The Book, Cat, & Cat Book Lovers Almanac

of historical trivia regarding books, cats, and other animals. Actually this blog has evolved so that it is described better as a blog about cats in history and culture. And we take as a theme the advice of Aldous Huxley: If you want to be a writer, get some cats. Don't forget to see the archived articles linked at the bottom of the page.

February 26, 2019

February 26, 1829


According to Britannica 'Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein, (born Feb. 15, 1751, Haina, Hesse [Germany]—died June 26, 1829, Eutin, Oldenburg), [was a ] German portraitist and friend of the writer J.W. von Goethe.

'Tischbein began his career painting portraits at the Prussian court in Berlin. In 1779 he went to Italy and in 1789 was appointed director of the art academy in Naples. Forced to leave in 1799 because of war, the painter retired to northern Germany. Tischbein’s most famous painting, “Goethe in the Campagna,” was painted in 1787 at the time the two men traveled from Rome to Naples. Though Goethe induced the artist to turn his interest toward the Neoclassical movement, Tischbein was later influenced by the ideas of German Romanticism.

'Tischbein belonged to a family that produced more than 20 artists in three generations. Others of importance include Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder (1722–89), who was a court painter in Kassel, in Hesse, and the portraitists Johann Valentin Tischbein (1715–68) and Anton Wilhelm Tischbein (1730–1804).'


Sorting out the family, proper attributions, can be challenging in the face of so much talent.

Wilhelm is definitely the Tischbein who painted this:




What is not certain is whether this Wilhelm Tischbein died on June 26, 1829, as Britannica cites, or February 26, 1829, as Wikipedia asserts. I know who I rely on; so this post may be really about the dissemination of unverified data.

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