Eduard Kaiser (22 February 1820 in

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

– 30 August 1895 in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

) was an Austrian painter and lithographer, as was his brother Alexander Kaiser (1819–1872). He was a celebrated portrait artist who drew the attention of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria.

Life

Eduard Kaiser was the son of Joseph Franz Kaiser, the owner of a lithographic business in Graz. He studied at the Wiener Akademie beside Josef Danhauser and soon became a serious competitor for the top Vienna portrait-lithographer

Josef Kriehuber Josef Kriehuber (14 December 1800 – 30 May 1876) was an Austrian lithographer and painter, notable for the high quality of his lithographic portraits. A prolific yet meticulous artist, he made numerous portraits for nobility, well-known persona ...

. Enthused by the ideas of the

revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

, in 1848 Kaiser joined the Academic Legion - during this time he made portraits of almost all the main figures of the March Revolution ( Josef Radetzky, Franz Schuselka, Hans Kudlich Adolf Fischhof, Carl Giskra). In 1852/53 he lived in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. After returning to Austria he developed a very profitable portrait-lithography business, with clients including Franz Joseph I of Austro-Hungary, his empress Elisabeth of Austro-Hungary, Friedrich Hebbel,

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

and

Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; ; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic music, Romantic era, she exerted her influence o ...

. In 1867–1886 he lived in Rome again, where he devoted himself very successfully to watercolour reproductions of classical masterpieces - these reproductions were then sold in Great Britain as colour lithographs. He then returned to Vienna and to portrait painting in oils and watercolour.

Selected lithographs

Róza Csillag by Eduard Kaiser.jpg, Rosa Csillag Karl Maria Kertbeny.jpg, Karl-Maria Kertbeny Feigerle Litho.jpg, Ignaz Feigerle E Kaiser - Robert + Clara Schumann (Litho 1847).jpg,

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

and

Hans Kudlich.jpg, Hans Kudlich

Bibliography

* Kaiser, Eduard. In Constantin von Wurzbach: ''Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich''. 10. Band. Wien 1863. Online-Version

* Eduard Kaiser. In: Ulrich Thieme, Felix Becker etc.: ''Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart.'' Volume 19, E. A. Seemann, Leipzig 1926, S. 443f {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaiser 1820 births 1895 deaths Austrian portrait painters 19th-century Austrian painters Austrian male painters 19th-century Austrian lithographers Austrian watercolourists Portrait miniaturists Artists from Graz Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni 19th-century Austrian male artists