Edward Gustav Eisenlohr was born in Ohio to a family of German immigrants. When he was two years old the family relocated to Dallas, where his father established Eisenlohr Drug Store. As a young boy living in Dallas, E. G. Eisenlohr showed a strong aptitude in art, a trait which continued into his adult life. He was instrumental in establishing the Dallas Art Association, forerunner of the Dallas Museum of Arts, in 1903. Eisenlohr studied art with Texas artists Robert J. Onderdonk and Frank Reaugh and at the Art Students’ League summer school in Woodstock, New York. He later took additional art training in Germany before returning to Texas. Eisenlohr drew inspiration for art subjects from the Oak Cliff area of Dallas and his travels to New Mexico, the Texas Hill Country, and the western areas of his adopted state. The collection includes artwork, clippings, correspondence, photographs, published works, scrapbooks, and three-dimensional objects reflecting his German family history and his interest in the landscape of the American Southwest. The matted works on paper consist of eleven lithographs, three pencil self-portraits, and one pencil sketch by fellow artist Ruth John Sanders.
Please take a look at the detailed finding aid available through Texas Archival Resources Online.
Image: Courtesy of Edward Gustav Eisenlohr art work and papers, Bywaters Special Collections, Hamon Arts Library, Southern Methodist University
