Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-1873) was a German painter and lithographer, known for his portraits of the royal family. He was born in a small village, Menzenschwald, as the sixth of eight children on the family farm. He apprenticed as a draftsman and lithographer in the workshop of Karl Ludwig Schüler. In 1825, he got a scholarship from the Grand Duke of Baden, Louis I. He began studying at Akdemii Fine Arts in Munich. The Grand Duke’s favour brought him money and the opportunity to travel to Italy, where he exhibited many portraits of noblewomen and rulers. The most important include Princess Leonilla Wittegenstein or Madame Rimsky-Korsakov. However, his reputation as a romantic painter suffered in academic circles. For his favour with the influential and rich people, he was not taken seriously, even a long time after his death. That changed in 1987 at a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London and Paris. His paintings have now been seen in the leading European and American museums and galleries.