Heinrich Vianden, better known as Henry Vianden (July 9, 1814 – February 5, 1899), was a

German American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

painter,

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German ...

and engraver. He was nicked "The Bear" by his friends and is often considered as "father of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

art".''Lifetime Achievement Awards honor first group of visual artists: Henry Vianden (1814-1899)''
at ''www.portalwisconsin.org''.

Biography

Vianden was born in

Poppelsdorf Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This m ...

, today a quarter of Bonn. He was the only child of the ceramic painter ''Wilhelm Joseph Vianden'' (1788–1818) and his wife ''Anna Maria'', née ''Weyh'' (1788–1866). When he was five years old, his father died. At the age of 14, Vianden started a

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), plat ...

training and did his studies of arts at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

from 1838 to 1841. At first he exhibited in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

in 1844. Also in 1844, he finished his studies in

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

for one and a half year, where he also worked with

Frans-Andries Durlet Frans-Andries aka François André or Franciscus Andreas Durlet, (11 July 1816 – 2 March 1867) was a Belgian architect, sculptor and printmaker. Durlet was born and died in Antwerp. He taught at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp and was ...

. In 1845 he returned to Germany, where he lived at ''Große Brinkgasse 11'' in Cologne. In November 1848 he married ''Magdalena Krüppel'' (b. 1811), daughter of a physician from

Zülpich Zülpich (; ) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany between Aachen and Bonn. It belongs to the district of Euskirchen. History The town is commonly agreed to be the site with the Latin name of ''Tolbiacum'', famous for the Battle of T ...

. They had four children, which all died in their childhood. Together with Magdalena he left Germany in May 1849 and came to New York City on July 4 of the same year. After a short stay, they moved to

, where they stood near Burlington for a while, before they settled down in Milwaukee, and applied for US citizenship. His first exhibition in Milwaukee was in December 1849. In May 1850 they moved to a suburb, now part of Milwaukee, where he taught in his open air school near Root Creek. He also taught in his studio at ''111 Mason Street'', Milwaukee, and at

Peter Engelmann Peter Engelmann (January 24, 1823May 17, 1874) was a German American immigrant, educationist, writer, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the founder of the collection which became the Milwaukee Public Museum, and was also founder of the influential "G ...

's ''German-English Academy'', today

University School of Milwaukee The University School of Milwaukee (often abbreviated to USM) is an independent pre-kindergarten through secondary preparatory school in River Hills and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded as the result of the merger of three schools, Milwa ...

, as well as at the ''German, French, and English Academy'' of

Mathilde Franziska Anneke Mathilde Franziska Anneke (née Giesler; April 3, 1817 – November 25, 1884) was a German writer, feminist, and radical democrat who participated in the Revolutions of 1848–1849. In late 1849, she moved to the United States, where she campaign ...

. Carl von Marr,

Robert Koehler Robert Koehler (November 28, 1850 – April 23, 1917) was a German-born Painting, painter and art teacher who spent most of his career in the United States. Biography Koehler was born in Hamburg; his family spelled their name Köhler until ...

, Frank Enders, Robert Schade and Susan Stuart Frackelton were students of him. On June 5, 1860, his wife Magdalena abandoned him and returned to Germany. He applied for divorce in November 1861 and was divorced on February 15, 1862. In 1867 he remarried the German Fredericka Wollenzien (1837–1897). They had no children. At the age of 85 he died near

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

due to a

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (Pulmonary pleurae, pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant d ...

. He sold part of his land to the

Forest Home Cemetery Forest Home Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery and arboretum located in the Lincoln Village, City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is the final resting place of many of the city's famed bee ...

in his lifetime, and is buried there. His house was demolished in 1922.Peter C. Merrill
''Henry Vianden: Pioneer Artist in Milwaukee''
/ref>

References

External links

*
1869 Map of Milwaukee
Bottom sheet, upper left quadrant, upper right corner {{DEFAULTSORT:Vianden, Henry 19th-century American painters American male painters 19th-century German painters 19th-century American male artists German male painters 19th-century American engravers 19th-century German engravers Prussian emigrants to the United States 19th-century American lithographers 19th-century German lithographers 19th-century German male artists American landscape artists German landscape artists Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) alumni Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni 1814 births 1899 deaths Artists from Bonn Painters from North Rhine-Westphalia