Von Schmidt, Harold 1893-1982

Harold Von Schmidt was a popular illustrator of western magazine stories, and was particularly known for his historical action scenes. At Foster and Kleiser, Von Schmidt met Maynard Dixon who also worked there for a time. He offered Dixon his services as a model so he could observe the older artist at work and study his paintings firsthand. Impressed with the young artist's work, Dixon took on Von Schmidt as an informal student for about a year. In 1919, Dixon, Von Schmidt and several other artist friends formed the short-lived Hammer and Tongs Club to exchange advice and criticism and to exhibit their work.