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Karl von Rydingsvärd

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Karl Arthur von Rydingsvärd
von Rydingsvärd often carved his signature in pieces as K. von R.
Born(1863-11-22)November 22, 1863
Färgelanda, Dalsland, Sweden
DiedMay 2, 1941(1941-05-02) (aged 77)
Portland, Maine, United States
Occupation(s)Furniture maker, teacher
Years active1883–1941
StyleArts and Crafts
Spouses
Anna M. Davis
​
​
(m. 1886; div. 1897)​
Ida W. (Simpson) Jackson
​
​
(m. 1898)​
Signature

Karl Arthur von Rydingsvärd was a Swedish-American furniture maker and teacher influential in the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States.[1]

His work was exhibited at the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition,[2] and he was a prominent member of arts societies in the 1890s–1930s, exhibiting around New York and greater New England. His furniture and architectural work furnished the homes and businesses of upper class society of the time, including Arthur Curtiss James,[3] Amanda Brewster Sewell,[4] Theodore Swann,[5] and Douglas Volk.[6]

Rydingsvärd's greatest influence may be his work as a teacher, as he spent most of his career as an educator. Notably, his classes were open to women,[7] and he had a direct influence on future generations of craftsmen due to his work training future teachers of technical arts at the Teachers College in New York[8] and future generations of artists at the Rhode Island School of Design.[9]

Personal life

[edit]

Rydingsvärd was born in Sweden on November 22, 1863[10] to Axel and Emma Rydingsvärd. He records on his census that he received up to an eighth grade formal education.[11] He learned to carve furniture at the Royal Technical School in Sweden[12][8] before emigrating to the United States in 1883.[10]

Anna von Rydingsvärd

In April 1886, Rydingsvärd married the Boston-born Anna M. Davis.[13] Anna taught as a professor in the Massachusetts Normal Art School in Boston, and was an accomplished translator and author, who wrote magazine articles[14] and a manual for art education in schools,[15] as well as translating from Swedish several books including My Lady Legend by Albrekt Segerstedt[16] in 1891, and Vera Vorontzoff by Sonja Kovalevsky[17] in 1895. (She is also credited with translating Verner von Heidenstam's Endymion and Tor Hedberg's Judas,[15] but there is no evidence that these translations were ever published.)

During the course of their marriage, the couple referred to themselves as members of the Swedish nobility,[18] despite Rydingsvärd having no prominent noble descent, a fact that was reported in Boston area Swedish-language newspapers. Anna referred to herself as Baroness von Proschwitz in her translation work, and gave interviews claiming the title.[19] When Anna filed for divorce in 1897,[1] the false claims of nobility were exposed by the English-language press, including the New York Times.[20]

In 1899, Rydingsvärd married his former student, Ida Jackson.[1] Ida was also a proficient woodcarver who occasionally exhibited her work with his.[21]

Rydingsvärd became a naturalized citizen of the United States on December 24, 1900.[10] Despite the false claims of nobility coming to light in the 1890s, Rydingsvärd continued to introduce himself as a member of the nobility at least into the 1920s, as papers from the collection of Douglas Volk, a fellow artist whose family Rydingsvärd worked closely with, introduce him as "Count von Rydingsvärd",[22] and newspapers of the 1910s[23] introduce him with the title of Baron.

He was friends with many other notable artists of the period, including Amanda Brewster Sewell, who painted his portrait in 1905.[24]

Karl and Ida von Rydingsvärd, with Wendell Volk, standing in front of the 85 Clinton St. house in Portland, ME. The house was purchased in 1925. The label on the backside of this photograph, which comes from the Douglas Volk papers, describes Rydingsvärd as a count. Note the carved panels surrounding the door.[22]

Rydingsvärd died on May 2, 1941. His wife Ida died only nineteen days later, on May 21. They are buried together in Evergreen Cemetery[25] in Portland, Maine.

Career

[edit]

Rydingsvärd was an active contributor to many craft-focused periodicals, writing tutorials and publishing decorative designs intended to be copied by amateur woodcarvers. He provided a multi-part series, "Lessons in Woodcarving", in the Arts & Crafts magazine[26] (London, published by Hutchinson and Co.), as well as publishing in Art Amateur,[27][28] International Studio,[29] and The Craftsman.[30]

In addition to producing his own work, Rydingsvärd ran a school for woodcarving for many years, taking both men and women as pupils[7] and coordinating exhibits of their work.[21] Prior to 1891, Rydingsvärd taught at the Boston Normal School.[9]

From 1891 to 1896, Rydingsvärd taught at the Rhode Island School of Design.[9]

In 1896 in Boston, he organized an exhibition focused on the work of women artists.[31] He was a major proponent of women's work in woodcarving, and often spoke about their ability to carve both as a hobby and as a profession.[32]

In 1895,[33] he was a department director in the Manual Training and Arts Education department at the Horace Mann School of the Teachers College in New York[8] and taught woodcarving at their Macy Manual Training High School for girls.

In 1897, in an unusual departure from his work in furniture design and woodcarving, he exhibited at the Boston Society of Arts and Crafts as a book designer, representing Lamson, Wolffe, and Company.[34] This was the same publisher with which his wife Anna published her translation of Vera Vorontzoff. The cover design and title page illustration for that book are uncredited and unsigned,[17] so it is not known if this was an artistic collaboration between himself and his wife.

After 1903, he was a member of the Architectural League of New York[35] and showed work there.[21][36]

In 1904, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, for the first time in the history of world's fairs, separated displays of machine-made furniture and goods from handmade goods, called "original products of Art workmanship." These were exhibited along with other fine arts in the Palace of Art, rather than the Palaces of Manufactures or Varied Industries as they would have been in previous years.[37] This recognition of handicraft was a major victory for the design reform movement, of which he Rydingsvärd was part. He exhibited at the Exposition for the state of New York,[2] submitting a Norse style bridal chair.[37]

In 1905, Rydingsvärd taught wood carving at the Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences in Manchester, New Hampshire,[38] as well as at the New York City YWCA.[39] In 1909, he taught at the Troy School of Arts and Crafts in Troy, New York.[40]

He exhibited his work many times at the National Arts Club[41] where he was a member, He won a life membership as a prize in the 1914 Society of Craftsmen exhibition.[42] In 1908, he exhibited a desk and other smaller articles[43] (his wife Ida also exhibited at this time[44]); his 1909 exhibition comprised seven pieces, including a copy of a 15th century Flemish picture frame;[45] in 1916, a table and chairs;[46] and his 1919 exhibition featured eight sculpted wood panels with scenes of American pioneers.[41]

A photograph of the 1901 exhibition of the National Arts Club. The desk and chair by Karl von Rydingsvärd are seen at the right[47].

In 1919, Rydingsvärd was the instructor of Art Wood Carving at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, California.[48]

In 1921, Rydingsvärd served as an advisory member of the Committee of the Swedish Section of America's Making.[49]

In 1933, he was a founding member of the Maine Architectural Society.[50]

Advertisement for Rydingsvärd's wood carving school
Design for a Norse decoration on a box top by Karl von Rydingsvärd

Awards and honors

[edit]
  • 1914 – Society of Craftsmen – Eighth Annual Exhibition – First place[51]
  • 1918 – Society of Craftsmen – Board of Directors
  • 1940 – World's Fair – Wall of Fame[52]

Artistic style

[edit]

Rydingsvärd worked in the Arts and Crafts style, which was popular in the United States beginning in the late 1890s.[37] His work is very influenced by Scandinavian decorations, particularly following the decorations and construction style of Scandinavian antiques.[53] His decorative work often features Viking ships, dragons, and scenes from Norse mythology.

Detail view of a desk carved by Rydingsvärd (see model published in the 1909 issue of The Craftsman[54]), showing the Skåäng Runestone in Sweden. Rydingsvärd was very influenced by the folklore of his native land.
Sö 32, Skåäng

He sometimes worked in a more English Gothic style, especially when designing for clients.

A Gothic style lectern[55]

Like many of the Arts and Crafts style furniture makers of the period, he did not use glue or nails in the construction of his furniture, holding the pieces together primarily with heavy pegs and tenons.

Karl von Rydingsvärd desk – International Studio Magazine – 1907

Works

[edit]

Throughout his life, Rydingsvärd made and sold furniture and architectural features. He often took large commissions to carve sets of furnishings for entire homes, and for friends and artistic collaborators such as Douglas Volk.

Much of Rydingsvärd's surviving work is scattered in private collections, and, aside from the 2016 exhibit[1] at the American Swedish Historical Museum, there has been no comprehensive attempt to document it as a group. Formerly extensive collections, such as the furniture commissioned by Theodore Swann for his Birmingham, Alabama house[5] and the furniture for Robert and Amanda Brewster Sewell's Long Island home "Fleetwood"[4] have been broken up and sold individually.[56]

A chair from the Robert Sewell home "Fleetwood", with carved animal decorations signature to Karl von Rydingsvärd's decorative style, as featured in American Homes and Gardens.[57]

Surviving work

[edit]
Desk carved in Norwegian style as published in a 1909 issue of The Craftsman.[58] At least two variations of this desk exist, one as shown with the crouching lions, and another with walrus figures used aboard the Aloha, now held in the Mystic Seaport Museum[59].
Front view of a desk by Karl von Rydingsvard (as featured in the 1909 issue of The Craftsman[30]), held in a private collection
Detail view of a desk by Karl von Rydingsvard, held in a private collection
  • The largest collection of Rydingsvärd's furniture is a private collection held by members of the Milliken family, who loaned their collection to the American Swedish Historical Museum for display.[1] In 2023, the museum acquired a large bench for their permanent collection.[60]
  • The Hermitage Museum in Norfolk, Virginia contains furniture and architectural features carved by Rydingsvärd, including cabinets, an outdoor shrine, and the building's vergeboards.[61]
  • The Portland, Maine house that Rydingsvärd owned from 1925 to the end of his life maintains several visible architectural features on the exterior, including the doorframes[62].
    Door carvings on Karl von Rydingsvärd's house in Portland, Maine[62]
  • Rydingsvärd completed interior carvings and decorations for Arthur Curtiss James' yacht Aloha II in 1910,[63][64] depicting "the whole story of the development of water transportation"[65] including panels of Christopher Columbus sailing to America and the Norse Volsung saga.[3] The Aloha was scrapped in 1938 and many of its furnishings were salvaged. Some or all of the panels Rydingsvärd carved are in the permanent collection of the Mystic Seaport Museum,[66] as is a desk with walrus figures and other furniture. These were displayed as part of the "Sea as Muse" exhibit, from September 2021 – July 2025.[67]
  • The Portland Museum of Art has a carved panel, "The History of Sea Travel", in their permanent collection.[68]
  • The former home of Douglas Volk, Hewnoaks in Center Lovell, Maine, contained furnishings and architectural features carved by Rydingsvärd. Much of the Hewnoaks collection was sold at auction in 2006,[69] but the architectural features, including the carved support beams,[6] remain in the house[70][non-primary source needed]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Flowers and Monsters: Hand-Carved Furniture by Karl von Rydingsvärd". American Swedish Historical Museum. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  2. ^ a b New York (State) Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission; Ellis, De Lancey M.; Harriman, Edward Henry (1907). New York at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, 1904. Report of the New York State Commission. Cornell University Library. Albany, J. B. Lyon Company, state printers.
  3. ^ a b Carved Wood Panels in Aloha II. JSTOR. The Lotus Magazine. May 1, 1913.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. ^ a b American homes and gardens. Smithsonian Libraries. New York : Munn and Co. 1905.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  5. ^ a b "Theodore Swann's Photograph album – Winterthur Library Digital Collections". digitalcollections.winterthur.org. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Good Housekeeping 1905-07: Vol 41 Iss 1. Internet Archive. Hearst Magazines, a Division of Hearst Communications, Inc. July 1, 1905.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. ^ a b "Wood Carving a Fashionable Accomplishment for the Young Woman of Today". Peterborough Examiner. February 18, 1909.
  8. ^ a b c United States. Office of Education; Clarke, Isaac Edwards (1885). Art and industry. Education in the industrial and fine arts in the United States. Cornell University Library. Washington, Govt. print. off.
  9. ^ a b c Barrett, Dawn (2008). Infinite Radius: Founding the Rhode Island School of Design. Rhode Island School of Design. ISBN 978-0-9822979-0-2.
  10. ^ a b c "Passport Records, United States". Family Search. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  11. ^ "Cumberland, Maine, United States records". Family Search. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  12. ^ "The Chipstone Foundation". chipstone.org. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  13. ^ "Marriage Records, Boston Massachusetts". Family Source. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  14. ^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1901). Catalog of Title Entries of Books Etc. Jan–March First Quarter 1901 Vol 26 no 1. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
  15. ^ a b Anna M. Von Rydingsvard (1903). Art studies for schools. Internet Archive.
  16. ^ Segerstedt, Albrekt Julius; Rydingsvärd, Anna Maria von (1891). My lady Legend, and other folk tales from the North;. University of California Libraries. Boston : D. Lothrop Company.
  17. ^ a b Kovalevskai︠a︡, Sofʹi︠a︡ Vasilʹevna (1895). Vera Vorontzoff. Lamson, Wolffe and Company.
  18. ^ The Spirit of '76 : devoted to the principles, incidents, and men of '76 and colonial times. Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center. New York : Spirit of '76 Publishing Co. 1894.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. ^ The Los Angeles Times 1897-05-09. Internet Archive. Los Angeles Times Communications LLC. May 9, 1897.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  20. ^ "Rydingsvard Divorce Case" (PDF). The New York Times. September 29, 1897. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  21. ^ a b c "Carved Bridal Chests". The New York Times. May 7, 1905.
  22. ^ a b "Slideshow | AAA.volkleon_ref214". edan.si.edu. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  23. ^ North Shore breeze. Phillips Library at The Peabody Essex Museum. Manchester, Mass. : North Shore Breeze Co. 1910.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  24. ^ Bowdoin Orient (1905). Bowdoin Orient. Bowdoin College Library. Bowdoin College.
  25. ^ "Evergreen Cemetery Map Viewer". Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  26. ^ Arts and Crafts (1904). Arts And Crafts: A Practical Magazine for the Studio, The Workshop, and the Home (vol. 1).
  27. ^ The Art Amateur 1900–05: Vol 42 Iss 6. Internet Archive. Open Court Publishing Co. May 1, 1900.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  28. ^ Review of reviews and world's work. Robarts – University of Toronto. New York Review of Reviews Corp. 1890.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  29. ^ "International studio (31.1907)". digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  30. ^ a b The Craftsman 1909-03: Vol 15 Iss 6. Internet Archive. Open Court Publishing Co. March 1, 1909.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  31. ^ "Table of Art Exhibits: American & Foreign". Modern Art. 4 (1): 25–26. 1896. ISSN 2151-7053. JSTOR 25609915.
  32. ^ Duluth Evening Herald. Minnesota Historical Society.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  33. ^ The New York Times 1895-05-19: Vol 44 Iss 13647. Internet Archive. May 19, 1895.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  34. ^ Ulehla, Karen Evans (1981). The Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston exhibition record, 1897–1927. Boston Public Library. [Boston, Mass.] : Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston. ISBN 978-0-89073-068-3.
  35. ^ American Federation of Arts. American art annual, Volume 5. Harvard University. MacMillan Co., 1905.
  36. ^ The craftsman. Robarts – University of Toronto. New York [etc.] 1901.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  37. ^ a b c Brandt, Beverly K. (1988). ""Worthy and Carefully Selected": American Arts and Crafts at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, 1904". Archives of American Art Journal. 28 (1): 2–16. doi:10.1086/aaa.28.1.1557535. ISSN 0003-9853. JSTOR 1557535.
  38. ^ "Educational Intelligence". The Journal of Education. 61 (5 (1515)): 134–139. 1905. ISSN 0022-0574. JSTOR 42803240.
  39. ^ "Art School of the Y.W.C.A." The New York Times. May 26, 1905.
  40. ^ The international studio. Getty Research Institute. New York : John Lane, The Bodley Head. 1897.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  41. ^ a b "American Art News, Vol. 14, no. 33". American Art News. 14 (33): 1–8. 1916. ISSN 1944-0227. JSTOR 25588887.
  42. ^ Arts & Decoration. Adam Bunge. 1914.
  43. ^ The New York Times 1908-04-10: Vol 57 Iss 18339. Internet Archive. April 10, 1908.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  44. ^ International studio. Robarts – University of Toronto. New York. 1897.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  45. ^ "Review of Old World Lace, or a Guide for the Lace Lover". American Art News. 19 (9): 4. 1920. ISSN 1944-0227. JSTOR 25589722.
  46. ^ International studio. Robarts – University of Toronto. New York. 1897.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  47. ^ The craftsman. Robarts – University of Toronto. New York [etc.] 1901.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  48. ^ "The Otis Art Institute of the Museum of History, Science and Art: Abridged Circular :: Otis History, People and Places". gisplxap11.otis.edu. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  49. ^ Johnson, Amandus; America's Making, Inc Swedish Section (1921). Swedish contributions to American national life, 1638–1921. Cornell University Library. New York : Committee of the Swedish Section of America's Making, Inc.
  50. ^ American Institute of Architects (1983). Architecture : the AIA journal. Internet Archive. [Washington, D.C. : American Institute of Architects].
  51. ^ The New York Times 1914-12-09: Vol 64 Iss 20773. Internet Archive. December 9, 1914.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  52. ^ "Wall of Fame of the American Common: World's Fair of 1940 in New York, ca. July 30, 1940". credo.library.umass.edu. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  53. ^ Albert Shaw (1907). The American review of reviews. University of Michigan. New York : Review of Reviews.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  54. ^ The Craftsman 1909-03: Vol 15 Iss 6. Internet Archive. Open Court Publishing Co. March 1909.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  55. ^ International studio. Robarts – University of Toronto. New York. 1897.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  56. ^ "KARL VON RYDINGSVÄRD". americandecorativeart.com. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  57. ^ American homes and gardens. Smithsonian Libraries. New York : Munn and Co. 1905.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  58. ^ The Craftsman 1909-03: Vol 15 Iss 6. Internet Archive. Open Court Publishing Co. March 1909.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  59. ^ "The Chipstone Foundation". chipstone.org. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  60. ^ American Swedish Historical Museum (May 15, 2024). Virtual Lecture: Karl von Rydingsvärd: Baron of the Arts and Crafts. Retrieved March 13, 2025 – via YouTube.
  61. ^ "Decorative Arts | The Hermitage Museum & Gardens". Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  62. ^ a b alewifecove (September 14, 2020). "Glimpses. 85 Clinton Street". Portland House Stories. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  63. ^ The New York Times 1910-02-18: Vol 59 Iss 19018. Internet Archive. February 18, 1910.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  64. ^ International studio. Robarts – University of Toronto. New York. 1897.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  65. ^ Eaton, Allen H. (Allen Hendershott) (1970). Immigrant gifts to American life. Internet Archive. New York : Arno Press. ISBN 978-0-405-00576-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  66. ^ "Objects | Mystic Seaport". mobius.mysticseaport.org. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  67. ^ Museum, Mystic Seaport (September 22, 2021). "Fine Silver and Wood Carvings Inspired by the Sea". Mystic Seaport Museum. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  68. ^ "Portland Museum of Art Collections – The History of Sea Travel". collections.portlandmuseum.org. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  69. ^ Cassidy, Donna (2017). Marsden Hartley's Maine. Internet Archive. New York : The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-1-58839-613-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  70. ^ "Instagram". instagram.com. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
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