiliar sameness of rural existence and moved down to St. Joseph, where he secured work as a painter of china, and re-toucher. He also did some interior decorating there, it seems, some of which may be seen in certain of the older buildings of the city, it is said.
It was in 1897 that Theodore Lieben, father of Oscar Lieben, who is connected with the Ak-Sar-Ben work, discovered young Plein in the Missouri city, and returning to Omaha, he said to Gus Renze: “I have found the man you want. He is a bit green, but he is an artist.”
And so it came about that Charles arrived here and naively informed Mr. Renze that he would work for “a very low salary.” Renze, however, replied that he would give him a good salary and keep him-or a good salary-for one week-and a ticket back to St. Joe. Plein worked a week, at the end of which he came haltingly to his employer, and received his pay. “But where is my ticket back to St. Joseph?” he asked. Mr. Renze smiled. “Wait a while for that” he answered. Plein was associated with Renze from that time until his death, twenty-three years afterward.
It was three days after arriving in Omaha that Mr. Plein met at the home of Theodore Lieben, Miss Flora Frey, recently landed in this country from her home in Vienna, who one year later became his wife. Mrs. Plein, in relating the story of their romance, lays special emphasis on a fortune-telling séance which took place in Vienna shortly before her departure for this country.
Fortune Tellers Prediction
“We were having a party at my home one evening.” she said, “and there was a woman there telling fortunes. She read mine, among the others, and I remember how she said; “My daughter, you are going to take a long trip. I see people waiting disappointed at the station because you did not arrive. You will cross the broad waters, and at your destination, you will meet a young man, blond and smooth-shaven,who will become your husband.”
“I laughed at her” says Mrs. Plein, “but shortly afterwards I left for America. I missed the first boat, and in truth, Mr. Lieben's family waited “disappointed” for me at the station. I caught the next one, however, and at the Lieben home in Omaha I met Mr. Plein who had been in the city just three days. We were married one year later.”
Mr. Plein worked in the Frank A. Rinehart studios for thirteen years, severing his connection there about four years ago. It was while engaged at these studios that he achieved prominence by his artistic colorings of the “Rinehart Indians”, a series of Indian photographs which grew out of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition held in Omaha in 1898.
Rinehart succeeded in securing many of the notable chieftains and princes of the western tribes to pose for him, copyrighted the pictures and had them colored. Mr. Plein did mots of this work, it is said. He colored the photograph of Wolf Robe, a Cheyenne warrior, whose picture was broadcast over the world as the perfect type of the American Indian. Others who posed at the Rinehart studios during the Exposition included Geronimo, the notorious Apache chief; Hollow Horn Bear and Goes-to-War, Ogallala Sioux; Chief Josh, an Apache; Standing Bear from the Rosebud agency; Peatwytuck, a Sac and Fox Indian, and White Swan of the Crow tribe.
He Decorated “Rubaiyat”
Mrs. Rinehart, in estimating the work of the artist, says that he excelled in book decoration. “He colored a volume of Omar Khayyam's “Rubaiyat” which was the most beautiful piece of work of that kind I have ever seen”, she said. “He did a similar bit of coloring on a little volume of Coleridge's 'Ancient Mariner.' These books sold later for almost fabulous sums but of course Mr. Plein did not realize on them. One such book, I understand, sold for $5000.00, though I am not sure whether Mr. Plein colored that one or not.”
Mr. Plein did re-touching for many of the photographers of Omaha thought it seems reasonable to believe this was a sort of “side line” with him, engaged in by reason of the inevitable necessity of supplying himself with the “quoi de vivre.”
At the time of the San Francisco earthquake, the World-Herald received a picture of the ruins which was the first to be published this far east, following the catastrophe, and it was Mr. Plein who re-touched the picture, brought out certain defects in line and perspective, and made it printable.
American Indian Authority
But in an entirely different direction, though in a way closely related to his art, Mr. Plein devoted much of his time and money during the last twenty years of his life; namely in studying the American Indian, collecting data for a history he hoped one day to write, and in collecting old volumes of rare books.
Henry F. Kieser has a wealth of anecdotes relative to these pursuits on the part of the artist, which with their setting in the back of the book store, are delightfully reminiscent of the “Pisco Punch House” days in Frisco, when Robert Louis Stephenson, Mark Twain and Bret Harte used to assemble to visit with “the boys”.
“For the past seven years”, says Mr. Kieser, “the artist spent nearly every Saturday afternoon in the back of my store, talking with his acquaintances – always about western history, Indians, or rare books. Among those with whom he visited here from time to time were O.J. Wilde, book collector; Levi Levering, of Macy, successor to the chief of the Omaha tribe; Louis Statzer; a millionaire ranchman of Wyoming, and one of the country's greatest Napoleonic collectors. He also loved to chat with John Butler, chief of the Omaha fire and police departments in the sixties.”
For a site upon which to erect a home, Mr. Plein chose the summit of a steep hill at the head of Reynolds street, just off Thirtieth, in Florence, overlooking a broad expanse of valley. Here he built his little house about ten years ago, and here he spent the last days of his life.
The interior of the modest home reflects the artistic tastes of the man who arranged it. The colors are piquant but subdued; there is a pleasing contrast of shades without injury to the harmonious blend of the whole. The study abounds in old Indian curios – blankets, tomahawks, laces, knives, etc., and in the library are to be seen a few of the more than 5,000 rare volumes which Mr. Plein owned at the time of his death.
Mr. Plein has left behind him in Omaha works that have made for the advancement of art in the city, and a memory cherished by every person who came to know him in the years that followed his arrival at Gus Renze's place to go to work “for a very low salary.”
Photo at top taken by Jeffrey Spencer. From L-R standing: Patrick Esser, Phyllis Lepke, Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh; Jean McElheney, seated.
Colorized red border print from the Omaha Public Library's Trans-Mississippi International Exposition collection, courtesy of the Omaha Public Library - Ahahe - Wichita (tmiahahewichita)
Photo of "Corn Princess" painting courtesy of Douglas County Historical Society.
Thank you to Phyllis Lepke for providing the text for this blog and to Jeffrey Spencer for providing the transcript of the Omaha World-Herald article.
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