1912 - Laura Otilia Schmitt, at age 16, begins teaching decorative painting at Clarke College
From Encyclopedia Dubuque:
“At age 16, she began to teach decorative painting at Clarke College and was especially sought out as a teacher of porcelain painting. In those years, she hand painted porcelain pieces and china sets from the finest factories in Europe. Her earliest signed paintings and works of hand painted porcelain are dated 1911 and 1913 and signed “Laura Schmitt” and “Laura O. Schmitt.”
Laura Otilia Schmitt Pilmaier (1896 - 1997)
Laura Schmitt Pilmaier painted ceramics
Laura Otilia Schmitt Pilmaier, Penny, oil on canvas
All images from www.lauraschmittpilmaier.com
A website dedicated to the life and work of Laura Otilia Schmitt Pilmaier has this biography:
“Laura Otillia Schmitt was born in February 1896 in Dubuque, Iowa. She was educated in Dubuque at Mount Carmel Academy and Clarke College. Laura was a talented artist, educated in fine and dramatic arts. She was skilled at oil painting and porcelain decoration, and throughout her life created many beautiful works of art. At age 16 she began to teach decorative painting at Clarke College in Dubuque, and was especially sought out as a teacher of porcelain painting. In those years, she hand painted porcelain pieces and china sets from the finest factories in Europe. Her earliest signed paintings and works of hand-painted porcelain are dated 1911 and 1913, and signed "Laura Schmitt" or "Laura O. Schmitt." An accomplished musician and stage performer as a young woman, she appeared in and wrote theater works performed in church parishes around Dubuque. She played starring roles in theater productions, including "The Confederate Spy" and "It Pays to Advertise," and traveled around the regional theater circuit, winning awards for her portrayals. She also staged plays, directed, and stayed involved in theater after her marriage. In 1920 she married Carl J. Pilmaier, and from then on she signed her works "Laura O. Pilmaier" or "LOP." After her marriage, in 1920-21 she led the Department of Dramatic Arts, Elocution and Aesthetic Dancing at the American Academy of Music in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Laura gave birth to six children in Dubuque. During the Depression, she taught drawing at the local convent in exchange for bread and sweets for her family. In 1934, Carl secured employment as an accountant for the State of Iowa, and the Pilmaier family moved to Des Moines. There, Laura established her home business, "Laura Pilmaier Gifts of Distinction," selling her own artwork and other decorative art objects. She developed a painting formula that allowed her to paint with oil paints on paper, and was frequently commissioned to hand-decorate wedding invitations and birth announcements. She also produced handmade greeting cards with motifs of flowers, butterflies, and religious symbols. She kept her painting formula a secret, except to her grandchildren, even though she claimed that over the years various companies approached her offering to buy the formula. Laura and Carl lived in Des Moines the rest of their lives. Carl died in 1962, and Laura lived into her 102nd year. Laura Schmitt Pilmaier died in Des Moines, Iowa, in June 1997. This site is especially for her grandchildren and her great grandchildren.”