Take the mystery out of art history
 
Brader - "George Dilger’s Brewery and Residence, Louisville, Stark County, Ohio, 1885" Graphite on paper drawing of Dilger's brewery
 
 

Ferdinand Brader • American/Swiss: 1833-1901

George Dilger’s Brewery and Residence, Louisville, Stark County, Ohio, 1885 • Graphite on Paper 28 1/2” x 48”

Who would ever guess that one of Stark County’s most spiritually elegant buildings, the Malone University Johnson Center, sits atop the ruins of the old County Poor House. More surprising, one of the oddest 19th Century residents of that institution was arguably one of the most accomplished artists to ever grace our city, Ferdinand Brader. 

The phrase; “poor, starving artist” might well have been invented to describe Brader. At least his life up to the age of about 60, when Father Fortune finally smiled on an itinerant Canton artist and showered him with a large inheritance from a forgotten brother. Upon receiving this news, old Ferdinand hopped a train to New York, then a steamer to Europe and swiftly made his way home to St. Gallans, Switzerland before the authorities in Ohio even knew he was missing. 

 A short time later he learned his old Stark County friends feared he’d met with a tragic end and were looking for his remains. His Letter to the Editor of the Canton Repository let everyone know he was safe and sound in his baronial mansion in the Swiss mountains … at least until his son reported him missing six years later. He was never heard from again.

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In his wake, Brader left a rich artistic legacy whose value has grown over the years far beyond the size of the inheritance that sent him home. 

This 1885 drawing was typical of Brader’s intricate artwork, usually completed as he roamed from farm to farm throughout northeast and central Ohio. His intricate drawings captured the smallest detail – can you find the cat or perhaps the squirrel or the train and tracks crossing through the field?

Brader is part of a rich American “Folk Art” tradition. In its finest form Folk Art is a vibrant celebration of period life, long on observation but usually short on artistic training and skill. 

Canton Museum of Art Permanent Collection • Purchased by the Canton Museum of Art 76.2

 
 

4 Ways to Sound Smart When Viewing at The Canton Museum of Art

1.
“Brader was a noted Folk Artist who made drawings of breweries, railroad depots, farms and other residences in Ohio and Pennsylvania.”

2.
“Brader often included small whimsical details in his drawings and related to his subect. Look closely to find them.”

3.
“Although he most worked with black graphite on paper, Brader incorporated colored pencils into his later works.”

4.
“While living at the Portage County Infirmary in 1891, he was diagnosed as ‘insane.’”

 
 

Brader Timeline. Scroll over images to see timeline.