A Unique Slant of Light: The Bicentennial History of Art in Louisiana - (Page 393)

fever epidemics, leaving a widow and two young sons. Hausmann’s widow, Theresa, continued to operate the firm under her husband’s name until 1880. With fifteen male assistants, she ran the firm under her own name, T. Hausmann, from 1881 to 1889. When her oldest son, Louis, joined the business in 1890, “and son” was added to the title. When her younger son, Gabriel, joined the firm in 1894, the title was again changed to reflect his admission to the business. The firm was incorporated in 1907 and the name was shortened simply to Hausmann’s in 1924, when they bought out Hyde and Goodrich’s successor, A.B. Griswold and Co. Thus through Himmel, Griswold and Hyde and Goodrich, Hausmann’s could trace its lineage back to 1818, when James N. Hyde and Co. opened their New Orleans branch. It is interesting that a firm whose principal was a woman patented silver suspender buckles for men in 1894. In polite society of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, suspenders were not seen in public gatherings of ladies and gentlemen. They would have been covered by waistcoats and jackets. In Lousiana’s warm, humid climate, waistcoats and jackets were removed during certain all-male functions, where monogrammed sterling silver suspender buckles would have been an admired accoutrement for the well-dressed gentleman. Doubtless, some of these buckles were originally owned by some of the South’s less well bred but showy men, such as gamblers and owners of sporting houses. No less than eight different styles of these buckles were offered by T. Hausmann and Son ranging in price from $5.50 for plain sterling silver pairs to $40.00 for solid gold examples. Maurice Scooler was born in Wurzburg, Bavaria, in 1827. He arrived in New Orleans around 1842 and was employed by a jeweler in the Third District. By 1848, he had amassed enough capital to open his own firm and continued in business until his death in 1900. While Scooler was primarily a retailer of imported jewelry, silverware and other “fancy” goods, his firm did manufacture krewe favors for many of Carnival season’s balls. Carnival season runs from the twelfth day in Christmas or Twelfth Night ( January 6) through Shrove Tuesday, which is Mardi Gras Day. Each independent organization, or krewe, stages lavish masked balls. Each masked gentleman member of the krewe presents a favor to each lady he asks or calls out to dance. The tradition of giving favors is believed to have begun with the Krewe of Comus in 1882, with other krewes soon adopting the custom. Each krewe would have a theme and everything from the program, the costume, the tableau, and the favors must reflect that motif. The 1888 Krewe of Rex had as its theme “The Realm of Flowers.” As butterflies are a part of the garden, what better motif for the favor to have than the butterfly and Rex crown created by the Scooler establishment. Silver does not play as big a part in twenty-first century Louisiana, but there are still artists all over Louisiana practicing the craft in making contemporary jewelry. Master silversmith, Ellis Joubert III of New Orleans, created an exotic centerpiece featuring a Louisiana alligator. This essay provides only a sampler of the work from a much larger number of silversmiths who have been engaged in the craft in Louisiana since 1719. ADOLPHE HIMMEL (b. 1825/26, Bavaria, Germany – d. 1877, New Orleans, Louisiana) Cake Basket, made for retail through Hyde and Goodrich, circa 1853-1861 Coin silver Private collection ADOLPHE HIMMEL (b. 1825/26, Bavaria, Germany – d. 1877, New Orleans, Louisiana) Butter Cooler, made for retail through Hyde and Goodrich, circa 1855-1861 Coin silver Collection of the Kleinpeter Family NEW ORLEANS-MADE SILVERWARE OF THE EIGHTEENTH AND NINETEENTH CENTURIES MAURICE SCOOLER (b. 1827, Wurzburg, Bavaria, Germany – d. 1900, New Orleans, Louisiana) Rex Carnival Pin, 1888 Sterling silver; 1 x 2 in. LSU Museum of Art Gift of the Friends of the Museum 393 

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