Vintage Wisconsin Art

Elsa Ulbricht (1885-1980) was a prominent figure in Wisconsin’s art world. Upon completing her education she began as a teacher in Milwaukee. She became active in local art circles, and in 1916 was one of the founders of the Wisconsin Society of Applied Arts, today known as Wisconsin Craft Council. She began spending summers at the Ox-Bow Art School in Saugatuck, Michigan. This was the beginning of a lifelong association with the school, first as a student, later as an instructor, and eventually as director. Still active in craft circles, Ulbricht was teaching at Milwaukee State Teacher’s College in the early 1930’s. At this time the national WPA program was just emerging and was looking to develop a presence in Milwaukee. One of the requirements was that the program needed a local sponsor. MSTC was selected as the sponsor, and that institution asked Ulbricht to head the Milwaukee WPA Handicraft Project that went on to function from 1935 to 1943 and employ thousands of women and men. It was a very successful program and became a model for others throughout the country. It is for this effort that Ulbricht is largely remembered today. More can be read about Ulbricht in two books in particular---“German-American Artists in Early Milwaukee “by Peter C. Merrill (1997), and also “Useful Work for Unskilled Women” by Mary Kellogg Rice (2003).

Unfortunately, Ulbricht is not as well remembered as a fine artist in her own right. She was a member of The Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors, the leading artist group of the day, and she exhibited often with that group. She also exhibited at the Milwaukee Journal Gallery of Art, which functioned from 1924-1931, and also at The Wisconsin Salon of Art, which sponsored exhibitions as the Memorial Union at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She worked in oil, watercolor, drawing, and various kinds of printmaking, and I am sure she worked in various fine crafts as well. Here are a few examples from my collection.