Hermann Lungkwitz
Encyclopedia
Hermann Lungkwitz was a 19th Century German-born Texas romantic landscape artist and photographer whose work became the first pictoral record of the Texas Hill Country
.
to hosiery manufacturer Johann Gottfried Lungkwitz and and his wife Friederike Wilhelmine (Hecht) Lungkwitz.
Lungkwitz was enrolled at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts from 1840–1843 and received his artistic training under the tutelage of Adrian Ludwig Richter
. After receiving an academy certificate of achievement in 1843 for his sketch of the Elbe River, Lungkwitz spent the next three years honing his artistic skills in Salzkammergut
and the Northern Limestone Alps
in Bavaria
.
Lungkwitz and his brother-in-law Friedrich Richard Petri
joined other students in the failed 1849 May Uprising in Dresden
, an event at the tail end of the Revolutions of 1848
resulting from the refusal of Frederick Augustus II
to recognize a constitutional monarchy
.
, landing first in New York City
. They migrated to Wheeling, West Virginia
, but decided on the destination of Texas in 1851.
In 1852, the two families bought a 320-acre farm for $400 in the settlement of Pedernales, Texas
near Fredericksburg
and took up farming and cattle ranching. The families remained there until 1864, although Petri drowned in the Pedernales River
in 1857. Lungkwitz continued to create paintings of the Texas Hill Country, one of his favorite subjects being Enchanted Rock
, of which he painted at least six landscapes:
The artist created in great detail in both pencil drawings and paintings. In addition to Gillespie County vistas, his Texas subjects were the German settlements of New Braunfels
and Sisterdale
, the Hamilton Pool and West Cave at Round Mountain
, Marble Falls
, and areas around Austin and San Antonio. From 1866-1870, Lundkwitz ran a San Antonio photography studio with Carl G. von Iwonski
.
In 1870 he accepted an $1,800 a year appointment in Austin
as photographer for the Texas General Land Office
under commissioner Jacob Kuechler, brother-in-law to Friedrich Richard Petri. He held the position for the entirety of the administration of Governor Edmund J. Davis
. His daughter Martha Lungkwitz Bickler also received an appointment as Texas General Land Office clerk in an era were few women worked in state government. In 1877, Martha's husband Jacob Bickler
founded the Texas German and English Academy in Austin, where Lungkwitz taught drawing and painting. Bickler became superintendent of Galveston
public schools in 1887, and also founded the Bickler Academy in Austin in 1892. Lungkwitz gave private lessons at both Austin and Galveston whenever he visited the Bicklers. In Blanco County
, Lungkwitz assisted her daughter Eva and her husband Richard Klappenbach on their sheep ranch near Johnson City
.
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
.
Early life
Karl Friedrich Hermann Lungkwitz was born on March 14, 1813 in Halle, Saxony-AnhaltHalle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
to hosiery manufacturer Johann Gottfried Lungkwitz and and his wife Friederike Wilhelmine (Hecht) Lungkwitz.
Lungkwitz was enrolled at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts from 1840–1843 and received his artistic training under the tutelage of Adrian Ludwig Richter
Adrian Ludwig Richter
Adrian Ludwig Richter , a German painter and etcher, was born at Dresden, the son of the engraver Karl August Richter, from whom he received his training; but he was strongly influenced by Erhard and Chodowiecki....
. After receiving an academy certificate of achievement in 1843 for his sketch of the Elbe River, Lungkwitz spent the next three years honing his artistic skills in Salzkammergut
Salzkammergut
The Salzkammergut is a resort area located in Austria. It stretches from City of Salzburg to the Dachstein mountain range, spanning the federal states of Upper Austria , Salzburg , and Styria . The main river of the region is the Traun, a tributary of the Danube...
and the Northern Limestone Alps
Northern Limestone Alps
The Northern Limestone Alps are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located in Austria and the adjacent Bavarian lands of southeastern Germany. The distinction from the latter group, where the higher peaks are located, is based on differences in geological composition...
in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
.
Lungkwitz and his brother-in-law Friedrich Richard Petri
Friedrich Richard Petri
Friedrich Richard Petri was a German-born Texas painter who works recorded life in the original German immigrant settlements, and portrayed native American tribes in family settings.-Early life:...
joined other students in the failed 1849 May Uprising in Dresden
May Uprising in Dresden
The May Uprising took place in Dresden, Germany in 1849; it was one of the last of the series of events known as the Revolutions of 1848.-Events leading to the May Uprising:...
, an event at the tail end of the Revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
resulting from the refusal of Frederick Augustus II
Frederick Augustus II of Saxony
Frederick Augustus II |Tyrol]], 9 August 1854) was King of Saxony and a member of the House of Wettin.He was the eldest son of Maximilian, Prince of Saxony --younger son of the Elector Frederick Christian of Saxony—by his...
to recognize a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
.
Texas
In 1850, the Lungkwitz and Petri families emigrated to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, landing first in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. They migrated to Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, but decided on the destination of Texas in 1851.
In 1852, the two families bought a 320-acre farm for $400 in the settlement of Pedernales, Texas
Pedernales, Texas
Pedernales, Texas was an early settlement of German immigrants in Gillespie County, located southwest of Fredericksburg near what is now Texas State Highway 16...
near Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census estimate, the city had a population of 10, 530...
and took up farming and cattle ranching. The families remained there until 1864, although Petri drowned in the Pedernales River
Pedernales River
The Pedernales River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in central Texas in the United States. It drains an area of the Edwards Plateau, flowing west to east across the Texas Hill Country west of Austin...
in 1857. Lungkwitz continued to create paintings of the Texas Hill Country, one of his favorite subjects being Enchanted Rock
Enchanted Rock
Enchanted Rock is an enormous pink granite pluton rock formation located in the Llano Uplift approximately north of Fredericksburg, Texas, USA and south of Llano, Texas. Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, which includes Enchanted Rock and surrounding land, spans the border between Gillespie...
, of which he painted at least six landscapes:
The artist created in great detail in both pencil drawings and paintings. In addition to Gillespie County vistas, his Texas subjects were the German settlements of New Braunfels
New Braunfels, Texas
New Braunfels is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas that is a principal city of the metropolitan area. Braunfels means "brown rock" in German; the city is named for Braunfels, in Germany. The city's population was 57,740 as of the 2010 census, up 58% from the 2000...
and Sisterdale
Sisterdale, Texas
Sisterdale, Texas, is an unincorporated farming and ranching community, established in 1847 and located north of Boerne in Kendall County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The community is located in the valley of Sister Creek. The current 2010 population is 25...
, the Hamilton Pool and West Cave at Round Mountain
Round Mountain, Texas
Round Mountain is a town in Blanco County, Texas, United States. The population was 111 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Round Mountain is located at , about 37 miles west of Austin....
, Marble Falls
Marble Falls, Texas
Marble Falls is a city in Burnet County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,959 at the 2000 census.Marble Falls is about northwest of Austin and north of San Antonio...
, and areas around Austin and San Antonio. From 1866-1870, Lundkwitz ran a San Antonio photography studio with Carl G. von Iwonski
Carl G. von Iwonski
Carl G. von Iwonski was a painter born in Germany who became a naturalized American citizen. He was artistically active in San Antonio and New Braunfels, and best known for his portraits of Texas pioneers.-Early life:Carl G...
.
In 1870 he accepted an $1,800 a year appointment in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
as photographer for the Texas General Land Office
Texas General Land Office
.The Texas General Land Office is a state agency of Texas. It manages state-controlled lands and mineral rights properties. The agency originally collected and kept records regarding lands controlled by the state. The agency has its headquarters in the Stephen F. Austin State Office Building in...
under commissioner Jacob Kuechler, brother-in-law to Friedrich Richard Petri. He held the position for the entirety of the administration of Governor Edmund J. Davis
Edmund J. Davis
Edmund Jackson Davis was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician. He was a Southern Unionist and served as a Union general in the American Civil War, besides serving one term as the 14th Governor of Texas.-Early years:...
. His daughter Martha Lungkwitz Bickler also received an appointment as Texas General Land Office clerk in an era were few women worked in state government. In 1877, Martha's husband Jacob Bickler
Jacob Bickler
Jacob Bickler was a scholar, educator and president of the Texas State Teacher's Association. He was founder of the boys' Texas German and English Academy and the co-educational Bickler Academy, both located in Austin, Texas...
founded the Texas German and English Academy in Austin, where Lungkwitz taught drawing and painting. Bickler became superintendent of Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
public schools in 1887, and also founded the Bickler Academy in Austin in 1892. Lungkwitz gave private lessons at both Austin and Galveston whenever he visited the Bicklers. In Blanco County
Blanco County, Texas
Blanco County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2010, the population is 10,497. Its county seat is Johnson City. Blanco is named for the Blanco River which traverses the county. The State of Texas formed Blanco County in 1858 from portions of Burnet,...
, Lungkwitz assisted her daughter Eva and her husband Richard Klappenbach on their sheep ranch near Johnson City
Johnson City, Texas
Johnson City is a city in Blanco County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,191 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Blanco County. It was the hometown of President Lyndon Johnson and was founded by James Polk Johnson, nephew of Samuel Ealy Johnson, Sr., cousin to President Johnson....
.
Personal life and death
Lungkwitz married Elisabeth "Elise" Petri, sister of Friedrich Richard Petri. The couple had six children. Elisasbeth died in 1880 and is buried at the Oakwood Cemetery in Austin, Texas. Lungkwitz died in Austin on February 10, 1891, and is buried next to his wife.Selected works
- Sunset in Saxony (1846)
- Old Pinta Crossing the Guadalupe (1857)
- Crockett Street Looking West (1857)
- Guadalupe River Landscape (1862)
- Enchanted Rock, Near Fredericksburg (1864)
- Texas Military Institute (1874)
- Taylor's Lime Kiln (1875)
- Paggi's Mill on Barton Creek, Austin (1876)