Dirk Van Erp Mica Lamp Metropolitan Museum of Art
Dirk Van Erp 1860-1933
1860 Dirk Van Erp was born in Leeuwarden Netherlands to a family of metalsmiths and coppersmiths
1886 he came to the United States
1890 he moved to San Francisco and worked for Union Iron Works.
1892 he married Mary Richardson Marino
1894 his daughter Agatha was born
1898 he traveled to the Yukon Gold Rush
1898 he returned to work at the Union Iron Works
1900 he moved to Vallejo, California and worked as coppersmith at Mare Island Naval Shipyard.
He made lamps from empty shell casings and sold them to local retail merchants.
1901 his son William Henry van Erp was born
1908 he opened the Art Copper Shop in Oakland, California
1909 he exhibited dozens of pieces at the World's Fair Seattle, Washington and won a gold medal
1910 he moved his shop to San Francisco and briefly partnered with Elizabeth Eleanor D'Arcy Gaw
1915 he exhibited at the World's Fair in San Francisco
1915-1918: During World War I, Dirk Van Erp worked at Union Iron Works in support of the war
1918 World War I ended and Dirk Van Erp resumed his work
1929 he retired
1933 Dirk Van Erp died
Son William Van Erp operated the business until 1977 when he died.