THE POSTMASTER’S PORCELAIN: COLLECTING EUROPEAN DECORATIVE ART IN MIDDLE AMERICA _______________________________________ A Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri-Columbia _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy _____________________________________________________ by SARAH S. JONES Dr. Michael Yonan, Dissertation Supervisor JULY 2018 © Copyright by Sarah S. Jones 2018 All Rights Reserved The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the dissertation entitled THE POSTMASTER’S PORCELAIN: COLLECTING EUROPEAN DECORATIVE ART IN MIDDLE AMERICA presented by Sarah S. Jones, a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. Professor Michael Yonan Professor Ilyana Karthas Professor Kristin Schwain Professor James van Dyke For Soumya D. Sanyal, my husband and cheerleader. Thank you for pushing me! ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation project would not have been possible without the many people and organizations who have supported me throughout my graduate education. First and most importantly, my advisor Dr. Michael Yonan guided me along the journey to fulfill my lifelong goal of earning my doctoral degree. He provided eminently constructive academic support, countless hours of editing, and untold amounts of patience, the most crucial element in the completion of my dissertation. I am highly grateful to my committee members, Dr. Kristin Schwain, Dr. Ilyana Karthas, and Dr. James van Dyke for their time and expertise, but above all for the example of professionalism and dedication to their students they provided in all our interactions. I must also recognize the support of the entire faculty of the Department of Art History and Archaeology at the University of Missouri for providing financial support for my research through the Ozzie Overby travel grant, but also for their gracious encouragement throughout my graduate career. The staff of the department, including June Davis, Linda Garrison, and Nancy Alexander, also provided their valuable time, comforting wisdom, and vital emotional support to myself and all the graduate students of our department which I truly appreciate. My dissertation project would not have been possible without the support of the institutions connected with the Strain Collection of European and American Decorative Arts. I am immensely grateful for their support. Key members of the University of Nebraska Kearney Finance Office, including former vice-chancellor Barbara Johnson, administrative assistant Fauneil Meyer, and assistant vice-chancellor (retired) John iii Lakey, provided access to the Strain house and documentation of the collection that formed the core of my research. Other people who provided essential documentation and recollections of the Strains include Mr. James R. Ganz, Jr., the Strains’ estate attorney; Dr. Betty Becker-Theye, neighbor and friend to the Strains; Mr. Roger L. Jones of the NU Foundation, the development officer who assisted the Strains in preparing their estate gift; and Mrs. Jeanne Hobelman and Mrs. Bonnie Anderson, relatives of the couple whose photographs and recollections furnished insight into the private world of the Strains. Dr. Will Stoutamire, current director of the G.W. Frank Museum of History and Culture, provided invaluable access to the collection objects for research and photography. I would also like to express my appreciation to Mrs. KrisAnn Sullivan, retired director of the museum, for her encouragement and support of my career, especially in asking me to serve as interim director in her absence as it was during that time that I was introduced to the legacy of the Strains and their amazing collection. It is also essential for me to recognize the support of my fellow graduate students in the Department of Art History and Archaeology with whom I smiled, drank, laughed, and sometimes cried as we shared the odyssey of academic training. I am eternally indebted to two members of the University of Missouri staff, Dr. Michelle Froese and Dr. Cathy Callaway, for their enduring care and support of my career and personal happiness. Support of family is tantamount to sleep and oxygen in the life of a doctoral student, so thanks go to my mother, Kathy, and my father, Steve; my sister, Laura, and nephew Conner; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. I am especially grateful for the love of my grandmother, Sue, who makes my life exponentially better. Finally, I am forever grateful iv to my husband, Soumya, and our fur-kids because completing my doctoral program would have been unachievable without their love and support. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ............................................................................................. vi PREFACE ...................................................................................................................... xviii Introductory Essay I. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................1 II. THE STRAIN COLLECTION OF DECORATIVE ARTS: AN OVERVIEW ........6 III. EDWARD PHILIP AND MILDRED C. STRAIN………………………………..13 IV. THE COLLECTION IN THE HOME…………………………………………….25 V. KEARNEY, NEBRASKA, AS A MIDWESTERN CULTURAL SPACE………61 VI. THEORIES OF COLLECTING AND MATERIAL CULTURE………………...72 VII. PORCELAIN IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT…………………………………….85 VIII. CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………….105 Catalog of Selected Objects from The Strain Collection I. INTRODUCTION TO THE CATALOG……………………………………….108 II. TABLEWARE FORMS .......................................................................................111 III. MYTHOLOGICAL GROUPS…………………………………………………..136 IV. SINGLE FIGURES……………………………………………………………...164 V. CHECKLIST OF THE STRAIN COLLECTION………………………………186 IMAGES………………………………………………………………………………..202 VITA……………………………………………………………………………………230 vi List of Illustrations 1. UNK News, Cope Stadium in “Loper Football aims to break attendance record at Thursday Opener,” (University of Nebraska Kearney, Kearney, NE: August 31, 2015) 2. Dresden cathedral 3. Solomon D. Butcher, View of the Industrial School, Kearney, Nebraska, ca. 1904, glass plate negative, Nebraska State Historical Society, Lincoln, Nebraska 4. Postcard of Millionenzimmer, Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria, 1967, Estate of Philip and Mildred Strain 5. Jack Drew standing among some antiques, undated, photograph, Bostwick- Frohardt Collection, Durham Museum, Omaha, Nebraska 6. Photograph of Virgil Yager Home, 1721 Fourth Avenue, Kearney, Nebraska, digital image, April 2012, Google Maps. 7. Photograph of the Lowe and Fair Commercial Block, Kearney, Nebraska, constructed 1881, digital image, Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office 8. Barbara De Witt, Photograph of Kearney Woman’s Club Headquarters, 2016, digital image, The Kearney Hub, Kearney, Nebraska 9. Solomon D. Butcher, P.T. Lambert’s House, Kearney, Nebraska, 1911, glass plate negative, Nebraska State Historical Society, Lincoln, Nebraska 10. L.F. Garlinghouse, Ranch Style Bungalow, July 1946, Bostwick-Frohardt Collection, Durham Museum, Omaha, Nebraska 11. Frank Lloyd Wright, Harvey P. Sutton House, 1905, McCook, Nebraska 12. Bob Eckwert Appraisal Associates, Strain House (exterior), June 2003, 521 West 28th Street, Kearney, Nebraska, photograph, 2003, James Ganz, Esq. Kearney, Nebraska 13. Bob Eckwert Appraisal Associates, Garden House of Strain House, June 2003, 521 West 28th Street, Kearney, Nebraska, photograph, 2003, James Ganz, Esq. Kearney, Nebraska 14. North Wall of Strain Living Room, 2009, video still image, University of Nebraska Kearney Finance Department 15. Dr. Jason Combs, Vase and Wallpaper in Strain Study, 2009, digital photograph, University of Nebraska Kearney Finance Department vii 16. Dr. Jason Combs, Grouping on top of secretary desk, Strain Living Room, 2009, digital photograph, University of Nebraska Kearney Finance Department 17. George Washington Frank, Jr., Entry Hall Fireplace, ca. 1889, ceramic tile and oak, G.W. Frank Museum of History and Culture, Kearney, Nebraska 18. Dr. Jason Combs, Ceiling of the Strain Dining Room, 2009, digital photograph, University of Nebraska Kearney Finance Department 19. Meissen Porcelain Manufactory and Vincennes Manufactory, Candelabra with Flowers and Figures, ca. 1750, ormolu, porcelain, silk, 17-1/2 in., Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, Washington, D.C. 20. Anonymous, The Heroic Dedication of Mademoiselle de Sombreuil, 1792, drawing, 56.5 x 76.9 cm., Carnavalet Museum, Paris 21. Alfred Edward Chalon (Swiss artist, 1780-1860) and Richard James Lane (British lithographer, 1800-1872), Mademoiselle Fleury/La Jolie Fille de Grande, ca. 1844, lithograph colored by hand, 461 x 305 mm, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 22. Antoine-Nicolas Dauphin (French, 1713-1784?), Salon de Musique, Bibliothèque de L’arsenal, mid-1740s, restored 2009, Paris 23. Lanette Scheeline (American, 1910-2001) and Louis W. Bowen Inc., Mural Miniatures, Boiserie Regence and Border Sample Card, 1954-68, screenprint on paper, 15-9/16 x 26-15/16 in., Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, New York City 24. Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, Clock, Nineteenth Century, porcelain with ormolu mount, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 25. Jean-Claude Duplessis (French, 1730-1783), Clock, ca. 1770-80, porcelain with ormolu mount, 44 x 17.5 cm., Victoria and Albert Museum, London 26.