​J. N. BARTFIELD GALLERIES

Rudolf Cronau (1855 – 1939)

 

Rudolf Cronau was well known in Germany for his illustrations, articles and books about the American West.

Rudolf Daniel Ludwig Cronau was born in Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Prussia (Germany) on January 21, 1855, the only son of Rudolf Cronau, tax official by Helene Wilhelmine, née Waldeck.He attended between 1866 and 1869 the public school (höhere Bürgerschule) at Solingen. In 1870 Cronau was accepted into the Royal Academy of Art in Düsseldorf receiving formal art training, among others from renowned Andreas Achenbach. For a time he maintained an art studio at Düsseldorf. In 1877 he relocated to Leipzig and began working for Die Gartenlaube, an illustrated magazine. Cronau landed the job as their correspondent to the United States and sailed on the vessel "Oder" from Bremen, Germany reaching New York City on January 17, 1881