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Lewis Mower (1811-1880+) came to the Mohawk Valley from Germany in 1836 with his wife Louisa and two young children, settling in Brookmans Corners (Town of Minden). Their son Lewis (1833-1911) later married Lydia Dillenbeck and raised a family. The young Lewis farmed in Brookmans Corners. Beginning with the 1880 census, he started using his full name, Martin Lewis Mower, perhaps to distinguish himself from his father, Lewis Mower, who lived right next door. Jacob J. Wiles and Asa Pickard, related by marriage to the Mowers, lived just a few households away (drawings of their residences can also be found within the Museum’s collection). There is no sign of Lewis Mower, Sr. in the next census (1892) living with or near his son. It is likely that his son, Martin, asked Fritz Vogt to make this drawing, undoubtedly if his childhood home, to honor his father and the family’s settlement in the area.
Exhibition History"Fritz Vogt: A Sense of Place," Arkell Museum, Canajoharie, NY, May 29, 2021 - December 30, 2021
Artist
Fritz G. Vogt
(c. 1841 - 1900)
L. Mower's old Homestead, Brookmans Corners, N.Y.
Date1896
DimensionsSight: 11 1/4 × 18 1/2 in. (28.6 × 47 cm)
Object numberN0040.2015L(29)
Credit LineCollection of Frank S. Tosto
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label TextThis drawing is believed to be an example of a “memory drawing”—one that was done depicting a residence as it appeared years earlier. Vogt was known to have produced nostalgic drawings; many of his drawings are titled after long deceased residents, it is likely that this drawing captured an early residence of a beloved father.Lewis Mower (1811-1880+) came to the Mohawk Valley from Germany in 1836 with his wife Louisa and two young children, settling in Brookmans Corners (Town of Minden). Their son Lewis (1833-1911) later married Lydia Dillenbeck and raised a family. The young Lewis farmed in Brookmans Corners. Beginning with the 1880 census, he started using his full name, Martin Lewis Mower, perhaps to distinguish himself from his father, Lewis Mower, who lived right next door. Jacob J. Wiles and Asa Pickard, related by marriage to the Mowers, lived just a few households away (drawings of their residences can also be found within the Museum’s collection). There is no sign of Lewis Mower, Sr. in the next census (1892) living with or near his son. It is likely that his son, Martin, asked Fritz Vogt to make this drawing, undoubtedly if his childhood home, to honor his father and the family’s settlement in the area.
Exhibition History"Fritz Vogt: A Sense of Place," Arkell Museum, Canajoharie, NY, May 29, 2021 - December 30, 2021
On View
Not on view
