I recently wrote of Lizzie Hormel’s role in the creation of the Art and Travel Club.

Now you can stop in the HHH and actually see a few of her artistic creations.

Jamie Hormel, Geordie Hormel’s widow, and her daughters have graciously loaned four of Lizzie’s original paintings to our collection.

Three of the pictures are floral creations. The fourth is a colorful fruit display. A handwritten note on the front of one picture says “the one I like, Geordie.” Apparently Lizzie’s great nephew appreciated her talents. The artwork is not dated, but the picture frames bear the logo of the Dayton Company Picture Galleries which dates back to 1918. Lizzie moved to California in the mid-1920s so these pictures were likely framed in the early ’20s and passed down through the generations.

Lizzie’s passion for art began in Toledo, Ohio but she originally trained to be a secretary. She is listed as a stenographer in the 1889 Toledo city directory. Because she was needed to help her mother care for the younger children when she was growing up, Lizzie had missed a lot of schooling. George wrote in his autobiography “Three Men and a Business” that “They [her parents] were sorry she had missed so much school and should like to make up for it by giving her the best training under the best teachers to be had in Toledo.”

They gave her the opportunity to explore her artistic talent further by sending her to the Toledo Academy of Art. Lizzie had an art studio on Adam St. and is listed in “Artists in Ohio, 1787-1900: A Biographical Dictionary” as “a painter, active in Toledo in the 1890s.”

Lizzie was 37 when she followed the family to Austin in 1895. She became an art instructor at Albert Lea College. In 1913, she travelled through Europe and George wrote that “when opportunity came her way and she went to Europe, she had the background with which to appreciate the beautiful things she saw there, just as Father had hoped for her.”

Another art donation recently came to the HHH from Tom Hormel, the grandson of George A. Hormel. Tom has created a book showcasing all the art he has created over his lifetime, and he shared a copy of the book with us. He obviously inherited some of the family’s artistic talents. Art lovers are invited to stop in and view these additions to our collection. Tours are free for members and $3 for non-members, from 10 to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

 History Happy Hour-History of the

Mower County Fair

5:30 p.m. social, 6 p.m. presentation, Monday, Aug. 10

Presented by Ken Trom, former Fair Board member.

Free for members of Hormel Historic Home, Mower County Historical Society and Friends of the Library. $5 for non-members. Light snacks included, cash bar available.

 Uncork & Create Event

7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 17

Start your ArtWorks Festival week by creating your own artistic treasure. Class will be led by Art on the Go Rochester. Cost is $40 per person. Register at the Hormel Historic Home or www.hormelhistorichome.org. Light snacks included.