{"product_id":"mendelssohn-by-william-dreser","title":"Mendelssohn by William Dreser","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMendelssohn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eby \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWilliam Dreser\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eC.1880\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLithograph\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis piece, titled \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMendelssohn\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, is an \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eoriginal black-and-white portrait lithograph\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e created \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ecirca 1880\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e by the German-American graphic artist \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWilliam Dreser\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Printed by the prominent firm \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eW.J. Morgan \u0026amp; Co. Lithographers\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e in Cleveland, Ohio, the work was commissioned expressly for \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBrainard’s Musical Treasures\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, a celebrated series published by the music company S. Brainard's Sons. The lithograph depicts the legendary German Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn in a three-quarter view, captured with his distinctively soft, wavy hair, prominent forehead, and high Victorian collar with a voluminous necktie. Dreser utilizes a fine, granular stipple-and-crayon technique to give the portrait a rich tactile quality, framing the composer inside a classic, arched lithographic border with detailed corner spandrels.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis lithograph illustrates the late 19th-century boom in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAmerican music publishing\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and the canonization of European classical masters for Gilded Age living rooms. Artist William Dreser was a highly skilled commercial lithographer of the period, known for rendering refined, lifelike portraits directly onto limestone printing blocks for Midwestern publishing houses. By featuring iconic historical composers like Mendelssohn alongside contemporary stage stars, S. Brainard's Sons used \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMusical Treasures\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e to elevate the cultural prestige of their commercial sheet music folios. Partnering with W.J. Morgan \u0026amp; Co., a printing powerhouse globally renowned for its advanced theatrical posters, ensured that these illustrations were collector's items in their own right. This piece is historically significant because it reflects the democratization of classical music in 19th-century America, showing how visual media helped institutionalize the Western musical canon in everyday household culture.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eH 13” x 9”W\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCondition: slightly toned with age\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ANTONIO RAIMO GALLERY","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54068598178071,"sku":"PR0192-4","price":295.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0668\/3607\/0679\/files\/PR0192-4.1.jpg?v=1784302499","url":"https:\/\/antonioraimogallery.com\/products\/mendelssohn-by-william-dreser","provider":"ANTONIO RAIMO GALLERY","version":"1.0","type":"link"}