Biographical Information

Edmund Henry Osthaus
German American 1858-1928

Born in Hildesheim, Germany, Osthaus studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in Dusseldorf between 1874 and 1882, immigrating to the United States in 1883, He was the director of the Toledo Academy of Fine Arts between 1886-1893, when he left to devote himself full-time to painting, shooting and follow field trials. He was a charter member of the National Field Trial Assoc. formed at Newton, North Carolina, in November 1895. In 1911, he established a studio in Los Angeles and remained based there for the remainder of his life.

As one of the few American sporting painters in his time, he was greatly admired by wealthy families such as the Vanderbilts and the Morgans. These families and great art collectors commissioned large scenes in order to decorate large and spacious walls in their grand homes.

Osthaus worked in both watercolour and oils. Generally he created one or two dog compositions, and on rare occasions, paintings that include three dogs. His works draw the viewer in such a way that we can almost hear the dogs’ yelping and splashing through muddy streams. His originals can be expected to be the top sellers at auctions.