Adolphus Busch and Anthony Faust
Adolphus Busch and Anthony Faust Friends in the late 1800’s
Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser and Faust Beer advertisements in the form of felt pennant signs are some favorites in my personal collection. These ads reveal an interesting history about two long-time friends. Adolphus Busch, the German co-founder of Anheuser-Busch Brewery in 1861, was a very close friend with Anthony (Tony) Faust who owned a famous restaurant called Tony Faust’s Oyster House in downtown St. Louis.
Adolphus Busch ate lunch every day at Faust’s restaurant and interestingly drank wine with his lunch instead of beer. Busch’s daughter Anna married Faust’s son Edward in 1897. At one point, Busch named a beer after his very good friend and called it Faust Beer.
Advertisements at Tony Faust’s Oyster House
Breweriana Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser and Faust Beer Signs
These three felt advertisements for Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser and Faust Beer at one time hung outside of Faust’s upscale restaurant, often visited by famous celebrities and dignitaries for more than four decades. Faust’s restaurant was considered the finest restaurant west of New York City in its day. The three felt ads were originally a part of longer banner that held a series of seven smaller banner ads and were displayed during special events. The grandson of a worker at the restaurant had kept these keepsakes that were in his family for over 80 years. I obtained them at an auction in Belleville, Illinois in 2009.
Faust Beer Ceramic Lithophane Stein Circa 1900
The banner advertisements are still in excellent condition and are well-preserved in specialty glass and frames. Tony Faust’s restaurant is closed today but there are other Faust Beer collectables such as old stoneware mugs and china from the restaurant with Tony Faust’s name and a well-known “Devil” trademark on the pieces. Part of my Faust Beer collection is an antique ceramic lithophane pewter lidded beer stein Circa 1900.