Franz Edward Rohrbeck (1852–1919), often referred to as Franz E. Rohrbeck, was an American artist, of
Milwaukee, known for his murals in courthouses and other government buildings.
He was born in
Berlin, Germany. He graduated from the
Berlin Art Academy and emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1885.
[ .]
He became a
muralist at some point, having "worked as a panoramic painter in San Francisco" and having done some painting for the 1893
World Columbian Exposition.
He painted murals in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan. He is probably most known for his large mural, "The Spirit and Strength of Wisconsin," at the
Wisconsin State Capitol.
Works include:
*Two by mural paintings in the second floor courtroom at
Green County Courthouse[
*Six murals at ]Martin County Courthouse (Fairmont, Minnesota)
The Martin County Courthouse is the county courthouse for Martin County, Minnesota, Martin County, Minnesota. The building is located at 201 Lake Avenue on the western side of the city of Fairmont, Minnesota, Fairmont, on a hill overlooking Lake Si ...
(designed by Charles E. Bell
Charles Emlen Bell (1858–1932), often known as C.E. Bell, was an American architect of Council Bluffs, Iowa
and Minneapolis, Minnesota. He worked alone and in partnership with John H. Kent and Menno S. Detweiler. He also worked as part of Be ...
, built 1906–07)[ with ]
*Four murals on four spandrels under the dome of Grant County Courthouse (Lancaster, Wisconsin)
The Grant County Courthouse, built in 1902, is an historic glass-and-copper-domed county courthouse building located at 126 West Main Street in Lancaster, Wisconsin. Designed by Armand D. Koch in the Classical Revival style, it was built of red ...
(1905)[
*Mural(s) at Brown County Courthouse (designed by ]Charles E. Bell
Charles Emlen Bell (1858–1932), often known as C.E. Bell, was an American architect of Council Bluffs, Iowa
and Minneapolis, Minnesota. He worked alone and in partnership with John H. Kent and Menno S. Detweiler. He also worked as part of Be ...
) in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...
[
*Mural(s) at ]Manitowoc County Courthouse
The Manitowoc County Courthouse is a three-story domed courthouse located in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. It houses the circuit court and government offices of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic ...
(designed by German-born Christ H. Tegen, built in 1906[
In at least two cases, it was architect ]Charles E. Bell
Charles Emlen Bell (1858–1932), often known as C.E. Bell, was an American architect of Council Bluffs, Iowa
and Minneapolis, Minnesota. He worked alone and in partnership with John H. Kent and Menno S. Detweiler. He also worked as part of Be ...
who designed the county courthouse. Bell was a prolific architect of courthouses.
References
1852 births
1919 deaths
Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin
German emigrants to the United States
Artists from Milwaukee
Painters from Wisconsin
American muralists
Artists from Berlin
19th-century American painters
19th-century American male artists
American male painters
20th-century American painters
20th-century American male artists
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