Background
She was the second daughter of a businessman who came from Germany to work as a representative for a Swiss textile company.
She was the second daughter of a businessman who came from Germany to work as a representative for a Swiss textile company.
She was first attracted to painting when the now-forgotten Swiss painter Eduard Pfyffer (1836–1899) came to their home to do family portraits. This interest grew with visits to local museums. Foreign a woman, training as a painter would have gone against contemporary social conventions.
Her talent for portrait painting soon became obvious and she quickly outgrew Pfyffer"s studio.
In 1882, she had her first exhibition with an art dealer in Zürich and it was well received. She never lost track of her Swiss roots, however, and became an Honorary Citizen of Zürich in 1902.
Five years later, she and Eisabeth settled in Hofheim am Taunus (a suburb of Frankfurt). In 1908, they helped to create the Schillerschule, Frankfurt"s first school for girls.
She continued to exhibit regularly until 1931.