Peter Johann Nepomuk Geiger

Born in Vienna, Geiger wanted originally to follow the family tradition and become a sculptor, but drawing and painting were his natural element. He illustrated Anton Ziegler's Vaterländischen Immortellen (transl. Immortals of the Native Land) of 1839–40. Until 1848, he carried out numerous illustrations of historical works and poetry, but also made oil paintings for the Austrian Royal Family. Returning from a journey to the Orient with Prince Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph in 1850, he entered a particularly creative period. In 1853, he became Professor of the Viennese Academy of Art. For the Royal Family, he made many works including illustrations of Goethe, Friedrich Schiller, and William Shakespeare. He also illustrated oriental life. His erotic drawings are particularly remembered.