The Filson Historical Society Blog

Norman Kohlhepp

University of Cincinnati Track Team, Normal Kohlhepp Second from the Right

Currently being processed in Special Collections are the papers and photographs of Louisvillian Norman Kohlhepp (1892 – 1986).  Kohlhepp was a multi-talented individual who excelled in the fields of science, art  and education.  A graduate of Louisville’s Manual Training High School, he went on to obtain a degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Cincinnati.   After graduating, he worked for the General Fireproofing Co. in Boston, MA, a manufacturer of steel office furniture.

In 1917, Kohlhepp enlisted in the armed forces and served in the “Reserve Mallet” in World War I – a transport unit that was created as part of the French Army but later became part of the United States Army’s Transport Service.  He also trained other mechanics during his time in France.  Kohlhepp remained in Europe until 1919 when he returned to Camp Taylor and was demobilized from the Army.

Already skilled at mechanical and scientific rendering, in his mid-thirties Kohlhepp began to seriously pursue the fine arts.  During further visits to France, he founded the American Students and Artists Club in Paris, where he met his future wife, Dorothy.  She encouraged his artistic inclinations and Kohlhepp began his studies at the Académie Colarossi and Académie de la Grande Chaumière.   Kohlhepp and his wife also studied with Andre Lhote, the cubist painter.

Kohlhepp whole-heartedly extended his support to the Louisville arts community and was active in the Art Center and the Louisville School of Art.  His work resides in collections at the University of Louisville, The J. B. Speed Art Museum, The National Museum of American Art and the Smithsonian Institution.

The Kohlhepp photo collection contains over 200 negatives and prints, highlighting his time at the University of Cincinnati, the General Fireproofing Co., the war years in France, and his travels abroad in later decades.

The Kohlhepp papers contain correspondence from his parents while he is attending UC,  his senior thesis and supporting articles, and material from his time in the army, including his note books on automotive repair and maps of various sections of France.  The collection also includes financial papers and work correspondence from the 1920s to the 1940s, and a 1983 copy of Beaux Arts features an article about Kohlhepp and his artwork.

Scrapbook of Photographs from the General Fireproofing Co.

The Filson recently produced a set of six postcards with the theme of “Summer Pastimes.” These postcards celebrate the season with scenes of enjoyment of the outdoors and relaxation, all set in the Kentucky area, and all from The Filson’s Special Collections. They are available for purchase for $5.oo, either at The Filson or online, at http://www.sagepayments.net/eftcart/product_detail.asp?part=044.

1 - Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gunter at Tea

This first postcard showcases one of the many photographs in The Filson’s Paul Gunter Collection. Here, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gunter take tea on a Sunday afternoon in 1921. The location is Transit Avenue in Louisville.

The second postcard in the series, also from the Paul Gunter Collection, depicts four children enjoying a horseride. This photograph was taken on Mellwood Avenue in Louisville.

2 - Four Children Enjoying a Ride

Another prominent photographer featured in The Filson’s Special Collections is Rogers Clark Ballard Thruston. The third photograph featured has the fanciful title “The International Graces Before Hyden Frontier Nursing Hospital” written at the bottom. It was taken in Leslie County, KY, in 1928.

3 - The International Graces

4 - Group at Elys "Parlor"

5 - Girl Enjoying Water at Sulphur Well

A young girl beams out her enjoyment of the water in this fifth scene, captured once again by Rogers Clark Ballard Thruston. This photograph was taken in 1932 in Metcalfe County, KY.

The final postcard of this series depicts a summertime gathering at Cabell’s Dale, near Lexington, KY. This photograph is from the Issa Desha Breckinridge Collection.

6 - Gathering at Cabell's Dale

One of our oldest works is entitled Considerations on the Order of Cincinnatus, which was printed for J. Johnson in St. Paul’s Church-Yard, London in 1785. Included in the book is an abstract of Dr. Richard Price’s Observations on the Importance of the American Revolution, with notes and reflections upon that work. 

Dr. Price was a fellow of the Royal Society of London and of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in New England who wrote this early statement upon the existence of airplanes: “Who, even at the beginning of this century, would have thought, that in a few years they would acquire the power of subjecting to their wills the dreadful force of lighting, and of flying in aerostatic machines?” 

He goes on to note: “It would not be difficult, for instance, to prove, that aerostatic machines may, even before they be at all improved, have considerable influence in war, both by land and sea.  Perhaps that horrid infatuation called war will never cease, till the art of destruction be carried to its highest perfection.”

And so, one of  the earliest reference to human flight, even if just by hot air balloons, emphasizes its potential for war and annihilation rather than its benefits for mankind.

The first page of Crittenden's letter to Taylor. Taylor-Cannon Family Papers.

I have had a long-standing interest in American filibustering expeditions to the Caribbean and Latin America during the 1850s, and to my delight, I recently stumbled across a letter from Kentucky governor, U.S. Senator and Representative, and cabinet member John J. Crittenden, then serving as U.S. Attorney General, discussing the aftermath of Narciso López’s failed 1851 expedition to Cuba.  In August 1851, López and his army of approximately 450 Americans and Cuban exiles landed in Cuba with the intention of liberating it from Spanish control.  Instead, they met almost immediate defeat.  The Spanish forces on the island killed hundreds of López’s men and captured the rest.  The fate of the prisoners looked dire, as the Spanish executed 50 of the filibusters in mid-August and had sentenced the rest to hard labor in mines in Spain.  López himself was captured and executed at the beginning of September.  In New Orleans, Americans ransacked the Spanish consul in protest.  Yet, Crittenden, with his insider knowledge of U.S.-Spanish negotiations, had reason to be optimistic.  On October 5, 1851, Crittenden, whose nephew had been one of those executed, wrote to Edmund H. Taylor of Frankfort, Kentucky, discussing the expected outcome of the expedition:

There seems to be no doubt entertained here but that the Queen of Spain will very soon pardon all the survivors of the Lopes [sic] expedition, & our Government is doing all it can to promote that merciful end to that fatal expedition.  The President is full of solicitude & sympathy for the poor captives, and I as temporary Secty. of State, am his most willing instrument in recommending & urging upon Spain every plea for clemency & pardon.

Our Consul at Havana has been written to, again and again, to do all that can be done in favor of any of the expedition who may survive in Cuba.  The Government here has omitted nothing in its power, that could contribute to release & save them.  The conduct of the President on the occasion deserves all praise.

Crittenden’s assertions were correct.  Although the Spanish transported the prisoners back to Spain, Queen Isabella II pardoned them shortly after their arrival.

In the United States, on the last Monday in May, we honor American military personnel who have died while serving their country. This holiday is called Memorial Day. Many people think of this holiday as a good reason to get together with friends and family and have a cookout, but there is also important history attached to this day.

According to the History Channel, Memorial Day began as “Decoration Day” on May 30, 1868, when people were urged to place flowers on the graves of Civil War soldiers as a special event. Now the traditional decoration for soldiers’ graves includes an American flag. For Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery, in Washington, DC, a small American flag is placed on every grave. In addition, a large wreath is placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers by the President or Vice President.

As time went on, it became popular to honor those who served in all wars in which America has participated. The United States Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday in 1971, to be celebrated on the last Monday of May.

The Filson has several items concerning Memorial/Decoration Day celebrations. These include:  

1. Decoration Day, National Cemetery, Cave Hill, Louisville, Ky., May 30, 1882. A program of events which includes the lyrics to Samuel Francis Smith’s America. 
2. Memorial Address delivered at Decoration of Union Soldier’s Graves, Frankfort, Ky., May 30, A.D. 1891, by Hon. Samuel McKee. An address of exercises conducted on that day by A. G. Bacon Post, no. 31, of the Grand Army of the Republic. The G.A.R. was a fraternal order of Union Soldiers from the Civil War.
3. A pamphlet titled The Unveiling of the Monument to the Confederate Dead, of Alexandria, Virginia … May 24^th, 1889. One example of monuments that were erected to the confederate dead all over the South.
4. On June 16, 1927 an event was held in Harrodsburg, Kentucky called Kentucky Pioneer Memorial Day. The Filson has a program from the event that talks of a plan to build the Pioneer Memorial State Park designed by the Olmstead Brothers.