Herr Amsler Was...
Date1911
Artist
Arthur E. Becher
(American artist and illustrator, 1877–1960)
Illustration Citation"The Recruit," by Ethel Train, in Redbook, October 1911
MediumGraphite, crayon, and gouache on illustration board
Dimensionscomposition: 14 1/2 × 17 15/16 in. (36.8 × 45.6 cm)
sheet (board): 19 3/8 × 22 in. (49.2 × 55.9 cm)
sheet (board): 19 3/8 × 22 in. (49.2 × 55.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of the estate of Frieda Becher, 1971
Object number1971-121
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDRAWING
Label TextIn this scene, a German immigrant who has lost his job as violinist in an orchestra gives money to a man poorer than himself. Ultimately, the musician finds new employment and, when he plays his violin for his co-workers, they embrace him and his talents until he finds work as a translator at Ellis Island.Born in Germany, Arthur Becher and his family left Freiberg, Germany, to live in Milwaukee, a favorite destination for German immigrants at the time. There Becher studied with academically-trained German émigré painters, quickly mastering the naturalistic style that would serve him so well as an illustrator. He also studied with Howard Pyle in Wilmington. Becher was a versatile artist, accomplished in both vibrant color and the subtle gradations of black and white media. His accuracy of detail, nuance of gesture and expression, and evocative settings made him ideal as an illustrator of the diversionary fiction that was a mainstay of the period.
