Born in Hildesheim, Germany, Edmund Osthaus studied at the Royal Academy of Arts between 1874 and 1882. He was taught by well-reputed artists in Düsseldorf, including Andreas Müller, Peter Jansen, E.V. Gebhardt, E. Deger and later by thr wildlife painter and landscapist, Christian Kroner.
Osthaus immigrated to the United States. He became the chief instructor of the Toledo Academy of Fine Arts, and later the director of the Academy between 1886 and 1893. Osthaus had great knowledge of dogs; he judged trials and was a charter member of the National Field Trial Association formed in Newton, North Carolina in 1895.
True to his classical art education, Osthaus executed detailed and life-like portraits of dogs in the field at work, and at play and rest. His mediums were watercolor, oil and pencil. Many of his paintings include field trial champion pointers and setters. Generally he executed compositions of one, two or three dogs and on occasion more, working from life. His paintings are captivating and pull viewers into the composition - one can easily imagine his dogs running afield and moments of suspense from the hunt.
The artist's paintings came into great demand in the late 1890's with collectors, such as the Vanderbilts and Morgans, who commissioned large scenes for their homes. Also, Osthaus furthered his reputation with a series of postcards, prints, and calendar pictures done for the DuPont Company.
Osthaus established a studio in Los Angeles, California in 1911 and stayed there for the remainder of his life. However, he traveled frequently, painting throughout the States. He maintained homes in Ohio and New Jersey, and wintered on his hunting property in Marianna, Florida. On January 30, 1928, at the age of seventy, Osthaus passed away while at his Florida lodge. Today he is best known for having chronicled the American field dog and producing a sizable body of scenes of gun dogs at work of exceptional quality.
