herman carl mueller, ceramicist and educator

Did you know that the beautiful tiles in the sun porch of the Wicoff House were made by the man who helped establish the first Junior High School in this country?

Herman Carl Mueller was born in Germany in 1854. As a teenager he wanted to be a professional singer because he had a rich baritone voice. His parents recognized early that young Herman was artistically talented so they encouraged him at age 14 to enter the Nuremberg School of Industrial Arts instead of pursuing professional singing. There he discovered his talent and interest in sculpture, and at age 16 began his formal training at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. When he finished school, he worked as an apprentice with different sculptors throughout Germany. In 1878, at the age of 24, he decided to emigrate to the United States of America because he heard it was a land of opportunity.

In the German community of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mueller found work as a sculptor and modeler in several pottery and tile companies. He was highly regarded, but after working for other companies for several years, he decided to establish a company of his own. In 1908 he moved to Trenton,New Jersey and started operation of the Mueller Mosaic Company, at the former location of the Artistic Porcelain Company on Chambers Street and Cedar Lane. The company did well and Mueller, the successful businessman, became acquainted with J.V.B. Wicoff while campaigning for Woodrow Wilson's successful attempt to become President of the United States. Years later, Wicoff asked him to design and install the tiles in the sun porch. In addition, Mueller received an extensive commission from J.V.B.'s friend and business associate, Henry W. Jeffers, to design and install the ceramic tile and decorations in the Rotolactor of the famous Walker-Gordon Dairy.

Two of the fifteen panels that illustrated various phases in the history of bovine domestication, that were installed at the Walker-Gordon Rotolactor by the Mueller Mosaic Co. are on display in the hallway of the museum.

As a prominent citizen of Trenton who believed strongly in education, Mueller was appointed president of the Trenton Board of Education. While in the position from 1914 until 1919, he was instrumental in establishing this country's first Junior High School.

Mueller with his classical mural designed for a Newark schoolhouse