User:Petropoxy (Lithoderm Proxy)/Carl Schmidt (artist)



Carl Schmidt (14 August 1875-1959) was an American ceramic artist and decorator who worked for Rookwood Pottery in Cincinnati. He joined Rookwood Pottery in 1896 and worked there for 30 years, during which time he was acclaimed as one of their most capable decorators. Many of his works feature landscapes or Venetian scenes, painted with a soft touch reminiscent of tonalism.

After leaving Rookwood in (year) Schmidt worked for the R. F. Johnson Paint Company, and later for the Cincinnati Times-Star. He died in 1959, a year after the Times-Star folded. His papers are held at the Cincinnati Art Museum library.

1896, the year Schmidt joined Rookwood, was an important experimental time for the company, as artists such as Artus Van Briggle began to experiment with matte glaze landscape decorations. It was also a time of unprecedented growth for the company - Schmidt was among 37 decorators hired in the 1890s. These matte glazed designs would become extremely important for Rookwood in the first decade of the 20th century. In 1904 Rookwood introduced its matte Vellum glaze, which allowed for large gradations in tone. Schmidt would become the most prolific artist of the Scenic Vellum line, painting scenes of Venice. It is unlikely that Schmidt ever visited Venice himself.