Ludolf Bodmer (Louis Bodenheimer)

"Ludolf BODMER", aka Louis BODENHEIMER: b. 8 Oct 1878, Stuttgart - d. 2 Dec 1943, Sachrang, Chiemsee?

Profile picture is a drawing of Lufold by his friend, Enrico Caruso. It says,.. in Italian,.. “To Ludolf,.. a great singer but a fat pig”

Information courtesy of various sources including the following:

• https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10901-36947/louis-bodmer...

Louis BODENHEIMER used the stage name Ludolf BODMER, then around 1933 adopted that stage name as his legal name.

He originally immigrated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA in Oct 1894 and was naturalized as a US citizen on 6 July 1900.

In the 1900 US Federal Census, he was single, a student, living as a boarder in a large boarding house at 241 3rd Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

On 25 Jun 1906 he was living back in Germany with his wife, and did an emergency passport application in an effort to retain his US citizenship

On 21 Dec 1929, the American Consular Office in Berlin was informed that Louis had expatriated his US citizenship by being re-naturalized as a German citizen.

As for the Bodenheimers, my mother rarely spoke except to talk about her favorite uncle,Ludolf Bodenheimer, who was a famous opera singer. He traveled Europe singing with Enrico Caruso.

He was a Nazi favorite to they had him change his name to his stage name of Bodmer and my mother's guess is that he became a Nazi sympathyzer to survive [note: there is some evidence that her uncle sang under the name Ludolf Bodmer as early as 1908, so perhaps the name change was cemented in 1933]

Ludolph BODMER, aka Ludolf BODMER

https://www.bmlo.uni-muenchen.de/b2208

I found a reference to his "Partner" Elisabetha Kunigunde Deininger aka Else Delmhorst

Bassist. Opera

Bodenheimer, Ludolf. Pseudonym Bodmer

• https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/FO4MA4VO2CWNSS6EI2...

N.B. "partner" also named here:

Beziehungen
Partner
Deininger, Elisabetha Kunigunde (1875– ), Sängerin

Dokuments re. time in the USA:

US naturalisation application:

Illinois, Northern District Einbürgerungsaufzeichnungen, 1840-1950; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939N-N999-Y1?cc=1838804&wc=...

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939N-N999-Y1?i=4141&per...

Application for US passport:

Passanträge der Vereinigten Staaten, 1795-1925; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99X7-C99P-X?cc=2185145...

N.B. Names of supporting witnesses given: Otto FRÜS & Edward LOEW

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99X7-C99P-X?i=526&...

N.B. Describes himself as "music student".

Address given: c/o Herman COHEN, New York ...

Several mentions in newspapers of era under the stage name of "Ludolf BODMER" as early as 1903. At that time he made his debut on the stage in München/Munich:

cf. eg.

ANNO, Der Humorist, 1903-04-20, Seite 9

https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=hu1&datum=19030420&quer...

&

digiPress: Münchner neueste Nachrichten vom Dienstag, dem 7. April 1903

https://digipress.digitale-sammlungen.de/view/bsb00130153_00093_u00...

BODMER registered in Vienna in 1903:

Rudolf or Louis Bochner or Bodenheimer, „Österreich, Niederösterreich, Wiener Meldezettel 1850-1896“ • FamilySearch

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WM6R-RFW2
Name Rudolf or Louis Bochner or Bodenheimer
Geburtsort Stuttgart, Württemberg
Konfession Mosaiisch
Art des Ereignisses Residence
Datum des Ereignisses 1903
Ereignisort Vienna, Austria
Ereignisort (original) Wien, VI, Österreich

BODMER then appeared in the Tyrol region of Austria during the years 1908-1909. Many mentions include:

ANNO, Musikalisches Wochenblatt, 1908-02-06, Seite 14

https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=muw&datum=19080206&quer...

&

ANNO, Allgemeiner Tiroler Anzeiger, 1909-04-27, Seite 8

https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=tan&datum=19090427&quer...

ANNO, Der Humorist, 1909-06-10, Seite 3

https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=hu1&datum=19090610&quer...

&

Shown on cast list of "Madama Butterfly" as "Onkel Bonze" for performance:in Innsbrück.

ANNO, Allgemeiner Tiroler Anzeiger, 1909-04-27, Seite 8

https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=tan&datum=19090427&quer...

In circa 1908 - 1911 BODMER was performing in Augsburg:

cf. eg.

1908 – Augsburg

Neuer Theater-Almanach: Theatergeschichtliches Jahr- und Adressenbuch ... - Google Books

https://books.google.de/books?id=HaIOAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA230&lpg=PA230&dq...

1911 – Augsburg

Neuer Theater-Almanach für das Jahr ... - Google Books

https://books.google.de/books?id=XGgfAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA263&lpg=PA263&dq...

BODMER was apparently engaged in Dortmund over several years from circa 1916-1933.

cf.

zeit.punkt NRW / Suche Volltext = "Ludolf bodmer" [1-20]

https://zeitpunkt.nrw/search?query=vl.fulltext%3D%28%22Ludolf+bodme...

In 1933 he was fired from his position there because he was Jewish:

cf. e.g.

Theater Dortmund – Wikipedia

https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theater_Dortmund

“Beispielhaft für das totalitäre Vorgehen gegen das Stadttheater Dortmund ist eine für den 11. März 1933 geplante „Meistersinger“-Aufführung. Die „Rote Erde“, eine Publikation der südwestfälischen NSDAP, die in Bochum erschien, schrieb am 11. März 1933: „In Anbetracht dessen, daß in dieser kerndeutschen Oper eines deutschen Komponisten, der in seinen Schriften erklärt hat, die Juden seien unfähig, seine Werke zu deuten, fünf Juden auftreten sollten, sahen wir uns genötigt, gegen die Rollenbesetzung Protest zu erheben. (…) Da eine Regelung vorderhand nicht getroffen werden konnte, wurde die Oper vorläufig vom Spielplan abgesetzt.“[16] Staatskommissar Bruno Schüler „beurlaubte“ daraufhin Kapellmeister Felix Wolfes und die Sopranistin Ruth Wolffreim, den lyrischen Tenor Bruno Ucko, Bariton Armin Weltner und den Bass Ludolf Bodmer. Am 15. März wurde die Oper ohne jüdische Ensemblemitglieder aufgeführt.”

..It is not yet known what Ludolf BODMER was doing between the date of his firing from Dortmund in 1933 to his death in 1944..

He is listed amongst those who was visited by a Quaker group on behalf of a Jewish Association in 1939:

Hilfe für Juden in München: Annemarie und Rudolf Cohen und die Quäker 1938–1941 - Google Books

https://books.google.de/books?id=tknpBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31&dq=%...

Indicating that he may have been living in the Munich area.

There is also cf. a small clutch of documents in Arolsen Archives:

https://collections.arolsen-archives.org/de/search/person/12649289?...

Stating that he died on 02.12.1943, Loch 39, Gunda? Sachrang, Chiemsee - but no cause of death given.

That he was in a "privilig. Mischehe" - i.e. a protected mixed marriage as his wife was not Jewish.

Photos with newspaper article from 2004 kindly shared directly by Allmuth.