Albert Bierstadt
German-American
1830-1902
Albert Bierstadt not only captured the beauty and feeling of the new American Frontier, but he captured the spirit of American imagination, at a time when people were hungry for it.
The years between 1850-1900 proved to be a time of great change in American history. During this 50 year period, fifteen states were added to the union; The telegraph, the incandescent light bulb, the telephone, and the first mass-marketed camera, were all newly patented; Gold was discovered in California; the Union Pacific Railroad met the Central Pacific Rail. And during the middle of all this, the Civil War.
People were flocking west in droves…
The westward expansion and settlement of the new America was being talked about in all the major newspapers. They described the majesty of the west: the mountains, the valleys, and the rivers. Unable to see it firsthand, most Americans must have found these sights difficult to visualize, especially those who lived in the crowded cities.
It is important to remember that, although the camera was now available to a large audience, the photos were made using glass plates. The long, bumpy treks to the west coast and back would have made saving these pictures extremely difficult, not to mention that they could only be printed in black and white. A well-painted canvas in full color would certainly have seemed especially stunning! (perhaps even worth paying admission to see).
Albert Bierstadt was born in Germany, but migrated with his parents to New Bedford, Mass. when he was only three years old. When Albert was in his early twenties he went to Germany to study painting from the notable “romantic landscape” artists. He returned to America a mature artist in his late twenties. He had by then a much more developed talent than many of his contemporaries, who were also attempting to paint the new territory.
Although Bierstadt was reportedly happily married, he took many long trips out west to see the new country for himself, and to paint small, quick sketches to be used as references for finished paintings. His reputation as the premier painter of the American West was firmly established after his first exhibition of paintings of the Rocky Mountains. His large, illustriously detailed canvases fetched upwards of $25,000; a price that was then unheard of. It is said that Bierstadt’s talent for self-promotion also helped to cement his reputation with the public; a reputation which he enjoyed for over thirty years.
Immensely wealthy and successful for most of his career, tragedy struck later in his life. After the death of his wife, circumstances forced Bierstadt to file for Bankruptcy. A marriage a short time later lasted until his death, only five years later. A small gravestone in a rural New Bedford cemetery marks his passing.
Bierstadt paintings are now highly prized by museums across the United States, and remain an immense attraction for visitors. If a Bierstadt painting does come up for auction, which is rare, they continue to fetch increasingly higher prices. The fact that Bierstadt’s paintings are still highly regarded, is not only a recognition of his great gifts as an artist, but is a testament to nature’s timeless beauty…