Jes Wilhelm Schlaikjer

Schlaikjer was born during a storm at sea on the maiden voyage of the SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse.

[4] The Schlaikjer family lived in Ohio and Johnstown City, Kentucky, before settling down on a farm in Carter township, Tripp County, South Dakota, in 1907.

During World War I, he served in the Signal Corps of the Army's 1st Division in France as a telegrapher.

After some time, he "rose in rank" to Chief Receiving Operator at the Layfayette Radio Station in Paris.

[3] Schlaikjer's illustrations appeared in various magazines, including Scribner's, Collier's, American Legion Monthly, Redbook, Woman's Home Companion, and Cosmopolitan.

[1] In 1926, Schlaikjer earned the first Hallgarten prize at the National Academy of Design Annual Exhibition.

[1] This same year, he was the winner of the first Altman prize for the best figure painting by an American-born citizen for South Dakota Evening.

Their purpose was to cope with the "existing foreign evils and abuses threatening American Art.

[6] Schlaikjer had work exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia and the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.[2] His historical portrait of Abraham Lincoln working on the Emancipation Proclamation remains one of the few paintings depicting Lincoln managing this task at the Soldier's Home.

[4] Schlaikjer met his wife, Gladys de Groot, while studying at the Art Institute.

[3] He forged iron and made medieval armor, swords, shields, cutlery, and guns.