Albert Bierstadt was born in Solingen, Germany, in 1830. At the age of two, he and his family immigrated to the United States, settling in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

While little is known of his early artistic training, by the age of twenty he was teaching painting to support himself. Bierstadt’s paintings were also starting to gain local recognition.

In 1853, Bierstadt traveled to Düsseldorf in order to broaden his art education. It was there that he was exposed to and associated with artists who produced monumental, highly detailed landscapes. Bierstadt adopted these stylistic conventions, eventually becoming the leading American ambassador of what was known as “Düsseldorf style” of landscape painting.

In 1857, Bierstadt returned to the United States. The following year, he made the first of many contributions to the annual exhibitions of the National Academy of Design. In April of 1859, he joined an expedition to the American West, a trip that would provide inspiration for his most productive period.  Armed with sketches and stereographs, he returned to New York City in the autumn of 1859.  In New York City, Bierstadt painted the first of the panoramic western landscapes that established his reputation.  His exhibitions were unqualified successes.  By the 1860s, Bierstadt was arguably America’s most popular painter, rivaling Frederick Church, of the Hudson River School, for the distinction.

Bierstadt was elected a full Academician of the National Academy of Design in 1860.  He made a second trip to the West in 1863, which was followed by a visit to Europe in 1867.  In 1871, he moved to California and established a studio in San Francisco. In 1873, he returned to New York.

During the 1870s, Bierstadt executed a mural for the U.S. Capitol in 1875.  He continued to produce landscapes throughout the 1890s. He also became somewhat of an amateur inventor.  For instance, he promoted his own designs for the improvement of railway cars.

Beirstadt’s popularity suffered slightly from the advent of contemporary French art in the late 19th century, but he remained a major influence on the American landscape tradition throughout his life.

Albert Bierstadt died in New York City in 1902.