Michael S. Nachtrieb
| Michael S. Nachtreib | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Aug. 25, 1835 Wooster, Ohio |
| Died |
Dec. 28, 1916 Wooster, Ohio |
Resting place | Wooster Cemetery |
| Known for | Known mostly as a painter of portraits, still lifes, & landscapes |
| Parents | Jonas Nachtrieb & Nancy (Ponges) Nachtrieb |
Spelling Variation in the Given Name
Biographical Sketches
Michael S. Nachtrieb, born in 1835 in Wooster, Ohio, was a civil war veteran and talented portrait painter. Though his father, Jonas Nachtreib a hat merchant, tried to get his son to continue the family business, Michael had aspirations to be an artist from his youth. Michael Nachtrieb traveled to New York City for his art education where he studied under former Wayne County resident and famous American artist, Benjamin Franklin Reinhart, and took classes at the New York School of Design and later the Academy of Fine Arts at Philadelphia. In 1859 he opened a Wooster portrait studio in the public square. However, when the Civil War broke out Nachtrieb spent some time in Pennsylvania militia before he enlisted in the 9th Ohio Calvary. He served from January 1864 until October of the next year, under General Sherman. According to the Wooster Daily Record, Nachtrieb was part of Sherman’s famous march through the state of Georgia.
After returning to Ohio in the 1860s and 70s, Nachtrieb did work painting panels to decorate steamboat cabins that traveled up and down the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Most of these examples of Nachtrieb’s art have not been found. His portraits, though probably all based on photographs of their subject, rather than a living model have been widely recognized as some of the finest in the nation. In particular his painting of the Confederate General, Robert E. Lee, was praised as incredibly accurate, able to show the personality of the General in a striking likeness. Copies of Nachtrieb’s portraits are now distributed as postcards at Stratford Hall Plantation, and the likeness was once used on the cover of Life magazine.
Though some museums fail to credit Nachtrieb, he also painted famous portraits of President Abraham Lincoln that are held in Washington D.C. Three are hung in the Lincoln Museum in the Ford Theatre, and one at the Lincoln Memorial. A copy of one of the Lincoln portraits can be seen at the Wayne County Historical Society, along with other Nachtrieb portraits of famous Wooster residents, such as the judges of the Wooster Court House. These paintings are a testament to the talent that rose from the town of Wooster.
List of Known Works of Art
| Type | Date | Subject | Reference Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | 1900 | Hon. Isaac Johnson | Wooster Republican, 1900-MAY-23 p.6 |
| Portrait | 1881 | Pres. A.A.E. Taylor | Wooster Republican, 1881-FEB-03 p.1 |
| Portrait | 1878 | Daniel Bates | Wooster Republican, 1878-APR-18 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1895 | Bishop A. B. Leonard | Wooster Republican, 1895-MAR-08 p.4 |
| Portrait | 1897 | Dr. J. G. Black | Wooster Republican, 1897-MAR-31 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1888 | Hon. Edward S. Dowell | Wooster Republican, 1888-DEC-20 p.1 |
| Portrait | 1881 | Hon. Joseph H. Downing | Wooster Republican, 1881-MAR-03 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1895 | Hon. Thomas Ford, 1st Lieut. Gov. | Wooster Republican, 1895-JAN-02 p.4 |
| Portrait | NA | Col. William Given | Jacksonian, 1895-FEB-28 p.3 |
| Portrait | NA | Capt. John H. Kauke | Jacksonian, 1895-FEB-28 p.3 |
| Portrait | NA | Jacob Frick | Jacksonian, 1895-FEB-28 p.3 |
| Portrait | NA | R. R. Donnelly | Jacksonian, 1895-FEB-28 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1881 | John Geitgey | Wayne County Democrat, 1881-AUG-24 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1897 | Joseph Hawkins | Wayne County Democrat, 1897-NOV-10 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1887 | Hon. John D. Nicholas | Wooster Republican, 1887-NOV-10 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1896 | F. E. Hoover | Wooster Republican, 1896-JUN-17 p.6 |
| Portrait | 1886 | Rev. Thomas Griffith Jones | Wayne County Democrat, 1886-AUG-04 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1895 | Samuel Bell Sr. | Wayne County Democrat, 1895-MAR-27 p.1 |
| Portrait | 1885 | Mrs. Thomas B. Keating | Wooster Republican, 1885-JUL-23 p.3 |
| Portrait | NA | Gov. Gray, Indiana | Wooster Republican, 1885-JUL-23 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1875 | Hon. Martin Welker | Wooster Republican, 1875-SEP-09 p.4 |
| Portrait | NA | Simon Cameron | Wooster Republican, 1885-JUL-23 p.3 |
| Portrait | NA | Salmon P. Chase | Wooster Republican, 1885-JUL-23 p.3 |
| Portrait | NA | Henry Packer | Wooster Republican, 1885-JUL-23 p.3 |
| Portrait | NA | Dr. McMasters, Miami University | Wooster Republican, 1885-JUL-23 p.3 |
| Portrait | NA | Dr. David A. Wallace | Wooster Republican, 1885-JUL-23 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1887 | Gen. John A. Logan | Jacksonian, 1887-FEB-24 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1870 | Pres. Rev. Dr. Willis Lord, Wooster University | Wooster Republican, 1870-NOV-24 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1897 | Hon. John T. Maxwell | Wooster Republican, 1897-DEC-22 p.1 |
| Portrait | 1888 | Hon. John K. McBride | Wayne County Democrat, 1888-MAR-07 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1891 | Albert McFadden | Wooster Republican, 1891-MAR-16 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1890 | Karl Merz | Wooster Republican, 1890-MAR-19 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1875 | Hon C. C. Parsons Sr. | Wooster Republican, 1875-DEC-16 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1873 | Ephraim Quinby Jr. | Wayne County Democrat, 1873-NOV-12 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1884 | Rev. Dr. D. A. Wallace | Wayne County Democrat, 1884-OCT-08 p.3 |
| Portrait | 1905 | Peter Stair | Wayne County Democrat, 1905-DEC-13 p.2 |
| Portrait | 1897 | Gen. Anthony Wayne | Wayne County Democrat, 1897-MAR-24 p.5 |
| Portrait | 1897 | Gen. David Wooster | Wayne County Democrat, 1897-MAR-24 p.5 |
| Portrait | 1895 | Col. John F. DeCourcey | Wayne County Democrat, 1895-JUL-31 p.3 |
| Portrait | NA | Mrs. Eliza Zellers | Potomack Online Auction Catalog, 2016-NOV-01 p.166 |
| Portrait | NA | Williamina Quinby | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | George Quinby | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Sarah E. Wright | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | James Mullins | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Dr. Joseph H. Todd | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Angus McDonald | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | 1892 | Dr. David Firestone Jr. | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Emeline Firestone | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | 1885 | John Long Jr. | Wooster Republican, 1885-JAN-22 p.3 |
| Tinted Photograph | NA | Sarah McFadden | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | John S. Caskey | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Margaret Hanna | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | William W. Hanna | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Miniature Portrait | NA | Col. John Sloane | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Elizabeth Frick | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Michael Miller | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Hannah (Kauke) Miller | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | John Stevens | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | 1889 | Amelia A. Rotthaus | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Harrison O. McClarran | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Isaiah N. Kieffer | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Martin L. Smyser | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Samuel B. Eason | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | 1900 | Abraham Lincoln, Shown as Facial Portrait | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Abraham Lincoln, Shown as Young Lawyer of 1842^ | Wooster Daily Republican, 1918-APR-08 p.5 |
| Portrait | NA | Abraham Lincoln, Shown as Congressman of 1842^ | Wooster Daily Republican, 1918-APR-08 p.5 |
| Portrait | NA | Abraham Lincoln, Shown as President of 1861^ | Wooster Daily Republican, 1918-APR-08 p.5 |
| Portrait | NA | Abraham Lincoln, Shown with Son, Tad^^ | Wooster Daily Republican, 1918-APR-08 p.5 |
| Portrait | 1885 | James G. Rittenhouse | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Rachel A. (Wagoner) Rittenhouse | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | David Freedlander | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | David Nice | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Alice (Taylor) Nice | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Mary (Nice) Lovett | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Mary (Nice) Shreve | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Aaron K. Nice | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | David Robison Jr. | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Ann (Jacobs) Robison | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | David Myers | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Lyman R. Critchfield Sr. | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Adelaide Critchfield | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Angus McDonald, age 39 | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Katharine McDonald | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | c.1855 | Isaac N. Jones | Jones Family History, book |
| Portrait | c.1855 | Susan (Gillespie) Jones | Jones Family History, book |
| Portrait | NA | Cyrus Bowman | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Dr. Hugh A. Hart | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Wayne Hart | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Kate (Imgard) Hart | Deed of Gift, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | President McKinley | Wooster Daily Republican, 1918-APR-08 p.5 |
| Portrait | NA | Edwin Thomas Booth | Wooster Daily Republican, 1918-APR-08 p.5 |
| Portrait | NA | Robert Downing, Actor | Xerox Copy of Local Newspaper, undated |
| Portrait | NA | Gen. Robert E. Lee | Wooster Daily Record, 1953-APR-22 |
| Portrait | NA | Col. William Henry Morgan of Alliance, OH^^^ | Xerox Copy of Local Newspaper, undated |
| Portrait | NA | Dr. Rev. William A. Passavant | Xerox Copy of Letter from Laura R. Grabman, undated |
| Portrait | NA | Jonas Nachtrieb | Wooster Daily Record, 1978-JUN-12 p.23 |
| Portrait | NA | Nancy (Punghes) Nachtrieb | Wooster Daily Record, 1978-JUN-12 p.23 |
| Still Life | 1906 | Peaches | Signed & Dated, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Still Life | 1904 | Peaches & Apples | Signed & Dated, Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Animal Portrait | NA | Study of 3 Horses Heads | Wooster Daily Record, 1978-JUN-12 p.23 |
^ Note: In 1918 the owner of these portraits was listed as in the collection of Anton Heitmuller. Later one was reported to have gone to the Corcoran Art Gallery.
^^ Note: In 2018, Gallaudet University reports they have in their possession the portrait of Lincoln with son Tad.
^^^ Note: The portrait of Col. William H. Morgan was reportedly given to President McKinley.
List of Works of Art Attributed to Nachtrieb
| Type | Date | Subject | Reference Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | NA | Jacob "Herr" Driesbach | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Capt. Benjamin Jones | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | James Keys | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Mary (Bell/Beall) Keys | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Col. John Sloane, large oil | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | John C. McClarran | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Jessie McClarran | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Lizzie (Deer) McClarran | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Matthias Rittenhouse | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Catharine Rittenhouse | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Curtis Rittenhouse | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Anna Barbara (Kantzer) Rittenhouse | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Robert J. Smith, Former Mayor of Wooster | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Elizabeth H. (Pollock) Smith | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Ambrose M. Fombelle | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Hon. Celsus Pomerene | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Unidentified Male Subject | Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio |
| Portrait | NA | Catherine Rockey | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | Clarance C. Childs | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | James Findley | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | Eliza Findley | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | William Childs | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | Mrs. Martha Manson Turner | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | Thomas McConkey | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | Elizabeth (Hague) McConkey | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | August Imgard | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | Jeanette (Nold) Imgard | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | William Nold | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | Josiah Milbourn | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | Eunice (Pratt) Milbourn | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | Capt. James B. Taylor | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | Emilie B. (Emmitt) Taylor | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | John McSweeney | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | William M. Orr | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | Hanna (Matlack) Scovel | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Portrait | NA | Dr. Sylvester F. Scovel | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
| Landscape | NA | Winter Landscape | 1964 Maida McIlroy's Independent Study Exhibit Catalog |
Family
- Husband: Michael S. Nachtrieb
- Wife: Mary (Bentel) Nachtrieb
- Children:
- Rebecca "Reba" Nachtrieb, never married.
Vital Records
Birth
- Aug. 25, 1835 in Wooster, Ohio
Marriage
- March 1876 to Mary Bentel at her home in Zelienople, Butler Co., Pennsylvania.
Death
- Dec. 28, 1916 in Wooster, Ohio
Burial
- Buried on December 30, 1916 in Wooster Cemetery in Wayne County, Wooster, Ohio.
Census Records
Include citations for Federal, State, and Local censuses. Abstracts may be included.
Places of Residence
- Wooster, Ohio
- New York City, NY c.1850s
- Philadelphia, PA c.1850s
- Coshocton, Ohio c.1866
- Kentucky c.1869
- Ironton, Ohio c.1873
Court Records
Court records may include wills, estates, guardianships, civil and or criminal activity.
Tax Records
These include personal tax (chattel such as horses, cattle, carriages) and real tax (land).
Land Records
List any known property owned by the individual.
Denomination Affiliations
List any churches the individual may have been affiliated.
Military
- Civil War veteran
- Served in the Pennsylvania Militia as a corporal in the 1st battery light artillery. He took part in the battle of Antietam, where he was wounded when a musketball struck his right leg and passed through his kneecap. He was mustered out in 1863 because of his injuries.
- After recovering, he re-enlisted on January 1, 1864 in Company E, 9th Ohio Volunteer cavalry. He served until the end of the war and was mustered out at Camp Dennison, Ohio in 1865.
- Served in the Pennsylvania Militia as a corporal in the 1st battery light artillery. He took part in the battle of Antietam, where he was wounded when a musketball struck his right leg and passed through his kneecap. He was mustered out in 1863 because of his injuries.
Occupations
- Artist
Community Involvement
List any involvement with the community.
Newspaper articles
Nachtrieb opens art studio in Wooster in 1863.
Nachtrieb marries Mary Bentel in 1876.
Portrait of Dr. W. W. Firestone destroyed in 1895.
Nachtrieb art exhibited in 1979 at Wa. Co. Historical Society.
Newspaper ads
Historical Documents
1964 Wayne County Art Exhibit Catalog
Notes
This is an area that other information regarding the individual may be placed.
References