Keith Edmier: Emil Dobbelstein and Henry J. Drope, 1944Emil Dobbelstein and Henry J. Drope are, respectively, Keith Edmier's paternal and maternal grandfathers. Both men served in World War II, but Dobblestein committed suicide while serving at an army airfield in Missouri while Drope was honorably discharged from the army in 1946 after fighting in Europe. He lived until 1995. "Emil Dobbelstein and Henry J.Drope, 1944," a personalized version of the traditional figurative war memorial, is comprised of two three-quarter-scale bronze representations of Edmier's grandfathers, and acts as both an investigation of personal history and a sophisticated reflection on eulogy and memorial. The assortment of World War II-era ephemera that Edmier assembled in researching this project--including telegrams, newspaper articles, photographs, death notices, and other personal items--are presented in full in this publication, alongside illustrations of the sculpture itself. A Public Art Fund project, "Emil Dobbelstein and Henry Drope, 1944" was on view from March through September of last year as part of the 2002 Whitney Biennial. |
Common terms and phrases
57 PL CHGO A. N. WILLIAMS PRESIDENT acrylic paint ancestor worship Antonio Canova Archduchess Maria Christina Augustinerkirche Beverly Edmier BOARD J. C. WILLEVER Cable NLT-Cable Night Canova CARLISLE BARRACKS ceding the address CLASS OF SERVICE COMPANY WILL APPRECIATE CONCERNING ITS SERVICE date line day letters dicated DL-Day Letter NL-Night Dobbelstein and Drope Dobbelstein and Henry EDMIER Emil Dobbelstein Elizabeth Peyton fate ferred character filing time shown full-rate Telegram grandfathers IDPF Jill Peters KEITH EDMIER Emil LC-Deferred Cable NLT-Cable Letter Ship Radiogram letters in STANDARD line on telegrams Louise Bourgeois MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY MONEY ORDER NEWCOMB CARLTON CHAIRMAN Night Letter Ship NLT-Cable Night Letter Percy Jones point of destination Public Art Fund Radiogram The filing receipt is STANDARD Ronald Jones Sedalia suicide suitable symbol SYMBOLS DL-Day Letter Telegram or Cable telegrams and day UNION A. N. WILLIAMS USS Arizona Warrensburg WEST 57 PL WESTERN UNION A. N. WILLEVER FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT York