Adolph Menzel, aka Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel (1815-1905), was born on December 8, 1815 in Breslau, where his father, Karl Erdmann Menzel, ran a lithographic printing shop. His artistic talent showed up early. In 1830, the family moved to the growing capital of Prussia, Berlin, because Menzel’s father hoped that his business would have better opportunities there and he also wanted to give his son an academic education. But two years later, his father died, and 16-year-old Adolph Menzel was faced with the need to support his family (his mother and younger brother and sister).

He continued his father’s business and already then showed his typical traits: conscientiousness, diligence and self-discipline. After his father’s death, he took on any job: he made dinner menus, invitations, etc. In 1833, he attended classes at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin for six months, but became disillusioned with academic education and studied independently from then on.

Adolph Menzel first became known in 1833 with a notebook of pen drawings depicting the “Life of an Artist”. This youthful work by Menzel was followed by a series of lithographed “Sights of Brandenburg History” (1834-39, 12 sheets) and several of his first attempts at oil painting, such as “The Game of Chess” (1836), “Legal Advice” (1837), “Court Session” (1837) and other works. One of the first publishers (customers?) of Adolph von Menzel was Louis Friedrich Sachs – a lithographer, publisher, daguerreotypist and art dealer, who made a significant contribution to the further career of the young artist.

In 1839, Menzel was invited to illustrate the multi-volume “History of Frederick the Great” by Franz Theodor Kugler (1839-1842). By 1842, he had made about 400 pen drawings. These works forced Menzel to delve into the study of the era of Frederick the Great. Reproducing it with complete historical accuracy, excellent characterization of situations and characters, realistic truth and high technical skill, he became famous among his compatriots.

This was a decisive turning point in Menzel’s career. He became known to the general public, was able to establish important connections (including at the Prussian royal court) and receive other orders.

In the following years he illustrated two other works about Friedrich. His paintings, which at first often depicted historical subjects, and later turned more and more often to contemporary events, became increasingly popular. In 1856 his painting “Friedrich and his comrades in the Battle of Hochkirch” was exhibited at the Academy of Fine Arts, and in 1867 – also at the Paris World Exhibition. In 1861 Menzel received his only state commission: he created the official monumental depiction of the coronation of King Wilhelm I of Prussia in Königsberg. From then on Menzel was invited to court events.

The depiction of burghers and the upper bourgeoisie became one of his themes from then on. In terms of his closeness to the court and his ability to depict historical events and battle scenes, Menzel can be compared with his contemporary Emil Hünten. In 1873, the Prussian state purchased Menzel’s painting The Round Table of Frederick the Great (1850) for the planned National Gallery in Berlin. The gallery later acquired other paintings and drawings by Menzel. In 1885, Menzel had an exhibition in Paris. In Berlin, his 70th birthday was celebrated with a large exhibition and many awards.

Growing fame went hand in hand with public recognition and numerous awards. In 1853, Menzel was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, and in 1856 he became a professor, but he never taught. In 1895, he was accepted as a foreign member of the Paris Academy of Fine Arts. Wilhelm II awarded Menzel the status of “actual privy councillor” with the title of “Excellency” in 1895, and in 1898 awarded him the Order of the Black Eagle, which was associated with personal nobility. Menzel was skeptical about these honors and liked to call his orders and titles “all this Kladderadatsch” (“fuck, noise, chaos”).

The Cologne chocolate manufacturer Ludwig Stollwerck purchased an album of sketches of Prussian army soldiers from Menzel in 1900 for 120,000 marks as a template for collectible photographs and postcards. After his appointment as a commercial councillor, Stollwerck donated the album to the imperial house.

In 1850, Menzel joined the literary club “Tunnel am Spree”, which also included Theodor Fontane, Paul Heyse, Franz Theodor Kugler and Theodor Storm. Here the artist, who was reserved and had only a few close friends, found an opportunity to exchange ideas. Menzel’s solitary character was undoubtedly connected with his dwarfism, for which he was also nicknamed “Little Excellency”. He was only 1.40 m tall and was considered unfit for military service due to his “gnome-like appearance”. Menzel never married, nothing is known about his relationships with women. He found emotional closeness in his family, living with his mother, brother and sister, and later – after the death of his mother, the early death of his brother and the marriage of his sister – in the neighborhood of her family. Together they moved several times and visited summer resorts. Menzel was very close to his relatives and also provided them with financial support.