Background

Toby Edward Rosenthal was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He was the son of Jacob and Ernestine (Germanus) Rosenthal. The family moved to New York in 1857 and to San Francisco in 1861.

Education

In San Francisco Toby began the study of drawing and painting under Henri Bacon and Fortunato Arriola. In 1865 he was sent to Munich, where he continued his art education at the Bavarian Royal Academy for some seven years under Alexander Straehuber, Karl Raupp, and Carl von Piloty.

Career

Rosenthal took a studio in Munich and exhibited there frequently, taught classes in painting and design, became a trustee of the Kunstgenossenschaft, and in all respects was thoroughly imbued with the methods and ideals of the Munich school.

He made occasional visits to the United States and from time to time sent pictures to the American exhibitions. One of the earliest of his figure pieces to elicit more than casual attention from the public was his "Sebastian Bach and his Family at their Morning Devotions" (1870), purchased by the Leipzig museum. "Elaine, " exhibited in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia in 1875 and 1876 and subsequently acquired by the Art Institute of Chicago, aroused still greater interest. One of the critics characterized "Elaine" as "a good loud translation of our household Tennyson into the dialect of Munich" (quoted in Isham, post, p. 378), and another writer could not find in it any trace of "a lofty or subtle insight for beauty personal to the artist" . Still another commentator (Art Journal, vol. I, 1875, p. 126) considered that "the wisdom of choosing so sad a subject" was doubtful. Nevertheless, in 1876 the picture was a strong popular favorite, for Rosenthal's vein of sentimentality appealed to a very large element of the public.

His "Vacant Chair, " which was sold for $650 in New York in 1909; his "Trial of the Escaped Nun, Constance de Beverley" (1883), a motive taken from Sir Walter Scott's Marmion; his "Dancing during the Empire, " and a number of similar compositions were received with pronounced approbation both in Germany and America. Isham commends his workmanship but points out that, while he had mastered the Munich technique thoroughly, he had also accepted the mental and emotional viewpoint of the school, so that one will not find in his works a trace of anything distinctly American. He died in Munich in the seventieth year of his age.

Achievements

• Rosenthal's fame rested mainly on his work "Elaine". For this work the artist was awarded a medal at the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 in Philadelphia. He was also given a medal at one of the international exhibitions held in Munich, and he received the cross of the Bavarian Order of St. Michael.

Works

More photos

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  • Toby Edward Rosenthal The Cardinal's Portrait 31x24 Kitchen

    (A genuine the cardinal's portrait by toby edward rosentha...)

  • Odsan Gallery The Sailors Return - By Toby Edward Rosenthal - Canvas Prints 28" by 21" Unframed

    (This is an Unframed 28" by 21" Canvas Prints of The Sailo...)

  • His Madonna, c.1908 by Toby Edward Rosenthal Art Print, 15 x 19 inches

    (His Madonna, c.1908 by Toby Edward Rosenthal Museum Quali...)

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Connections

In 1880 Rosenthal married Sophie Ansbacher of Nernberg.

Father:

Jacob Rosenthal

Mother:

Ernestine (Germanus) Rosenthal

Spouse:

Sophie Ansbacher