BELLA VISTA -- A portrait of C.A. Linebarger Sr., who was one of the three Linebarger Brothers who founded the Bella Vista Summer Resort in 1917, was recently donated to the museum by one of his granddaughters, Ann Linebarger Boyd.
The oil painting was done by Millard Krisman (1922-2013) of St. Louis. Titled "Ozark Pioneer," it was entered in the City Art Museum of St. Louis' First Annual Missouri Exhibition on Oct. 17, 1941. There is a 3P notation on the entry slip that was attached to the back of the painting, which may have indicated placement in the competition. Krisman's obituary stated, "Mil was an avid artist. He attended the Ste. Genevieve Art Colony at age 14 and studied under Thomas Hart Benton and Oscar Thallinger."
In addition to being an artist, Krisman was also a musician who had his own orchestra. Linebarger hired them to play at Bella Vista in the summer of 1941, which is, evidently, when the portrait was painted. His obituary continued, "Millard's dance band, the Mil Krisman Orchestra, was widely popular in the St. Louis area in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He loved playing the saxophone."
The Linebarger Brothers sold the Bella Vista Summer Resort to E.L. Keith in 1952. C.A. Linebarger Sr. died in 1978, having outlived his two older brothers and his son. He was survived by his three granddaughters.
