Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Frank G. Meinhart photograph collection, 1874-circa 1930s
Overview of the Collection
- Collector
- Meinhart, Frank G., 1874-1947
- Title
- Frank G. Meinhart photograph collection
- Dates
- 1874-circa 1930s (inclusive)18741939
1910-circa 1930s (bulk)19101930 - Quantity
-
1 box
181 photographic prints - Collection Number
- Lot 24
- Summary
- Frank G. Meinhart operated a sign painting business out of Butte, Montana, in the 1910s and 1920s. This collection consists of 181 photographic prints with views of Frank Meinhart and his family (91 prints) both in Butte, Montana, and Hamilton, Montana, as well as images of the Meinhart sign painting shop and signs created by the shop and others in the 1910s and 1920s advertising local and national businesses (87 prints). Images of painted advertisements include those on roadside boards and on buildings in downtown Butte, Montana, and Helena, Montana.
- Repository
-
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Frank G. Meinhart was born on March 16, 1874, in St Louis, Missouri. Frank moved to Butte, Montana, around 1899 and soon thereafter began work as a sign painter for Schatzlein Paint Company. He worked there for a few years and then began taking contract painting jobs. By 1910, Mr. Meinhart built a large enough clientele to open his own sign painting business, located at 119 S. Main. He remained in Butte until the late 1920s, at which time he relocated his family to Hamilton, Montana.
In addition to his sign painting, Frank Meinhart drew some income from cattle ranching. In 1902 Mr. Meinhart entered into a business arrangement with Joseph Maurice, a ranch owner near the Wise River in Beaverhead County. Meinhart purchased forty head of cattle, which Maurice agreed to care for over a period of five years. The two were to share the profits accordingly. Maurice, however, died in 1907. Meinhart was made executor of his estate and took control over the ranch at that time.
Frank Meinhart was a self-taught painter whose art works focused on wildlife and Native American portraits. He is credited with starting a sketch club in Butte to assist local artists. Meinhart was prolific and gained local recognition for his work through small exhibits in towns across Montana. Some of his work was included in an exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., as part of the Victory Poster Contest held during World War II.
Frank Meinhart and Louise Espenscheid were married in St. Louis, Missouri, on March 1, 1905. The newlyweds relocated to Butte where they lived until about 1927. They had one son, Russell H. Meinhart, who died at the age of eight as a result of a tooth infection. Frank Meinhart died in Hamilton, Montana, on May 20, 1947. Louise Meinhart died in Missouri in 1959, but she was buried in Montana near her husband and son. [Biographical information provided by Jodie Foley]
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection consists of 181 photographic prints (176 black and white prints, including 1 carte de visite, 1 cabinet card, and 1 oversize print; 4 cyanotypes and 1 color print). About half of the prints are views of the Meinhart sign painting business, and include images of advertisements painted on roadside signs and on buildings in Butte and Helena, Montana (many Helena signs were painted by Thomas Cusack Company, Chicago), the sign shop interior, and advertisements for Meinhart sign painting. Many views of building advertisements include street scenes along Main, Park, and Broadway Streets in Butte, Montana.
Building paintings advertise for the following: Diamond Tires, Elite Shoe Shop, Flor de Baltimore Cigars, Maverick , McDonald’s Chocolates and Cocoa, Siegel’s Clothes, Sweet Caporal Cigarettes, and Sweet’s Salt Lake Chocolates. Roadside signs are for “Continental Divide: Elev. 6350 Ft.,” Diamond Tires, Federal Tires, Fisk Tires, Gamer’s Shoes, Goodrich Tires, Maxwell, McDonald’s Chocolates and Cocoa, Pabst Blue Ribbon, “Save Food: 120,000,000 Allies,” Sweet Caporal Cigarettes, Sweet’s Salt Lake Chocolates, Texaco Motor Oil, and Wein’s Clothing.
The bulk of the remaining photographs are of the Meinhart Family, including portraits of Frank Meinhart, Louise Meinhart, and Russell Meinhart, views of Frank Meinhart with family and friends, and exteriors of the Meinhart home in Hamilton, Montana. 16 prints are views of Frank in a rural setting, possibly near the Meinhart ranch in Beaverhead County, with views of Frank and other men in front of tents and on horseback, and views of cabins and wagons. 3 prints document Frank’s involvement with the Elks in Butte.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
Many of the photographs in this collection are attributed to specific photographers or photographic studios and lists of these photographers and/or studios follow. However, numerous photographs are unattributed and are not listed.
Photographs in the collection are the work of the following Montana photographers:
Butte Photo and View Co. (Butte, Mont.) (1 photograph)
Elite Studio (Butte, Mont.) (1 photograph)
Miller Studio (Butte, Mont.) (1 photograph)
Photographs in the collection are the work of the following non-Montana photographers:
Benton Studio, C. Vongerichton , Prop. (St. Louis, Mo.) (1 photograph)
C. H. Wright and Co., Photographers (St. Louis, Mo.) (1 photograph)
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Photograph Archives collections and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Photograph Archives before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in its collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Preferred Citation
Frank G. Meinhart photograph collection. Lot 24. Box and folder number. Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives, Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The photographs are arranged by subject into three series: Series I. Meinhart Family, Series II. Meinhart Sign Painting, and Series III. City and Town Life.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series I: Meinhart Family (91 prints), 1874-circa 1930sReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Frank Meinhart portraits (including ca. 1876 colored
carte de visite, elementary school class photograph on card mount, cabinet card view
of Frank, ca. 1893, small portraits of Frank with a cigarette in his mouth and in
cowboy attire) |
circa 1876; circa 1893 |
| 1/2 | Louise and Russell Meinhart portraits (Louise ca.
1900, and views of Russell as a baby to about age 5 (including 2 cyanotypes of
Russell, about age 3) |
1874-circa 1930s |
| 1/3 | Frank Meinhart, individual photographs (next to a car
and with his dog) |
1874-circa 1930s |
| 1/4 | Frank Meinhart on horseback, in rural setting
(possibly near the Meinhart ranch in Beaverhead County; views of Frank and other men
in front of tents and on horseback, and views of cabins and wagons) |
1874-circa 1930s |
| 1/5 | Meinhart family - Frank, Louise and Russell Meinhart
(Russell in wagon pulled by goat, family in snow and on road trip, the family dog)
|
1874-circa 1930s |
| 1/6 | Meinhart family and others (Frank with Elks in front
of movie theater, ca. 1919, group portrait of the Butte Elks club, ca. 1925, Meinhart
family and others standing and seated in front of home with dogs, Russell on a rocking
horse, a picnic, catch from fishing) |
circa 1919; circa 1925 |
| 1/7 | Meinhart family and friends outside their home in
Hamilton, Montana |
circa 1930s |
| 1/8 | Meinhart home exterior and garden in Hamilton,
Montana |
circa 1930s |
| oversized | ||
| MM | Elks Drum Corps, Butte, MT |
1919 |
Series II: Meinhart Sign Painting (86 prints), circa 1910s-circa 1920sReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/9 | Meinhart sign painting (Frank on painting trestle,
interior of Meinhart sign shop, ads for Meinhart sign painting |
circa 1910s-circa 1920s |
| 1/10 | Signs painted on buildings in Butte, Montana, ads A-M
(Diamond Tires, Elite Shoe Shop, Flor de Baltimore Cigars, Maverick, McDonald’s
Chocolates and Cocoa. Includes street scenes of Main, Broadway, and Park Streets in
Butte, Montana.) |
circa 1910s-circa 1920s |
| 1/11 | Signs painted on buildings in Butte and Helena,
Montana, ads N-Z (Siegel’s Clothes, Sweet Caporal Cigarettes, Sweet’s Salt Lake
Chocolates. Includes street scenes of Butte and Helena, Montana.) |
circa 1910s-circa 1920s |
| 1/12 | Signs, roadside, ads A-E (“Continental Divide: Elev.
6350 Ft.,” Diamond Tires) |
circa 1910s-circa 1920s |
| 1/13 | Signs, roadside, ads F (Federal Tires, Fisk
Tires) |
circa 1910s-circa 1920s |
| 1/14 | Signs, roadside, ads G-V (Gamer’s Shoes, Goodrich
Tires, Maxwell, McDonald’s Chocolates and Cocoa , Pabst Blue Ribbon, “Save Food:
120,000,000 Allies,” Sweet Caporal Cigarettes, Sweet’s Salt Lake Chocolates, Texaco
Motor Oil) |
circa 1910s-circa 1920s |
| 1/15 | Signs, roadside, ads W-Z (Wein's Clothing) |
circa 1910s-circa 1920s |
| 1/16 | Signs, other (Destroyed roadside sign, Butte ballpark
signs, Hamilton Chamber of Commerce advertisement painted on parade float for “The
Bitterroot Valley: Montana’s Market Basket”) |
circa 1910s-circa 1920s |
Series III: City and Town Life (4 prints) , undatedReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/17 | Views of Bannack, Montana, and Virginia City,
Montana |
undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Painted signs and sign boards -- Montana
Personal Names
- Meinhart, Frank G., 1874-1947
Geographical Names
- Butte (Mont.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Photographic prints
Finding aid prepared by Amanda Graham, 2008
2009
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
