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]
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.
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)
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.
Collection is open for research.
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.
Frank G. Meinhart photograph collection. Lot 24. Box and folder number. Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives, Helena, Montana.
Collection transferred from the Montana Historical Society Museum, accession 1998.56. Manuscript material was transferred to the Montana Historical Society Archives (Frank Meinhart Family Papers, MC 238).
Acquisition information available upon request.
This collection is indexed under the following headings. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.