Lot 37
John Gast(1842-1896)Collection of graphite drawings various sizes up to 5 1/8 x 8 1/8in
Amended
26 February 2021, 13:00 PST
Los AngelesSold for US$2,550 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our California Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Aaron Bastian
Director
Kathy Wong
Senior Director, Fine Art
John Gast (1842-1896)
Collection of graphite drawings by John Gast, Leopold Gast (1810-1898) and Paulus Roetter (1806-1894) relating to the Leopold Gast & Brother Lithograph Company, St. Louis, Missouri
various sizes up to 5 1/8 x 8 1/8in
various sizes up to 5 1/8 x 8 1/8in
Footnotes
The present collection of drawings and archival materials relates to artists Leopold Gast, his son John Gast and Paulus Roetter as well as the Leopold Gast & Brother Lithograph Company. The company was founded in St. Louis in 1852 by brothers Leopold and August Gast (1819-1891). The pair and their families immigrated from Germany in 1848 and brought with them their lithographic press. The Gast families settled briefly in New York and spent a year in Pittsburgh before moving permanently to St. Louis, Missouri. There they started a successful printing company, originally called Leopold Gast & Brother Lithograph Company, that continues to this day as Gast Companies, a 5th and 6th generation family-run financial, industrial and real estate company. Leopold ran the company from 1852 to 1866 when he sold his share to his brother August.
A selection of six lithographic proofs and remnants of proofs from the Gast company are included in this collection. The lithographs feature panoramas and remnants of panoramas of St. Louis, as well as images of two prominent city buildings: Hospital of the City of St. Louis and the Virginia Hotel.
John Gast, son of Leopold, is best known for his depiction of Manifest Destiny titled American Progress that he was commissioned to paint in 1872 by George Crofutt, a publisher of a popular Western travel guide. The painting, currently in the collection of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, was widely distributed as a chromolithograph. The present collection includes two signed pencil drawings by John Gast: a study of tree trunks from June 9, 1858; and a study of two sheep heads from November 5, 1858. Two works depicting Native Americans are unsigned but are likely the work of John Gast as well.
Paulus Roetter was a German-American artist and educator who immigrated to St. Louis with his family in 1845. This collection includes four works attributed to the artist: two railway scenes, a gold mining scene and an industrial scene with foreground horses. One railway scene is signed and dated 'Paulus Roetter / 1853'.
There are two drawings of Wittenberg and another German City that may be in the hand of Leopold Gast. In addition, there are unsigned drawings from circa 1850s depicting a wagon train over a mountain pass; two drawings that may related to the temperance movement; two drawings of stoves relating to The Excelsior Stove Works, St. Louis; drawings of the following identified St. Louis buildings: St. Louis Cotton Factory; St. Louis Steam Sugar Refinery, 1st Ward Encine House & Jail, the Old St. Louis Court House, Alex. Leitch & Co. Apothecary, People's Insurance Co. and six other unidentified residences and buildings presumably in St. Louis; seven other bookplates and figural studies. The collection also includes 13 miscellaneous engravings and other small prints, a selection of 11 photographic reproductions of religious drawings likely printed by the Gast company, and three unidentified photographs. Approximately 67 items total.
Saleroom notices
Please note the following additional information concerning the lot: The present collection of historically important drawings, prints and archival materials offer vivid documentation of St. Louis in the 1850s and 1860s referencing United States Western expansion and the city's role as "Gateway to the West". These factual, period graphite drawings, prints and documents relate to artist Leopold Gast (1810-1898) and the L. Gast & Brother Lithography Company, his artist-son John Gast (1842-1896) and artist Paulus Roetter (1806-1896). L. Gast & Brother Lithography Company was founded in St. Louis in 1852 by brothers Leopold Gast and August Gast (1819-1891). The pair and their families immigrated from Germany in 1848, bringing with them their lithographic press. The Gast families settled briefly in New York and spent a year in Pittsburgh before moving permanently to St. Louis, Missouri. There they started a successful printing company, originally called L. Gast & Brother Lithograph Company, that continues to this day as Gast Companies, a 5th and 6th generation family-run financial, industrial and real estate company. Leopold ran the company from 1852 to 1866 when he sold his share to his brother August. The original company was perhaps the first and largest lithographic company of its kind in mid-nineteenth century St. Louis, and as such, secures its place in Western American history. Many of the works included in this collection, directly and indirectly chronicle, in meticulous detail, the uniquely American policy of 'Manifest Destiny'. Characterized in these mid-nineteenth century works of art are depictions of everyday life: the hustle, bustle, clatter, clamor and irrepressible energy that culminated in the United States becoming the wealthiest country in world history. Many of the art works feature liberal appointments of secondary vignettes of workers, river boats, trains, and other illustrations of commerce, reflecting the unstoppable tidal wave of American expansion. A selection of six rare 1850s-1860s lithographic proofs and remnants of proofs from Leopold Gast's company are included in this collection. The lithographs feature panoramas and remnants of panoramas of St. Louis, as well as images of two prominent city buildings: Hospital of the City of St. Louis and the Virginia Hotel. Historically notable is the large panoramic 1868 edition lithograph of St. Louis, virtually the same as the 1855 original, but with a few updates, including a large grain elevator and the Gast building. The collection also includes two drawings of Wittenberg and another German City that may be in the hand of Leopold Gast. Paulus Roetter was a German-American artist and educator who immigrated to St. Louis with his family in 1845, and was associated with the Gast company. This collection includes four works by the artist, three are signed 'Paulus Roetter', one dated 1853, a fourth initialed 'P.R.' Two are railway scenes, a road clearing scene and an industrial factory scene with foreground horses. The drawing of the factory with the large round structures and the horses is particularly interesting for its visual similarity to 20th century works of American Regionalism, possibly depicting a brick factory an industry that St. Louis was also famous for at the time. Roetter was an important early illustrator of Southwestern flora. He was artist for an 1853-1855 government expedition to map out a workable route for a railroad from the Mississippi to the West Coast . John Gast, son of Leopold, is best known for his painting "American Progress" an iconic depiction of westward expansion, considered the American equivalent of Delacroix's "Liberty Leading The People." The painting was commissioned in 1872 by George Crofutt, publisher of a popular Western travel guide. "American Progress" is currently in the collection of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage and was widely distributed as a chromolithograph. The present collection includes two signed pencil drawings by John Gast: a study of tree trunks from June 9, 1858; and a study of two sheep heads from November 5, 1858. Two works depicting Native Americans are unsigned but are likely the work of John Gast as well. The collection includes drawings of a number of prominent buildings in St. Louis. One drawing of historic interest, depicts the St. Louis Steam Sugar Refinery, adjacent to the St. Louis Shot Tower. Shot towers were used to make lead shot for ammunition by a process of pouring molten lead through a screen at the top of the tower resulting in lead droplets forming perfect little balls of shot as they fell before dropping into a pool of water at the bottom, completing the process. Other items of special interest are unsigned drawings from circa 1850s depicting a wagon train over a mountain pass; two drawings that may relate to the temperance movement; two drawings of stoves relating to The Excelsior Stove Works, St. Louis; drawings of the following identified St. Louis buildings: St. Louis Cotton Factory, 1st Ward Engine House & Calaboose (Jail), the Old St. Louis Court House, Alex. Leitch & Co. Apothecary, People's Insurance Co. and six other unidentified residences and buildings presumably in St. Louis. Also included are seven bookplates and figural studies, 13 miscellaneous engravings and other small prints, a selection of 11 photographic reproductions of religious drawings likely printed by the Gast company, and three unidentified photographs. Approximately 67 items total.
