John Tyndall (1820-1893)

1863

West again, with the writer Fitz Hugh Ludlow

Bierstadt's companion was the writer Fitz Hugh Ludlow, whose wife he later married; the two spent seven weeks in the Yosemite Valley. Studies from the trip fed his huge exhibition canvases through the 1860s, which made him the pre-eminent painter of the American West.

1863

A first ascent: Mount Rosalie in Colorado

With the politician William Byers, Bierstadt made the first ascent of a 4,348-metre peak and named it Rosalie after Fitz Hugh Ludlow's wife, his own future wife (other accounts call it Mount Rosa; in 1895 it was renamed Evans). The same year he was the first to climb a neighbouring 4,287-metre peak, which still bears his name.

1865

“The Rocky Mountains” sells for $25,000

“The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak” was bought for $25,000 — almost $400,000 in 2020 money: financial recognition confirmed his standing.

1867

Shows his landscapes to Queen Victoria in London

Back in Europe, Bierstadt began in London, where he showed two of his landscapes to Queen Victoria at a private reception.

1867–1869

Two years in Europe: pictures, contacts, publicity

For two years Bierstadt travelled around Europe, painting new works and cultivating social and business contacts to sustain the market for his art on the continent. He matched grand subjects with entrepreneurial flair: his one-picture exhibitions came with promotion and ticket sales — 'a vast machinery of advertisement and puffery', in one critic's words.

1876

His wife Rosalie is diagnosed with tuberculosis

After the diagnosis Bierstadt spent more and more time with his wife in the warm climate of Nassau in the Bahamas, while still travelling to the American West, to Canada and to his New York studio.