I am researching the life and works of master silhouettist Franz
Liborius Schmitz. He was born in Bonn appr. 1762 as son of Friedrich
Schmitz who was best man at Franz Schmitz' marriage 14 May 1800 to
Anne Dorothea Schousboe in Valløby in Denmark. Franz Liborius
Schmitz died 10 Mar 1827 north of Silkeborg in Denmark, leaving his
wife and seven children.
Schmitz was extremely productive and travelled all over Denmark and
major parts of Norway. Still today, literally thousands of his
silhouettes are preserved and he is represented in more Danish
museums than any other artist. He also visited the present
Schleswig-Holstein several times between 1804 and 1822, although
only some 15 of his silhouetttes are known today, e.g. in Schloß
Gottorf in Schleswig and St. Annen-Museum in Lübeck.
F.L. Schmitz left so many silhouettes in Denmark and Norway that one
can almost draw his whereabouts on a map. Yet, this is only true for
the period after 1799 when he arrived in Denmark, probably from Kiel
where he was reported as a visitor 10 Jun 1799. Before this time,
absolutely nothing is known about him and his silhouettes,
contrasted by his own statement that he had worked in both Germany
and France before coming to Denmark.
Therefore I am asking for your help in identifying silhouettes of
his in Germany. And how can you do that? First of all, please take a
look at this article:
http://tuxen.info/silhuetter/franz_liborius_schmitz_eng.htm
My good friend Halvor Jochimsen has translated this article into
German:
http://tuxen.info/silhuetter/franz_liborius_schmitz_deutsch.htm
The article will not make you an expert in Schmitz' silhouettes, but
hopefully it will give you an impression of what to search for. And
where do you search then? In your family, of course, but also in
cultural museums and in genealogy books. Many writers of genealogy
books have used silhouettes as illustrations, usually without
knowing the identity of the artist.
Please let me know if you find silhouettes that bear any resemblance
to those made by Schmitz. If we identify a sufficient number, we may
even be able to establish his whereabouts in Germany which may in
turn give a helping hand in genealogy projects. Perhaps yours?
Silhouettes are a primary source. Admittedly a weak one, but still.
And knowledge about the artist behind them and his whereabouts make
the silhouettes a stronger source.
My excuses for this extensively long mail. If you have not given up
reading yet, can I ask you for one last favour? I am in need of good
recommendations as to where I should publish this and similar
inquiries. In addition to this list, I subscribe to the Rootsweb
mailing lists SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN_ROOTS, NIEDERSACHSEN and
NORDRHEIN-WESTFALEN. Are there other/better fora (and persons?) that
I ought to consult, considering that Schmitz was born in Bonn appr.
1762 and claimed that he had worked in Germany and even in France
before he reported in Kiel in 1799? He had a slight preference for
visiting mid-size cities as opposed to the larger ones where it
might have been more difficult for him to spread the word to his
target customer base, the middle class.
P.s.: Please feel free to write to me in German. Ich rede Deutsch,
aber spreche und schreibe es leider sehr schlecht.