H. Lieber Company photograph collection
Collection
Identifier: P053
Scope and Contents
This collection includes photographs from H. Lieber Company in Indianapolis, Indiana, Los Angeles, California, and New York, New York ranging from circa 1877 to circa 1965 regarding the company, its owners, the Lieber family, its employees, its locations, and its activities.
Dates
- circa 1877-circa 1965
Creator
- H. Lieber and Company (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Administrative History
"H. Lieber and Company (1854-1979). Retailer of art works and art and photo suppies. Herman Lieber immigrated to Cincinnati, Ohio, from Dusseldorf, Germany in 1853. He moved to Indianapolis in 1854 and opened a stationery and bookbinding establishment. As his business increased Lieber expanded with a stock of pictures. Eventually, in addition to selling paintings, he established a factory that manufactured picture frames and decorative moldings. In 1900 Lieber became one of the first local exhibitors of the paintings of Hoosier artists known as the Hoosier Group. By this time, the bookbinding portion of the business no longer existed. In 1902 the enterprise incorporated under the name H. Lieber Company as a wholesaler in frames and retailer in paintings. After Herman Lieber's death in 1908 his sons retained control of the company, located downtown on East Washington Street. In the ensuing years, H. Lieber Company gained a national and international reputation for its moldings and frames, while maintaining the art gallery.
"As photography gained popularity in the early 20th centruy the Liebers moved away from manufacturing frames to sales of photographic equipment and supplies and photofinishing. By 1954, in addition in the art gallery, the firm had four retail stores in Indianapolis that sold camera and artists' equipment. Within the decade the company officers closed the art gallery and focused on their professional photo supply and photofinishing departments, adding a fifth location for these services. In 1979 Hook's Drug Stores bough the assets of the 125-year-old company. Only the 440 North Capitol location remained a Lieber store. In 1984 Hook's sold the photographic supply division of H. Lieber Company to Hoosier Photo Supplies, Inc., for an undisclosed price, retaining the photofinishing division."
Zeigler, Connie J. "H. Lieber Company." In Encyclopeida of Indianapolis, edited by David J. Bodenhamer and Robert G. Barrows, 652. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994. Accessed July 30, 2021. Google Books.
"As photography gained popularity in the early 20th centruy the Liebers moved away from manufacturing frames to sales of photographic equipment and supplies and photofinishing. By 1954, in addition in the art gallery, the firm had four retail stores in Indianapolis that sold camera and artists' equipment. Within the decade the company officers closed the art gallery and focused on their professional photo supply and photofinishing departments, adding a fifth location for these services. In 1979 Hook's Drug Stores bough the assets of the 125-year-old company. Only the 440 North Capitol location remained a Lieber store. In 1984 Hook's sold the photographic supply division of H. Lieber Company to Hoosier Photo Supplies, Inc., for an undisclosed price, retaining the photofinishing division."
Zeigler, Connie J. "H. Lieber Company." In Encyclopeida of Indianapolis, edited by David J. Bodenhamer and Robert G. Barrows, 652. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994. Accessed July 30, 2021. Google Books.
Biographical Note
Herman Lieber was born in 1832 in Dusseldorf, Germany. He immigrated to the United States and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana where he established H. Lieber Company, stationery and bookbinding enterprise. The business expanded into art supplies, art galleries, and photography supplies and processing. Lieber married Mary Anna Metzger (1834-1904) and they had 6 children: Otto, Ida, Carl J. Anna, Robert, and Herman Peter (1873-1939). The 4 sons all joined the family business in time and took over its operations after their father's death. Lieber was a prominent figure in Indianapolis society and helped found many important institutions including German-American schools, Citizens Gas Company, the Athenaeum, and Crown Hill Cemetery. Lieber died on vacation traveling by train to Flagstaff, Arizona with his daughter and daughter-in-law on March 22, 1908 and was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis.
Herman Peter Lieber was born on October 9, 1873 to German immigrants Herman (1832-1908) and Mary Anna (also Marianne) (Metzger) Lieber (1834-1904) in Indianapolis, Indiana. Lieber attended Benjamin Harrison School No. 2 and the old German-American school in Indianapolis, Indiana. Lieber married Alma Bachman and they had 3 sons: Herman Frederick (1904-1926), Fredric Bachman (1905-1951), and Kurt Erwin (1910-1977). Lieber's first job was with Vonnegut Hardware Company. After 5 years, he joined his father's business, H. Lieber and Company, as a salesman in the wholesale and retail departments. Lieber became president of the Merchants' Association and sat on the board of directors of the Fletcher American National Bank. He was an active fundraiser for local social service programs. Lieber died on August 29, 1939 and was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. "Fredric Lieber." 1940 United States Federal Census. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Fredric B. Lieber." Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Fredric Bachman Lieber." U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman F. Lieber." Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman P. Lieber." 1880 United States Federal Census. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman P. Lieber." 1900 United States Federal Census. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman P. Lieber." 1910 United States Federal Census. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman P. Lieber." 1920 United States Federal Census. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman P. Lieber." 1930 United States Federal Census. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman P. Lieber." Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman P. Lieber." Indiana, U.S., Select Marriages Index, 1748-1993. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Kurt Erwin Lieber." Indiana, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1907-1940. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Findagrave.com. "Alma Bachman Lieber." Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45960380/alma-bachman-lieber.
Findagrave.com. "Fredric B. Lieber." Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45958942/fredric-b.-leiber.
Findagrave.com. "Herman Lieber." Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8388449/herman-lieber.
Findagrave.com. "Herman F. Lieber." Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45960391/herman-f.-lieber.
Findagrave.com. "Herman P. Lieber." Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45960392/herman-p.-lieber.
Findagrave.com. "Kurt E. Lieber." Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45960393/kurt-e.-lieber.
Findagrave.com. "Marianne Metzger Lieber." Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20156210/marianne-lieber.
"H. Lieber, Sr. Dies." Indianapolis Star, March 24, 1908, 3. Accessed August 2, 2021. ProQuest.
"H. P. Lieber, Civic Leader Dies Here." Indianapolis Star, August 30, 1939, 1, 3. Accessed August 2, 2021. ProQuest.
Herman Peter Lieber was born on October 9, 1873 to German immigrants Herman (1832-1908) and Mary Anna (also Marianne) (Metzger) Lieber (1834-1904) in Indianapolis, Indiana. Lieber attended Benjamin Harrison School No. 2 and the old German-American school in Indianapolis, Indiana. Lieber married Alma Bachman and they had 3 sons: Herman Frederick (1904-1926), Fredric Bachman (1905-1951), and Kurt Erwin (1910-1977). Lieber's first job was with Vonnegut Hardware Company. After 5 years, he joined his father's business, H. Lieber and Company, as a salesman in the wholesale and retail departments. Lieber became president of the Merchants' Association and sat on the board of directors of the Fletcher American National Bank. He was an active fundraiser for local social service programs. Lieber died on August 29, 1939 and was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. "Fredric Lieber." 1940 United States Federal Census. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Fredric B. Lieber." Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Fredric Bachman Lieber." U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman F. Lieber." Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman P. Lieber." 1880 United States Federal Census. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman P. Lieber." 1900 United States Federal Census. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman P. Lieber." 1910 United States Federal Census. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman P. Lieber." 1920 United States Federal Census. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman P. Lieber." 1930 United States Federal Census. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman P. Lieber." Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Herman P. Lieber." Indiana, U.S., Select Marriages Index, 1748-1993. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Kurt Erwin Lieber." Indiana, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1907-1940. Accessed July 30, 2021. http://wwww.ancestrylibrary.com.
Findagrave.com. "Alma Bachman Lieber." Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45960380/alma-bachman-lieber.
Findagrave.com. "Fredric B. Lieber." Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45958942/fredric-b.-leiber.
Findagrave.com. "Herman Lieber." Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8388449/herman-lieber.
Findagrave.com. "Herman F. Lieber." Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45960391/herman-f.-lieber.
Findagrave.com. "Herman P. Lieber." Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45960392/herman-p.-lieber.
Findagrave.com. "Kurt E. Lieber." Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45960393/kurt-e.-lieber.
Findagrave.com. "Marianne Metzger Lieber." Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20156210/marianne-lieber.
"H. Lieber, Sr. Dies." Indianapolis Star, March 24, 1908, 3. Accessed August 2, 2021. ProQuest.
"H. P. Lieber, Civic Leader Dies Here." Indianapolis Star, August 30, 1939, 1, 3. Accessed August 2, 2021. ProQuest.
Extent
0.5 Cubic Feet (1 medium oversize box)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by subject.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processed and finding aid created by Amy C. Belcher in 2004. Collection reprocessing completed 2021/08/02 by Brittany Kropf. EAD finding aid created 2021/08/02 by Brittany Kropf.
Creator
- H. Lieber and Company (Organization)
- Title
- H. Lieber Company photograph collection
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
