Claim: Anker was a member of the Grand Council of Bern from 1870 to 1874, after he was awarded a gold medal at the Paris Salon for Schlafendes Mädchen im Walde in 1866.
Evidence: In 1870–74 he was a member of the Grand Council of Bern, where he advocated the construction of the Kunstmuseum Bern. In 1866, he was awarded a gold medal at the Paris Salon for Schlafendes Mädchen im Walde (1865) und Schreibunterricht (1865); in 1878 he was made a knight of the Légion d'honneur.