Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg

Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg was born in Strasbourg, October 31, 1740 and died in London, March 11, 1812.

De Loutherbourg's career is marked by success and scandal. He initially specialized in landscapes and established himself as the most prolific painter to exhibit at the Paris Salon between 1762 and 1771. Thereafter, he settled in London, where his talents as an innovative scene designer were recognized by David Garrick and Richard Brinsley Sheridan. De Loutherbourg's interest in theater led him to establish the Eidophusikon, a precursor to the moving picture in 1781. He and his wife accompanied the mystic Count Cagliostro to Switzerland in 1786, and he returned to London six months later as a faith healer. Shifting his focus from landscapes to history subjects, he executed a series of battle pictures during the Napoleonic Wars that led to his 1807 appointment as Historical Painter to William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester.