John Vogler

Artist/Maker
Vogler, Elias Alexander
Place Made
Salem North Carolina United States of America
Date Made
1845
Medium
watercolor on ivory –wood
Dimensions
WOA 3 3/4; LOA 4
Accession Number
3822
Description
Miniature portrait of John Vogler painted on ivory by his son, Elias A. Vogler. Cardboard glued to ivory and on back of cardboard is another pencil sketch; ring on back for hanging. Wood carved and gilded frame. Frame marked in upper right, “H.F.V. a Paris” on back partially within a wreath. Frame is original. Frontal bust-length portrait of John Vogler. Some paint loss.

Elias Alexander Vogler (1825-1878), son of silversmith John Vogler, was a talented artist himself. Elias was born in Salem but traveled to Nazareth, Pennsylvania at the age of fourteen to study at the prestigious Moravian boys’ school, Nazareth Hall. There he perfected his drawing and painting skills. It was in Pennsylvania that he learned the art of miniature painting.

History
Elias Alexander Vogler (1825-1878), son of silversmith John Vogler, was a talented artist himself. Elias was born in Salem but traveled to Nazareth, Pennsylvania at the age of fourteen to study at the prestigious Moravian boys’ school, Nazareth Hall. There he perfected his drawing and painting skills. Elias Alexander Vogler (1825-1878), son of silversmith John Vogler, was a talented artist himself. Elias was born in Salem but traveled to Nazareth, Pennsylvania, at the age of fourteen to study at the prestigious Moravian boys’ school, Nazareth Hall. There he perfected his drawing and painting skills. Although we do not know exactly who taught Elias Vogler the art of miniature painting, in a letter written by Francis Shober from Salem to his brother Charkes Shober (in Bethlehem,PA), Francis writes, “Louisa is getting taken in a different way (painted) by Elias Vogler who learned it under a certain person who was here.” (March 1, 1844, letter filed with Shober Papers)
Once he returned to Salem, Elias worked at various times as a silversmith, architect, sign painter, cartographer, and he owned a retail shop. The miniatures he painted survive as a testament to his skill at capturing likenesses.

Once he returned to Salem, Elias worked at various times as a silversmith, architect, sign painter, cartographer, and he owned a retail shop. The miniatures he painted survive as a testament to his skill at capturing likenesses.

Artist Biography
ARTIST: “Elias Vogler, the son of the prominent Salem silversmith John Vogler, was also a respected Salem citizen whose natural talents were often demonstrated in the arts. He had a varied career: artist, architect, several terms as mayor of Salem, member of the Aufseher Collegium, retail business man, silversmith, cartographer, sign painter, and miniature painter…Elias parents introduced him to the fine art of painting as early as the age of six, when his family made an extended journey to the north, visiting, among other sites, the museums and galleries of Philadelphia and the collection of paintings by Charles Byrd King in Washington. At the age of fourteen, he was sent to the Moravian school in Lititz, Pennsylvania, where he learned drawing; a perspective pencil drawing of the square in Lititz attests to his skills. He also painted a scene of Salem Square in the snow (acc. P-455), which was subsequently printed by the Philadelphia lithographer P.S. Duval…Examples of Elias’ abilities as an architect, cartographer, and sign painter still exist, but his talent as a miniature painter deserves special attention. The only evidence that he was actually taught the art of miniature portraiture is found in a letter from a Salem schooolboy, Francis Shober, to his brother Charles, who was in school in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in March 1844: [We received your miniature with Louis Winckler, and I think it is a very good resemblance of you. Mother thinks it so tolerable and Father like myself. Louisa is getting taken in a different way (painted) by Elias Vogler, who learned it under a certain person who was here.] Unfortunately it has not yet been determined who the person was who instructed Elias in the fine art of watercolor portrait painting on ivory.” (John Bivins, Jr. and Paula Welshimer. MORAVIAN DECORATIVE ARTS IN NORTH CAROLINA: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD SALEM COLLECTION. Winston-Salem, NC: Old Salem, Incorporated, 1981, p.101-103)
Credit Line
Old Salem Museums & Gardens