Fritz Vogt (1842-1900)

signed and dated Fritz G. Vogt, August 6, 1892, l.r. and l.l.; a very rare and unusually large and detailed home 'portrait' by Vogt, dated August 6, 1892.  The drawing is an encyclopedic document of the properties unique to the Patrick Homestead, including a steam locomotive in the background; planted cabbage patch, an exaggeratedly large black and white dog; farmhouse with Windsor rocker and spindle-back chair on the front porch, a garden planted with sunflowers hanging planters above; bee's nest; two outhouses; buggy in shed; multiple chicken coops with chickens and chicks; well-pump; corn crib; the drawing is inscribed in large ornamental block lettering, the sky is highlighted with yellow undertones.

"Suggesting a draftsmen's training, Vogt's linear drawings include an extraordinary amount of detail while imbuing the subject with a romanticized sense of optimism and pride of place.  The renderings demonstrate multiple-point perspective, where laws of physics and artistic convention are routinely disregarded. 

However, evidence suggests Vogt's distortions were intentional.  Vogt willingly sacrificed realism to convey as much visual information as possible and capture every perceptible detail.  The result is a window into the artist's personal perspective and his patrons' motivations, as well as a striking representation of the region's architecture, commerce, and social history."

Excerpted from W. Parker Hayes, Jr., Fritz Vogt's Rural America.