Brief Biography-Albert Bierstadt was born in Solingen, Germany and spent his youth in Massachusetts, America. In 1853, he went to Düsseldorf, where he studied for four years before returning to New Bedford. Bierstadt travelled west with a survey group, sketching mountains, and his ensuing paintings in New York gained him considerable recognition. He based himself in New York while journeying west at frequent intervals. His dramatic mountainous landscapes secured him a successful career.
Before touring Europe, he visited London and had an audience with Queen Victoria in 1867. He lived most of his later years in Nassau because of his wife’s consumption. There is a Mount Bierstadt named after him in Colorado. Today his paintings command a substantial fee.