Anton Melbye

Anton Melbye (1818–75)

After abandoning his dream of becoming a sailor owing to his myopia, Melbye trained as a shipbuilder. Eventually, he found his way to painting and, after studying with Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, became one of the most sought-after marine painters of the time. Inspired by his travels to the Baltic and North seas, Morocco, and Turkey, he was especially adept at capturing dramatic shifts in light and weather.
While in Paris, he met both Camille Corot and Camille Pissarro. His distinctions include an appointment as ambassadorial attaché, award of the Order of the Dannebrog, the Thorvaldsen Medal, and the Legion of Honor. He also learned how to make daguerreotypes directly from the photography technique’s inventor, Louis Daguerre.

Melbye enjoyed great fame during his own lifetime, and his works were in great demand among Danish royalty and aristocrats as well as among collectors abroad.