Window on the Dooryards: Framing another Gustave Baumann Print

This is a woodcut made in 1910 by Gustave Baumann (1881-1971) titled “The Dooryards,” (9-1/8″ x 13-1/4″). The lightly stained walnut frame is 2-1/2″ wide, and has a 1/8″ pale gold slip. The frame profile is basically flat, but has a strap design near the sight edge, with a carved cable pattern. Trevor made it.

Framed Gustav Baumann print

“The Dooryards” is from a set of twelve prints titled “In the Hills o’ Brown,” depicting views of Nashville, Brown County, Indiana. (View the full set here.) Work from this period is very different from Baumann’s better known prints produced after the artist moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1918.

Framed Gustav Baumann printMaybe my fondness for framing Baumann’s prints has to do with the love they often reveal for architecture, architectural ornament, and woodcarving. Gala Chamberlain writes,

Baumann was the ultimate craftsman, as he loved the feel of the wood, the tool and the handmade paper he selected. His hands controlled every aspect of his craft: the carving of the blocks, the mixing of the inks and the printing of the blocks.

 

 

 

The home he built in Santa Fe has many wonderful carved details—including blocks from printmaking re-purposed for radiator covers.

Click this view of the house below to get a close look at Baumann’s gate. And note the carved posts for his front porch.

Gustave Baumann house

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