Earlier this week, I posted photos of noted Rockport artist Anthony Thieme painting Motif No. 1 in 1950. Here is more from that same series of photographs, only this set shows Thieme and his wife Lillian at their home, which was located at 6 South Street in Rockport.
On the grounds he owned behind this home, Thieme founded a summer art school in 1929, which he continued to operate until 1943. He also built a large gallery and studio, which a 1941 newspaper article described as “the most ambitious thing of its kind ever undertaken by one artist in New England.” Tragically, on Dec. 23, 1946, fire swept through the studio, burning it to the ground and destroying many of his unsold paintings.
After Thieme’s suicide in 1954, his wife moved to Florida and the home was sold to another artist, Lucian A. Geraci, who used it as his studio for many years. The house, which records indicate was built in 1750, is still there. A realty site indicates that it is currently for sale.
Vintage Rockport 
I think your dates may be a little off. I lived across the street (7 south St.) from about 1965 until about 1972 and the Geraci’s bought it during that time – not in the 50’s. I also remember making Mrs Thieme laugh (uncontrollably) by putting a doll in the bushes and saying hello to her through a portable intercom placed behind it. That was around 1968 when she still owned and lived at 6 South St.
Also, interestingly, my mother and grandmother worked for the Thiemes and helped save many of the paintings from the studio as it burned. Many years later Mrs Thieme gave my mother and grandmother paintings as thanks for their help that day.
Thanks for these comments and for sharing your first-hand information. My information on her move to Florida had been based on her obituary in the Palm Beach Daily News.
Did you ever tour the grounds behind the house? Was any of the landscaping or statuary still intact? You can still find traces of it, even today.
I grew up in Rockport. My parents were close friends of Tony and Becky. I called him Uncle Tony. I rode his horse many times though I never saw him ride him. My mother was also an artist and I believe she took lessons from uncle Tony. One day when my aunt Becky was having a garden party, uncle Tony and I fed the cow apples which made her drunk . She invaded the garden party and tipped over a table. Aunt Becky was not pleased but Tony thought it was a great joke! He did not like to get dressed up whereas Becky always looked perfect. She tried hard to get him to behave but it was a constant bone of contention with them. My father and Tony had a chess game going for weeks. Tony would screech to a halt in front of our house in his woody station wagon and come in and make a move. When my father came home from work at night he would check the chess board first thing sometimes saying *** Tony!! Tony spoke several languages, could play my violin better than I could and fostered my love of animals. He had goats, sheep, chickens, ducks and the horse and the cow, oh and a pet turkey who used to sit on his shoulder until he got too big.
I am pretty sure Greg is correct about the later date of the sale to the Geraci’s. I worked at 7 South on and off in the late ’50s, and a bit in the early ’60s and remember 6 South as the Thieme Gallery. I just got through adding identifying comments on all the Rockport pictures on the Boston Public Library Flickr site- this site was a huge help in doing so. I was pretty sure the artist in the pics at BPL was Thieme, and the Rockport Art Association thought so too. Then I found this page. Well done!