Cyril Colnik (20 September 1871 – 25 October 1958) was a

metalsmith A metalsmith or simply smith is a craftsperson fashioning useful items (for example, tools, kitchenware, tableware, jewelry, armor and weapons) out of various metals. Smithing is one of the oldest list of metalworking occupations, metalworking o ...

originally from

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

sometimes called "The Tiffany of wrought iron".. He emigrated to the United States to attend the

1893 World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ce ...

in Chicago, where he won a gold medal for his entry to the exposition. He settled in Milwaukee Wisconsin, Colnik opened a workshop there in 1894. He was a pacifist, which lead him to close his business instead of making

armaments A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...

for

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Colnik spent the remainder of his career working in and around Milwaukee, retiring in 1955 and dying in 1958.

Early life

Colnik was born in 1871, in the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

village of

Trieben Trieben () is a town in Styria in central Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the ...

Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...

. His parents were Dominick and Anna Rudmilla Colnik; his father was a veterinarian, a politician and an economist. The family lived on a large estate, and from an early age, Colnik spent time around the property's smithy, according to author Alan Strekow. He apprenticed in the 1880s as a mechanical assistant. He studied iron work in Vienna, and then moved to

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

to study under Franz Roth. He served in the apprenticeship in the metal shop in with Roth after which he studied in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and other countries in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, before eventually settling in

Munich, Germany Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. In Munich, he worked in Reinhold Kirsch's workshop. He finished his studies there at the Munich Industrial Art School. Artisan Reinhold Kirsch recognized him as an exceptional student, and sent him to America as part of the German ironworking team at the Chicago

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

Career

When Colnik arrived in Chicago in 1893, he was 22 years old. He worked on the

hands A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "han ...

of a donated clock for display at the Exposition. Colnik also entered an example of his work. His entry was a

grille Grill or grille may refer to: Food * Barbecue grill, a device or surface used for cooking food, usually fuelled by gas or charcoal, or the part of a cooker that performs this function * Flattop grill, a cooking device often used in restaurants, ...

depicting the patron of blacksmiths: Vulcan, the God of Fire. The grille that he entered is described as a masterpiece by Strekow; he originally created it while still a student in Munich. He received a gold medal for his work depicting Vulcan, and also won a prize for an

escutcheon Escutcheon may refer to: * Escutcheon (heraldry), a shield or shield-shaped emblem, displaying a coat of arms * Escutcheon (furniture), a metal plate that surrounds a keyhole or lock cylinder on a door * (in medicine) the distribution of pubic ha ...

entry. The United States experienced the

Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States. It began in February 1893 and officially ended eight months later. The Panic of 1896 followed. It was the most serious economic depression in history until the Great Depression of ...

and entered economic depression soon after the exposition, so he never received a physical copy of the medal. At the Exposition, the brewer

Frederick Pabst Johann Gottlieb Friedrich "Frederick" Pabst (March 28, 1836 – January 1, 1904) was a German-American ship's captain and brewer and the namesake of the Pabst Brewing Company. Pabst was born in Prussia and emigrated to the United States with his p ...

was showcasing a beer garden. It is thought that Pabst convinced Colnik to move to Southeastern Wisconsin. Colnik created many metal items for the wealthy German brewer, including an intricate

wrought-iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...

and

antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) Family (biology), family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally fo ...

chandelier A chandelier () is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now inca ...

which ended up in a

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

tavern called "Von Trier". Colnik soon opened his own shop in Milwaukee, and between 1894–1905 he gained a reputation for excellent iron work, according to Strekow. His wrought iron factory provided a variety of products for the wealthy residents in the area. Colnik was a pacifist and suspected that his shop may be called upon to make armaments for the war effort during

, so he closed his

workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...

. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

in the 1930s Colnik worked for the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

(WPA). He created the gates for Wisconsin Memorial Park, among other public works. He was admitted to the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1938: the first non-architect to be admitted into the organization. Colnik was also commissioned to do work for

John Ringling John Nicholas Ringling (May 31, 1866 – December 2, 1936) was an American entrepreneur who is the best known of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Brothers Circus, Ringling Br ...

, creating the iron work for the

John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the official state art museum of Florida, located in Sarasota, Florida. It was established in 1927 as the legacy of Mable Burton Ringling and John Ringling for the people of Florida. Florida State Uni ...

. He retired in 1955 at the age of 84. Today, several of his ironwork sketches and photographs are exhibited at the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum in

. In 2008 he was given a Wisconsin Visual Art Lifetime Achievement Award.

Personal life

In 1905, Colnik married Marie Charolette (née Merz), the daughter of a Milwaukee shoemaker. On 24 May 1905 Colnik also became a naturalized United States citizen. In 1906 the couple had had a daughter, Gretchen. Colnik died on 25 October 1958 in Milwaukee,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, survived by his daughter.

Gallery

File:1893 Escutcheon created by Cyril Colnik.jpg,

Escutcheon Escutcheon may refer to: * Escutcheon (heraldry), a shield or shield-shaped emblem, displaying a coat of arms * Escutcheon (furniture), a metal plate that surrounds a keyhole or lock cylinder on a door * (in medicine) the distribution of pubic ha ...

created by Colnik for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition File:1893 front of the Master Piece Grille by Cyril Colnik.jpg, Front of the

Colnik created in 1893 in Chicago File:1893 Grille detail by Cyril Colnik - Vulcan the God of Fire.jpg, Detail of the 1893 grille File:Ornate wrought iron Weinkuhler featuring a face1890-1893 by Cyril Colnik.jpg, 1890-1893 Ornate wrought iron Weinkuhler featuring a face by Cyril Colnik

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colnik, Cyril 1871 births 1958 deaths Ironworkers

19th-century metalsmiths 20th-century metalsmiths Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States

Early life

Career

Personal life

See also

Gallery

References