Wilhelm Langschmidt

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Wilhelm Langschmidt (self-portrait, ca.1850)
WHFL Langschmidt, hostel scene in the border wars (approx. 1850)

Wilhelm Heinrich Franz Ludwig Langschmidt , also Willem Langschmidt , (born January 10, 1805 in Grabow , † October 5, 1866 in Caledon (South Africa) ) was a German-South African painter. He founded the South African city of Grabouw .

Life

Langschmidt grew up in the Mecklenburg town of Grabow in a wealthy merchant family. In Lübeck he also learned the trade, but without having much interest in working in this field. His passion was painting. In 1826 he turned to the Mecklenburg Grand Duke Friedrich Franz with the request for "support for the learning of the art of painting" . The application, as well as a number of later attempts to become a painter or to get a job as a drawing teacher in Ludwigslust , was rejected. In this situation Langschmidt decided to emigrate to South Africa in 1839 . Before leaving, he married Dorothea Ahrens from Ludwigslust, who was 18 years his junior.

In Cape Town he first worked as a portrait painter. His oil paintings with landscapes from the area around Cape Town have become famous. Some of his pictures are exhibited in the Wiliam Fehr Collection in Cape Town.

In 1856 Langschmidt took over the Grietjesgat farm east of Cape Town. A settlement arose around the property, which he named after the name of his hometown Grabouw , which later developed into a small town.

Langschmidt had at least 18 children, some sources also assume 23 children.

Web links

Individual evidence

Commons : Wilhelm Langschmidt  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
  1. ↑ a b painter Langschmidt on grabow-erinnerungen.de, accessed on August 28, 2011
  2. ↑ a b c Lübecker Nachrichten, May 26, 2010
  3. ^ The history of South African painting I: Early painters ( Memento February 22, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) on myfundi.co.za, accessed on August 28, 2011
personal data
SURNAME Langschmidt, Wilhelm
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Langschmidt, Wilhelm Heinrich Franz Ludwig (full name); Langschmidt, Willem
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German-South African painter
DATE OF BIRTH January 10, 1805
PLACE OF BIRTH Grabow (Elde)
DATE OF DEATH October 5, 1866
Place of death Caledon (South Africa)