J. K. Emmet as "Fritz." The Brothers Lullaby - The Vision by Maclure & MacDonald, 1870s
date: label: Date made
content: n.d.
name: label: depicted
content: Emmet, Joseph K.
label: maker
content: Maclure & Macdonald
notes: label: Description
content: This black and white print depicts an outside wooded grove where a man is standing next to a woman seated in a rustic chair. He is strumming a guitar. Above them is a smaller image of an old man seated beside a cradle and also playing a guitar. A boy sits at his feet and a baby is lying in the cradle. Beneath the title, J. K. Emmet as ‘Fritz’ are the words “The Brothers Lullaby—The Vision.”
label: Description
content: Joseph Klein (frequently spelled Kline) “Fritz” Emmet (1841-1891) was a singer and comedian born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was drawn to the stage after apprenticing with a sign maker who also created sets for local playhouses. At around age 17 he began working as a snare drummer for Joseph Escher’s orchestra. He also showed a talent for yodeling and soon got a job with a local minstrel show. Moving on to New York, he appeared with Dan Bryant’s Minstrels, a German blackface group, and then in variety shows. Over time he developed a character called "Dutch," who wore wooden shoes and a cap and sang in fractured English. In 1870 Emmet made his debut in the role that would turn him into one of the most successful performers of his time, as the lead in <i> Fritz, Our Cousin German. </i> Portraying a young man seeking his lost sister, with a signature song called “Emmet’s Lullaby,” he appeared as Fritz on stages throughout the United States and Europe for the rest of his life. His other roles included <i> Carl, the Fiddler </i> (1871), <i> Max, the Merry Swiss Boy</i> (1873), and <i> Fritz in Ireland </i> (1879).
label: Description
content: His appeal was enhanced by his dancing skills, his mastery of musical instruments like the guitar, violin, and harmonica, his Irish tenor voice, and his personal charm. Emmet also became celebrated for the eccentric mansion he built on 15 acres overlooking the Hudson River near Albany, New York. "Fritz Villa," as it came to be known, featured an eclectic mix of towers, gables, stained glass windows--even a windmill--and was influenced by Emmet's exposure to various architectural styles during his travels through Europe. Unfortunately, by 1890 Emmet was having sobriety issues. He divorced his wife in 1891, became engaged to his leading lady, and died shortly after.
label: Description
content: The lithograph was MacLure, MacDonald & Co, founded by Andrew MacLure and Archibald Gray MacDonald in Glasgow Scotland 1835. The firm was highly successful in the 19th Century as engravers, lithographers, and printers. The opened numerous branches around the United Kingdom and were believed to be the first in the UK to use steam power for printing. At some point in the 19th Century, they claimed they were “Ornamental Printers to the Queen” and produced stamps from 1866-1884. They were purchased in 1992 by J. R. Reid Printers.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United Kingdom: England, London
topic: label: Subject
content: Costume
label: Subject
content: Courtship, love
label: Subject
content: Music
label: Subject
content: Architecture, Domestic Buildings
label: Subject
content: Theater
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
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content: Advertising
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content: Art
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content: Peters Prints
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content: Domestic Furnishings
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: DL.60.3062
label: catalog number
content: 60.3062
label: accession number
content: 228146
objectType: label: Object Name
content: lithograph
label: Object Type
content: Lithograph
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ink (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: image: 17 1/4 in x 14 in; 43.815 cm x 35.56 cm