Peter Frederick Rothermel

Born in Nescopeck, Pennsylvania, Rothermel moved to Philadelphia at age twenty. He worked for a short time as a sign painter, but soon began studying to become a portraitist. In 1856, he traveled to Paris, where he exhibited historical works. Eventually returning to the United States, Rothermel became one of Philadelphia’s preeminent artists, serving as a director and instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His depictions of major Civil War battles were a sensation at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876.