He first exhibited at various salons in Munich. At the 1873 Vienna World's Fair, he received a silver medal for his painting of a Gypsy camp. He moved to Paris in 1877, where he devoted himself to painting landscapes and cityscapes. During this time, he came under the influence of Charles-François Daubigny. The following year, he received a commission from the French Colonial Society to go to Algiers, where he created a large panorama of the city.