Ralph Lewandow, Music Critic Pittsburg, Pa.: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Louise Miller Boyer (1890-1976) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With inspiration from her parents who were both music artists, she studied painting and design at what is now the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Boyer met and married her architect husband Ernest W. Boyer (1884-1949) at their alma mater. Their child Helen King Boyer (1919-2012) shared their interest in art and particularly printmaking.

Louise with her daughter and husband began working in the medium in the 1930s. They worked regularly with anodized aluminum printing plates, a product of local manufacture from the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), which included a surface that could withstand the pressure of the printing press better than zinc or copper.

Although the family moved to Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Missouri, Pittsburgh was their main subject of interest, with its industrial-rich scenery, and smoke-filled environment.

This drawing is a preliminary sketch for "Ralph Lawendow, Music Critic Pittsburg, Pa." by Louise M. Boyer.

Materials, dates and provenance

• maker: Boyer, Louise MIller
• Object Name: drawing
• Physical Description: paper (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 4 cm x 6 cm; 1 9/16 in x 2 3/8 in
• ID Number: 1984.0338.169
• accession number: 1984.0338
• catalog number: 1984.0338.169
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.