Library exhibition celebrates Lothar Meggendorfer’s ‘paper engineering’

In his day — the late 19th century — artist/“paper engineer” Lothar Meggendorfer was a superstar in Europe. After his first “moveable book” (“Lebende Bilder,” his son Adolf’s Christmas present in 1878), Meggendorfer went on to create more than 100 children books with his trademark technical complexity — often featuring moving parts — and wry wit.

The Memorial Library’s ninth floor Special Collection Room will exhibit a publisher’s archive of Meggendorfer’s printed work, along with books, historical and contemporary, that have moving parts. Meggendorfer generally used panoramas, slat-and-flap transformations and movable parts made with coiled copper-wire rivets that he designed himself for enhanced flexibility.

1887’s “Internationale Circus” proved to be Meggendorfer’s supreme achievement. Once assembled, the entire work pulled out into a three-dimensional arena with distinctive foreground, middle ground and background.

Although Meggendorfer’s works rarely reached the American market, he did contract with The Chicago Tribune in 1906 to illustrate newspaper cartoons. After years of depicting marionettes, clowns, and comedic actors, Meggendorfer began creating his own puppets and giving performances in his native Munich.

The exhibition remains on view until Friday, April 14. It is free and open to the public. For details, call 263-4929, e-mail thonn@library.wisc.edu or visit http://www.library.wisc.edu:2784/libraries/news/Meggendorfer/index.htm.