Amy Vach
Catalog Number: 2020.fic.037
This drawing was created by Sandor Landeau, a noted artist who made La Crosse his home for a brief stint in the late 19th century.
Landeau was born in Hungary in the early 1860s. Although he is primarily referred to as Sandor, his birth name was apparently Samuel. It is unknown when or why he changed his name.
When he was a child, his family immigrated to the U.S. and settled near Cincinnati. He left his family to study art in Bloomington, Illinois, when he was a teenager.
After a short time in Illinois, Landeau came to La Crosse for an educational opportunity as an artist, but his motives remain a mystery. In the La Crosse city directories from 1888 until 1893, Landeau is listed as having an artist’s studio on the third floor in the McMillan building at Fourth and Main.
There, he taught art classes and even referred to himself as “the professor.”
This pen and ink drawing by Landeau was made during his short stay in La Crosse and is signed “S. L. Landeau ’88” on the bottom right.
The drawing is on the smaller side, measuring 7.75 by 9.25 inches, but it is incredibly detailed. It features a small flock of sheep grazing surrounded by a rock wall and woods. The bottom left reads, “To Miss Hilda Borreson from S. L. Landeau.”
This note probably refers to Hilda Borresen (later Carr), the daughter of Emil and Nettie Borresen and Landeau replaced the final “e” in the family’s name with an “o.”
Emil Borresen was one of the pair who founded La Crosse’s State Bank and was serving as the bank’s vice president in 1888 when Landeau was in La Crosse.
Through the support of benefactors from La Crosse, Landeau was able to travel to Paris to continue his studies.
Some of Landeau’s well-known La Crosse patrons were Louise Wood Withee, Dr. Edward Evans and lawyer John McConnell. While Landeau was studying in Paris, La Crosse residents Adolph Gundersen and Dr. Edward Evans visited him.
Landeau is known for his religious scenes, portraits and marine scenes. He displayed artwork at many exhibitions and was awarded various prizes. In 1899, Landeau married Marie Louise Whitney. About 10 years later, they had a daughter, also named Marie Louise.
The Landeaus traveled frequently and made many places their home over the years, including Rome, Paris and New York.
Eventually, he settled in East Aurora, New York, around 1915, working with the Roycroft community of artists. He died in 1924. Landeau’s works are included in several collections, including the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
Although he was in La Crosse for such a short time, he was well-remembered.
In a reminiscence in the La Crosse Tribune in 1925, Lillian Van Auken recalled Sandor Landeau as a guest in her family’s home. She describes him as “a short, thick-set and quiet young man with a large and impressive head and face.”
This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on August 22, 2020.
This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.
