In the late nineteenth century, public art museums were still quite rare, particularly ones as far west as Cincinnati. However, even then the city was rapidly becoming one of the most important art and design centers in the Midwest, and establishing an art museum seemed like the next logical step in this process. The members of the Women’s Art Museum Association, formed in 1877 to promote the benefits of such an institution, were particularly adamant about the matter. Primarily thanks to their tireless commitment, support steadily grew, and it became possible to establish the museum in 1881.

The rich collections of the Cincinnati Art Museum house some unusually colossal nineteenth-century pieces by Lobmeyr. The largest—at almost one and a half metres high— is a lidded vase on a pillar, polished like crystal and richly engraved. The 1889 entry date indicates a purchase at the fourth Paris World’s Fair. Several important Lobmeyr designs by Vally Wieselthier, Oswald Haerdtl, and Josef Hoffmann represent the twentieth century.

cincinnatiartmuseum.org