A Brief History Executive Committee Past Presidents
A Brief History
The Portfolio is one of the oldest, continuously active, social clubs in Indianapolis. It was organized in 1890 at the suggestion of Mary Steele, wife of artist T. C. Steele, with the object of bringing together the various art interests of Indianapolis and to “promote a spirit of art interest and appreciation.” The 1895/96 Red Book of Indianapolis referred to The Portfolio as “the Bohemian club of the city, and artists and musicians are the majority, with a sprinkling of newspaper people.” At a time when the city’s social clubs were mostly gender exclusive, women were admitted to The Portfolio on an equal basis with men and included married couples, with at least a member of the couple “being a professional in some facet of the arts.”
Among The Portfolio are members “who are artists in colors, others who are artists in sound, and still more who are artists in words.” The club’s founders reflected this diversity of arts with Hoosier Group artists J. Otis Adams, William Forsyth, and T. C. Steele, along with artists Ada Comingore, Bessie Hendricks, and Julia G. Sharpe. Illustrator Frederick A. Hetherington and sculptor John H. Mahoney added to this collage of visual arts. Composer-musician Clarence Forsyth, his wife Mary Forsyth, together with musician Margaret Nicholson and violinist Richard Schliewen, his wife Ida Schliewen, were “artists in sound.” Historian Jacob P. Dunn, novelists Meredith Nicholson and Booth Tarkington, and Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley were “artists in words.” Adding to The Portfolio’s eclectic roster were Indianapolis News editorial writer Morris Ross and his wife Frances Ross. Patron of the arts Thomas E. Hibben and Janet K. Hibben were also listed in the club’s initial enrollment. Hilton U. Brown, city editor of the Indianapolis News, served as the club’s first president.
The Portfolio’s season is from October through May with a monthly supper meeting and program. The club met twice a month on Thursday evenings until the beginning of the 1991-92 year when the membership voted to meet once a month on the third Thursday. A decade later, the monthly meeting changed to the third Tuesday evening. Club rooms were initially maintained at the Indianapolis School of Music, eventually moving to rooms at the Propylaeum, 15 E. North St. The club remained at this location until the building was acquired for the construction of the World War Memorial Plaza. In 1923 the Propylaeum moved into a house at 1410 N. Delaware St and The Portfolio followed, taking rooms in the grotto-like basement. Over the years the club rooms were furnished with tables and chairs, a kitchen where the supper committee prepared the monthly meals, storage space for the members’ diverse china dinnerware, and artwork decorating the walls. In the early ‘90s when renovations were begun at the Propylaeum, the club vacated this space. With no permanent meeting room, The Portfolio sold most of its art collection. The new millennium found The Portfolio meeting at the Indianapolis Art Center, and after the club’s remaining artwork and archives were placed with the Irvington Historical Society at the Bona Thompson Memorial Center in Irvington, monthly meetings alternated between the two sites. In recent years, meetings have been held at other venues in addition to the Bona Thompson Memorial Center.
The Portfolio’s monthly programs have been outlined since 1890-91 in an annual yearbook. The pages of these booklets contain not only a roster of members, committees, and programs, but original artwork by members. Over the years the monthly programs have touched on a myriad of art related topics with papers given by members. While the programs are listed in the yearbooks, sadly only a handful of the papers made it into the archives. In the early years of The Portfolio, musical entertainment often with singing accompanied by piano, violin and cello concluded the evening. From time to time, skits were performed by the members and in the years before the First World War an outing was arranged to Das Deutsche Haus (The Athenaeum) in November for a bowling party. Until recent times, a Christmas party with Santa was eagerly anticipated by the children of club members. The Portfolio season concluded with a summer picnic.
Membership in The Portfolio is by invitation and is capped at 75 persons. In addition to the club’s monthly meetings, The Portfolio maintains an endowed scholarship presented annually to a student at the Herron School of Art and Design and another annual scholarship is awarded to a student majoring in one of the arts at an area college. The Portfolio continues to be a club of “genial spirits and practitioners of the various arts.”
By Portfolian Steven R. Barnett, Marion County Historian, Indiana Historical Society/Indiana Historical Bureau
Quasquicentennial, 1890-2015
by Frank Owings, Jr.
Written in 2015 to celebrate the 125th anniversary of The Portfolio’s Quasquicentennial.
Click here to read.
Executive Committee
2024 – 2025 Season
President Colleen Kuhn (colleen@ct-solution.com)
Vice President John Seest
Secretary Rich Costello
Treasurer Bill Wissell
Past Presidents
| 1890-91 Hilton U Brown | 1970-71 Floyd D Hopper | |
| 1891-92 Theodore C Steele | 1971-72 Harry A Davis | |
| 1892-93 William Forsyth | 1972-73 Helen Fechtman | |
| 1893-94 Clarence Forsyth | 1973-74 Grant Christian | |
| 1894-95 Louis H Givson | 1974-75 Richard E Beck | |
| 1895-96 Richard Schliewen | 1975-76 Marion Stockwell | |
| 1896-97 John H Mahoney | 1976-77 David Peat | |
| 1897-98 Carl H Lieber | 1977-78 Alice Usher | |
| 1898-99 Oliver W Pierce | 1978-79 Robert Van Sickle | |
| 1899-1900 Alembert W Brayton | 1979-80 Mark M Holeman | |
| 1900-01 Herbert Foltz | 1980-81 Richard A Davis | |
| 1901-02 Otto Stark | 1981-82 Duncan P Schiedt | |
| 1902-03 Bernard Vonnegut | 1982-83 Lois Davis | |
| 1903-04 Robert Frost Daggett Sr. | 1983-84 H Earl Capehart | |
| 1904-05 Adolph Schmuck | 1984-85 Frank N Owings Jr | |
| 1905-06 Joseph W Piercy | 1985-86 Dane L Love | |
| 1906-07 Flora M Hunter | 1986-87 Patricia L Owings | |
| 1907-08 William G Hunter | 1987-88 Richard H Henkel | |
| 1908-09 George C Calvert | 1988-89 Richard Rosengarten | |
| 1909-10 Wilhelmina Seegmiller | 1989-90 Raymond Gnat | |
| 1910-11 Meta P Lieber | 1990-91 Lois Davis | |
| 1911-12 E H Kemper McComb | 1991-92 Martha Van Sickle | |
| 1912-13 Helen R Long | 1992-93 Duncan P Schiedt | |
| 1913-14 Albert R Kohlman | 1993-94 Clark Campbell | |
| 1914-15 Ferdinand Schaefer | 1994-95 Clark Campbell | |
| 1915-16 Lee Burns | 1995-96 Lois Horth | |
| 1916-17 Harold Haven Brown | 1996-97 John J Cooney | |
| 1917-18 Gaar Williams | 1997-98 Rachel B Perry | |
| 1918-19 Mansur B Oakes | 1998-99 Ed Wolfley | |
| 1919-20 Kurt Vonnegut Sr. | 1999-2000 Pat Montgomery | |
| 1920-21 Clifton Wheeler | 2000-01 Ron Crain | |
| 1921-22 Charles Moores | 2001-02 Susan Fordyce | |
| 1922-23 Charles Rush | 2002-03 Susan Fordyce | |
| 1923-24 Frederick R Kautz | 2003-04 Doug Horth | |
| 1924-25 Louis A Bacon | 2004-05 Doug Horth | |
| 1925-26 Eliza G Browning | 2005-06 Greg Persell | |
| 1926-27 Ernest G Hesser | 2006-07 Greg Persell | |
| 1927-28 Tom S Elrod | 2007-08 Greg Persell | |
| 1928-29 Blanche Stillson | 2008-09 Dan Henkel | |
| 1929-30 Simon P Baus | 2009-10 Dan Henkel | |
| 1930-31 Luther Dickerson | 2010-11 Dan Henkel | |
| 1931-32 Wilbur D Peat | 2011-12 Patricia L Owings | |
| 1932-33 Anna Hasselman | 2012-13 George Hanlin | |
| 1933-34 John I Kautz | 2013-14 George Hanlin | |
| 19354-35 Brandt T Steele | 2014-15 Wendy Boyle | |
| 1935-36 Anton Scherrer | 2015-16 Wendy Boyle | |
| 1936-37 Herbert F Foltz | 2016-17 Sara J Love | |
| 1937-38 Frederick Polley | 2017-18 Jack Munson | |
| 1938-39 Stephen C Noland | 2018-19 Jack Munson | |
| 1939-40 Victor R Jose Jr | 2019-20 Jack Munson | |
| 1940-41 George Newton | 2020-21 Curt Churchman | |
| 1941-42 E G Schildknecht | 2021-22 Curt Churchman | |
| 1942-43 Howard Foltz | 2022-23 Curt Churchman | |
| 1943-44 Theodore L Steele | 2023-24 Colleen Kuhn | |
| 1944-45 Talitha Peat | 2024-25 Colleen Kuhn | |
| 1945-46 Bjorn Winger | ||
| 1946-47 Joseph T McDermott | ||
| 1947-48 Frank Wallace | ||
| 1948-49 Weber D Donaldson | ||
| 1949-50 Harold C Oschner | ||
| 1950-51 Carolina Dunn | ||
| 1951-52 Howard H Peckham | ||
| 1952-53 Howard F Foltz | ||
| 1953-54 Robert Frost Daggett Jr | ||
| 1954-55 Percy H Weer | ||
| 1955-56 Richard K Zimmerly | ||
| 1956-57 Howard C Caldwell | ||
| 1957-58 Helen Hollingsworth | ||
| 1958-59 Robert H Selby | ||
| 1959-60 Evans Woollen III | ||
| 1960-61 William Higgins Jr | ||
| 1961-62 Roland G Usher Jr | ||
| 1962-63 Robert Hollingsworth | ||
| 1963-64 Fritz H Schaefer | ||
| 1964-65 Harold Sander | ||
| 1965-66 Charles G Yeager | ||
| 1966-67 James W Weir | ||
| 1967-68 Clarence L Kirk Jr | ||
| 1969-70 Hugo W Fechtman | ||