Joseph Meierhans (1890-1980)

About the artist:

Born in Aargau, Switzerland in 1890, Joseph Meierhans studied textile design in Zurich before coming to America in 1917. He first visited New York City while working for a Swiss textile mill and decided to stay. Meierhans was captivated by the New York art scene and soon began evening studies with Karl Knaths and later at with John Sloan at the Art Students League from 1919-1921. He later studied with A.N. Lindenmuth in Allentown.

In 1932 Meierhans had saved enough money from the textile business to buy a unique 52 acre property in Hagersville, Pennsylvania, about fifteen miles from New Hope. Dubbed, Meierhans Manor, amidst the rolling acres of farmland sat a stately Victorian mansion surrounded by an assortment of farm structures. There he converted a 200 foot long chicken coop into a studio and art gallery. For the next twenty five years he would divide his time between New York and Bucks County.