Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902) was an American painter best known for his large, dramatic landscapes of the American West, which captured the awe-inspiring beauty of frontier lands. Born in Solingen, Germany, Bierstadt moved with his family to New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1832. Showing an early interest in art, he pursued studies in painting, and by 1853, he traveled to Düsseldorf, Germany, to study at the Düsseldorf School of Painting. This European experience refined his technical skills and introduced him to the Romantic style, which emphasized dramatic scenery and emotion—traits that would later define his American landscapes. In the 1850s, as the concept of "Manifest Destiny" drove Americans westward, Bierstadt was inspired to explore the vast landscapes that were new to most people in the eastern United States. In 1859, he joined a government survey expedition led by Colonel Frederick W. Lander to the Rocky Mountains, where he sketched scenes that he would later transform into grand oil paintings. Bierstadt's work portrayed the American West as a sublime, almost mystical land of endless opportunity, untamed beauty, and heroic scale.
Bierstadt’s first major success came in 1860 with the painting The Base of the Rocky Mountains, Laramie Peak, which was exhibited at the National Academy of Design in New York. This work, like many others, received wide acclaim for its meticulous attention to detail and grandiose, almost theatrical use of light. His approach to lighting and atmospheric effects was partly influenced by the Hudson River School, an American art movement dedicated to romanticizing nature, but Bierstadt developed his own distinctive style. His paintings, which often featured dramatic skies, rich colors, and expansive compositions, brought the grandeur of the American West to an audience that had never seen it.
Bierstadt’s work became increasingly popular in the 1860s and 1870s, earning him commissions, awards, and international fame. One of his most famous pieces, The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak (1863), received critical acclaim and solidified his reputation as one of America's leading landscape artists. The painting was purchased by entrepreneur James McHenry for $25,000, a record-breaking price at the time. Bierstadt's work was instrumental in fostering the nation’s fascination with the West, and his paintings became symbols of American exploration and expansion.
Despite his fame, Bierstadt's career saw a decline in later years. As new art movements such as Impressionism gained popularity, his highly detailed and idealized style fell out of favor. By the 1880s, some critics considered his work overly theatrical and lacking in subtlety. Bierstadt also suffered financial setbacks and personal tragedies, including the death of his wife in 1893. Nonetheless, he continued to paint and even returned to the West several times, producing works that remained true to his vision.
Albert Bierstadt passed away in 1902, but his work experienced a resurgence in the 20th century as people began to appreciate his contribution to the art world and his role in capturing a crucial period in American history. Today, his paintings are held in prestigious collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Bierstadt’s landscapes continue to be celebrated for their technical mastery and their romantic portrayal of the American wilderness, which captured the nation's imagination and helped shape its identity. His legacy endures as one of America’s foremost landscape painters and a pioneer in capturing the spirit of the West.
Known Works: 1855 - The Old Mill 1855 - The Portico of Octavia (Purchased by the Boston Athenaeum) 1855 - Westphalia 1858 - Lake Lucerne (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.) 1859 - The Wolf River, Kansas (Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI) 1861 - Echo Lake, Franconia Mountains, NH (Smith College Museum of Art, Smith College, Northampton, MA) 1862 - Guerrilla Warfare, Civil Warin 1863 - The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, NY) 1864 - Cho-looke, the Yosemite Fall (Timken Museum of Art, San Diego, CA) 1864 - Valley of the Yosemite (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA) 1866 - On the Hudson River Near Irvington (Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA) 1866 - A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie (Brooklyn Museum, New York City, New York) 1868 - Connecticut River Valley, Claremont, New Hampshire (Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA) 1868 - In the Sierras (Fogg Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA) 1868 - Among the Sierra Nevada, California (Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.) 1869 - Glen Ellis Falls (Zimmerli Art Museum, New Brunswick, NJ) 1869 - Emerald Pool 1871 - Domes of Yosemite (St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, St. Johnsbury, VT) 1874 - Giant Redwood Trees of California (Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA) 1875 - Mount Adams, Washington (Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, New Jersey) 1876 - Mount Corcoran (Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.) 1888 - The Last of the Buffalo (Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.) 1889 - Alaskan Coast Range (Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.) 1891 - The Last of the Buffalo (Valley Fine Art Gallery, Aspen, Colorado) 1895 - The Morteratsch Glacier Upper Engadine Valley - Pontresina
Honors, Memberships and Awards:
Academician of National Academy of Design (1860 - 1902)
Member of Hudson River School of Artists
Member of Rocky Mountain School of Artists
Awarded medals in Austria, Bavaria, Belgium and Germany
Mount Bierstadt and Bierstadt Lake named in his honor (Colorado, US)
US Postal Service issued commemorative stamps featuring Bierstadt’s “The Last Buffalo” in 1998 (part of Four Centuries of American Art set), and another in 2008 featuring his 1864 painting “Valley of the Yosemite” (part of American Treasures series)
Member of Century Association (1862 - 1902)
Exhibited at both the Brooklyn Art Association and the Boston Art Club
His works currently hang in public and private collections across North America and Europe- including the Wadsworth Museum, the National Gallery of Canada, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.