Details
Title Schnabel, Edward
Date January 1, 1820-August 4, 1883
Description Edward Schnabel, a Philadelphia lithographic artist specializing in portraiture, born ca. 1820 in Saxon, Germany, was active in Philadelphia between 1850 and 1863. Schnabel immigrated to Philadelphia with fellow lithographer Carl Harnisch in 1849. Although erroneously cited by Groce & Wallace and Falk as a partner in Traubel, Schnabel and Finkeldey in 1850, Schnabel was listed as a lithographer in residence as a boarder in the South Ward with fellow lithographer Maurice Traubel in the 1850 census. According to the reminiscences of Moras, his colleague in the trade, he worked for P. S. Duval at the time.
In 1853, a partnership was formed with Traubel called M. H. Traubel & Co. or the Lithographic Institute (formerly Frederick Kuhl's shop at 46 ½ Walnut Street). The firm comprised of Schnabel, John Frederick Finkeldey, Morris H. Traubel, and Theodore Leonhardt was active until 1857, when it was reestablished as Schnabel, Finkeldey & Demme. William Demme withdrew from the partnership the same year and Schnabel continued in partnership with Finkeldey as Schnabel & Finkeldey until 1863. That year, Finkeldey orchestrated a sheriff's sale of the establishment as a result of Schnabel's drinking and poor management. After 1863, Schnabel having apparently left the lithography trade, worked as an artist and painter as listed in the 1870 and 1880 censuses, although he was listed with the profession of "tavern" in the 1864 city directory
Schnabel married Emma (b. ca. 1825) by 1860 with whom he had two children, including son Otto, who entered the lithography and photography trade by 1880. During his lithographic career in Philadelphia, Schnabel lived in Center City in the South Ward, 246 South Eighth Street (1854-1856) and 739 Wood Street, above Vine Street (1857-ca. 1863). By 1870, he relocated the family residence to North Philadelphia where they lived at 1526 Lawrence Street with Schabel's personal estate valued at $700 (ca. $12,000, 2008 value). By 1880, the Schnable family resided at 1222 Stiles Street.
Schnabel died in Philadelphia on August 4, 1883 and given his description in his obituary as "extremely elegant, truthful and proficient," he had possibly turned a new leaf following his partnership with Finkeldey.
Is part of Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers
References See Duval, P. S.; Finkeldey, John F.; Harnisch, Carl; Kuhl, Frederick; Leonhardt, Theodore; Schnabel & Finkeldey; and Traubel, Maurice.
Call number Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers
Bibliographic citation Census 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880
Groce & Wallace, 563
Jeremy Finkeldey Private Collection
Moras, Carl Heinrich Schmolze (1885), 29
Peters, 360
Philadelphia Business and City Directories 1854-1883
Sunday Dispatch, August 12, 1883
WWWAA, 2929