Friedrich Richard Petri
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Richard Petri (1824–1857) was a German-born Texas painter who works recorded life in the original German immigrant settlements, and portrayed native American tribes in family settings.
, Germany
to master shoemaker Heinrich Petri and his wife Juliane Dorothea (Weise) Petri.
At age fourteen, Petri was enrolled at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts where he would remain for eleven years under the tutelage and guidance of Adrian Ludwig Richter
and Julius Hübner
. Petri won six awards and a scholarship to a further education in Italy, upon completion of which he was to return to the Dresden institution as an instructor. Petri was unable to accept the offer due to physical frailty. Hermann Lungkwitz
, who married Petri's sister Elisabeth, befriended Petri while at the Dresden academy. Petri and Lungwitz 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. Their journey took them by ship to New Orleans and Indianola
, and then riding an oxcart to New Braunfels
. 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. Future Texas politician Jacob Kuechler married Petri's sister Marie in 1856, and became a part of the family business.
Petri's health remained frail for the duration of his life, but he continued his pencil sketches and watercolor paintings. His work reflects a fascination with the casual amicability between German settlers and local tribes of Delaware, Shawnee
, Penateka Comanche
and Lipan Apache, with meticulous attention to physical appearance, attire and lifestyle .
during the winter of 1857, and is buried in the family cemetery in Gillespie County, Texas
.
Early life
Friedrich Richard Petri was born on July 31, 1824, in DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to master shoemaker Heinrich Petri and his wife Juliane Dorothea (Weise) Petri.
At age fourteen, Petri was enrolled at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts where he would remain for eleven years under the tutelage and guidance 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....
and Julius Hübner
Julius Hübner
Rudolf Julius Benno Hübner was a German historical painter of the Düsseldorf school. He was also known as a poet and the father of Emil Hübner, a distinguished classical scholar.- Life :...
. Petri won six awards and a scholarship to a further education in Italy, upon completion of which he was to return to the Dresden institution as an instructor. Petri was unable to accept the offer due to physical frailty. Hermann Lungkwitz
Hermann Lungkwitz
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.-Early life:...
, who married Petri's sister Elisabeth, befriended Petri while at the Dresden academy. Petri and Lungwitz 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. Their journey took them by ship to New Orleans and Indianola
Indianola, Texas
Indianola is a ghost town located on Matagorda Bay in Calhoun County, Texas, United States. The community, once the county seat of Calhoun County, is a part of the Victoria, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1875, the city had a population of 5,000, but on September 15 of that year, a...
, and then riding an oxcart to 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...
. 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. Future Texas politician Jacob Kuechler married Petri's sister Marie in 1856, and became a part of the family business.
Petri's health remained frail for the duration of his life, but he continued his pencil sketches and watercolor paintings. His work reflects a fascination with the casual amicability between German settlers and local tribes of Delaware, Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
, Penateka Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
and Lipan Apache, with meticulous attention to physical appearance, attire and lifestyle .
Death
Petri drowned in the Pedernales RiverPedernales 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...
during the winter of 1857, and is buried in the family cemetery in Gillespie County, Texas
Gillespie County, Texas
Gillespie County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 24,837. It is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Gillespie is named for Robert Addison Gillespie, who came to Texas in 1837. He was a Texas Ranger, an Indian fighter, a...
.
Notable works
- Self Portrait
- Plains Indian with Shield
- Plains Indian Warrior in Blue
- Mounted Plains Indian with Lance
- Indian Woman on Saddled Mule
- Indian Watering Pony
- Bartering with an Indian
- The Pioneer Cowpen
- Going Visiting
- Fort Martin Scott (unfinished) 1853 gathering of Lipan Apaches, interpreters, soldiers and settlers.