William Pape


Friedrich Georg William Pape was a German painter and illustrator.

Early life

Pape was born on 3 September 1859 in Karlshütte near Rendsburg.
He initially studied philosophy and natural sciences at the University of Berlin before attending the Academy of Arts in Berlin. He received further lessons from Hermann Prell and at the Académie Julian in Paris from Jules-Joseph Lefebvre and Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant. He went on painting trips to Italy, Denmark and Russia.

Career

Pape painted highly detailed large-scale paintings, known as vedutas, in Berlin, but specialized primarily in history painting. His painting, One Empire, One People, One God, which depicted the 18 January 1896 celebration marking the 25th anniversary of the founding of the German Empire, attracted the attention of the German court, who purchased the painting, which was owned personally by Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Kaiser also personally owned Paper's 1898 painting, Confirmation of the Crown Prince and Prince Eitel Friedrich.
At the time of his death, he was vice-president of the Berlin Academy.

Portraits

Pape was also a sought after portrait artist and was able to personally portray both the Emperor and his family several times, including, The Royal Family in Park Sanssouci: Wilhelm II, the Empress and the eldest princes. He also painted portraits of many politicians, academics, artists, and aristocrats of the German Empire, including:
Beginning in 1900, One Empire, One People, One God and The Unveiling of the Kaiser Wilhelm I Monument in Berlin served as a template for the 5 and 3 Reichsmarks, respectively.

Personal life

Pape died on 13 December 1920 in Stockholm, Sweden after being struck by a car. He had been in Sweden to paint the presentation of the Nobel prizes.