Dutch harbor scene by German painter Karl Ludwig Friedrich Wagner, also Carl Wagner (1839 in Karlsruhe - 1923 in Düsseldorf).

Wagner's parents were Cornelius and Juliette Wagner. From 1854 to 1864 he was a student of Ludwig Des Coudres at the Karlsruhe Art Academy. His daughter Juliette was born in Dresden in 1868, and his son Cornelius was born there in 1870. Both also became painters. Karl Wagner and his family settled in Düsseldorf, where he was a member of the Malkasten artists' association.
He initially painted historical genre scenes in the strict style of the Des Coudres school, then after 1870 switched to scenes from the Franco-Prussian War, including Otto von Bismarck's encounter with Napoleon III, Bismarck's negotiations with Adolphe Thiers and Jules Favre, etc also “Kaiser Wilhelm and his paladins”, which was distributed through engraving reproduction. His original paintings mostly ended up in the United States.

He also became known for his harbor and fishing motifs, and he also made numerous portraits, such as those of Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden, the Emperors Wilhelm I and Wilhelm II, Otto von Bismarck and others, with a “noble, representative conception and the most carefully painterly training”.

Wagner's works are shown, among others, in the Nationalgalerie Berlin, the Barmer Fame Hall in Wuppertal, the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe and in the Stolberg town hall.

He was a member of the Düsseldorf Freemason Lodge To the Three Allies.

Literature: lexicons by Friedrich von Boetticher; Vollmer (both in German); Bénézit (in French).

Inscription: signed K.Wagner lower right.

Technique: oil on canvas, antique wooden "Ochsenaugen“ gilt frame.

Measurements: unframed w 37 1/3" x h 23 1/4"(95 x 58 cm ), framed 42 7/8" x 28 1/3" ( 109 x 72 cm).

Condition: good, professionally cleaned, original canvas.