 emanuel gottlieb leutze (may 24, 1816july 18, 1868) was a german american history painter best known for his painting washington crossing the delaware. he is associated with the dÃ¼sseldorf school of painting. ==biography== ===philadelphia=== leutze was born in schwÃ¤bisch gmÃ¼nd, wÃ¼rttemberg, germany, and was brought to the united states as a child. his parents settled first in fredericksburg, virginia, and then at philadelphia. his early education was good, though not especially in the direction of art. the first development of his artistic talent occurred while he was attending the sickbed of his father, when he attempted drawing to occupy the long hours of waiting. his father died in 1831. at 14, he was painting portraits for $5 apiece. through such work, he supported himself after the death of his father. in 1834, he received his first instruction in art in classes of john rubens smith, a portrait painter in philadelphia. he soon became skilled, and promoted a plan for publishing, in washington, portraits of eminent american statesmen; however, he met with but slight encouragement. ===europe=== in 1840, one of his paintings attracted attention and procured him several orders, which enabled him to go to the kunstakademie dÃ¼sseldorf, where he studied with lessing. in 1842 he went to munich, studying the works of cornelius and kaulbach, and, while there, finished his columbus before the queen. the following year he visited venice and rome, making studies from titian and michelangelo. his first work, columbus before the council of salamanca was purchased by the dÃ¼sseldorf art union. a companion picture, columbus in chains, procured him the gold medal of the brussels art exhibition, and was subsequently
1816_births 1868_deaths 19th-century_American_painters 19th-century_German_painters 19th-century_painters_of_historical_subjects American_artists American_people_of_German_descent Burials_at_Glenwood_Cemetery_(Washington,_D.C.) German_emigrants_to_the_United_States National_Academy_of_Design_members People_from_SchwA$?bisch_GmA 1/4 nd People_of_the_Revolutions_of_1848