Born in 1827 in Dresden, Germany, William Heine (Peter Bernard William) studied at the Dresden Academy and subsequently worked as an architectural and scene painter for the court theater of his native city. After leaving Germany, he traveled widely, and is best known for his illustrations and paintings inspired by his participation in numerous expeditions around the globe, especially South America and Asia.

In 1849, Heine,aided by Alexander von Humboldt, emigrated to the United States as a result of political turmoil in Europe. He had a brief residence in New York City, where he, in partnership with Julius Kummer, was listed as a landscape painter and teacher. In 1851, soon after arriving in New York, he met Ephraim George Squier, an...