Interior perspective studies for a restaurant

Winold Reiss prints bring together portraits of rare dignity and bold modern design. Reiss was a German-born American artist who painted more than 250 portraits of Native Americans, especially the Blackfeet of Montana, drew the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance, and created Art Deco interiors and the great mosaics of Cincinnati's Union Terminal. Our collection of fine art prints includes his portraits, magazine covers, design studies and graphic work.

About Winold Reiss

Winold Reiss was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, on 16 September 1886, the son of the landscape and portrait painter Fritz Reiss, who took him on journeys to study and draw country people. He studied at the Munich School of Applied Arts under Franz von Stuck, where he met his wife, Henrietta Lüthy.

Fascinated by stories of Native Americans, he emigrated to New York in 1913. He worked first as a commercial designer, with shop interiors inspired by the Vienna Secession, and in 1920 travelled west to the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, painting 36 portraits and forming lifelong friendships. The Great Northern Railway later reproduced his Blackfeet portraits on its calendars for decades.

In 1925 he illustrated Alain Locke's anthology The New Negro, drawing figures such as W. E. B. Du Bois, and offered free lessons to the young Aaron Douglas. From 1931 to 1933 he made fourteen mosaics for Cincinnati's Union Terminal, and in the 1930s designed restaurant interiors in New York. He ran a summer art school near Glacier National Park. After strokes in 1951 and 1952 he died in New York in August 1953, and the Blackfeet scattered his ashes along the edge of Glacier National Park.

Style and Subjects

Reiss's portraits are direct and respectful, with carefully drawn faces in pastel or crayon set against flat, often plain backgrounds, and rich detail in clothing and ornament. Critics found them both compassionate and objective.

His design work is bold and modern: flat colour, strong geometry, stylised flowers and figures, and the clean lines of Art Deco, shaped by the Vienna Secession and his German training.

Famous Works

• Blackfeet portraits (from 1920). His portraits of the Blackfeet of Montana, later reproduced on Great Northern Railway calendars.
• April (1923), National Gallery of Art, Washington. A print from his early New York years.
• The New Negro portraits (1925). His portraits for Alain Locke's landmark anthology of the Harlem Renaissance.
• African Fantasy: The Awakening (1925), Smithsonian American Art Museum. A decorative design from his Harlem period.
• Langston Hughes (1927). A portrait of the young poet of the Harlem Renaissance.
• Cincinnati Union Terminal mosaics (1931–1933), Cincinnati. Fourteen mosaics telling the city's history through its workers.
• Ruppert Beer label (1935). Brand design for a New York brewery.

Decorating with Reiss Prints

Reiss's portraits suit a study, library, hallway or living room where their quiet dignity can be appreciated. The Langston Hughes portrait is a fine choice for a reading room or home office.

His design studies and magazine covers, such as Survey Graphic: Food, bring Art Deco colour to a kitchen, dining room or creative studio, and make a strong gallery wall in black frames.

FAQ

Who was Winold Reiss?

Winold Reiss was a German-born American artist and designer who lived from 1886 to 1953. He is known for his portraits of Native Americans and Harlem Renaissance figures, and for Art Deco design.

What was Winold Reiss's connection to the Blackfeet?

He first visited the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana in 1920 and returned for decades. He painted many Blackfeet portraits, and after his death the Blackfeet scattered his ashes near Glacier National Park.

What was Reiss's role in the Harlem Renaissance?

He illustrated Alain Locke's 1925 anthology The New Negro with portraits of leading figures and encouraged the young painter Aaron Douglas.

What are the Cincinnati Union Terminal mosaics?

Between 1931 and 1933 Reiss created fourteen mosaics for the train concourse, telling Cincinnati's history through its people. Several were later moved to the airport and the convention centre.

Who taught Winold Reiss?

He studied with his father, Fritz Reiss, and at the Munich School of Applied Arts under Franz von Stuck.

Related Artists

• Franz von Stuck: his teacher in Munich
• Aaron Douglas: Harlem Renaissance painter he taught