A vivid glimpse into a late‑Victorian artist’s life and the world around him. This memoir chapter invites you to ride along from a London birth to studying art in Düsseldorf, with bohemian friends, dramatic stories, and a frontline interest in military matters shaping a young artist’s path.

This edition centers on the author’s student days at the Royal Academy in Düsseldorf, the classes that trained him, and the lively, at times unruly, social world that surrounded him. You’ll encounter the mix of cosmopolitan peers, the thrill of boot‑camp discipline, and the colorful characters who colored a later life of art and service. It blends memory, travel, and a painter’s eye for scene and gesture, all told with a wry, self‑aware voice.

• Behind‑the‑scenes details of life in a German art academy in the 1870s and 1880s.


• Firsthand anecdotes about teachers, fellow students, and the social circles of the era.


• Vivid vignettes of Bohemian clubs, salons, and the practicalities of training as an artist.


• Insights into how military experience and travel shaped the author’s worldview and work.

Ideal for readers who enjoy personal recollections from the arts, military anecdotes, and a window into Edwardian–era culture through the eyes of a working artist.

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books.

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This text has been digitally restored from a historical edition. Some aesthetic errors may persist, however it has been deemed that any such will not detract from the work's significant historical value.

The digital edition of all books may be viewed on our website before purchase.

Our books are made to order. After purchase your chosen title will be specially printed. Due to the individual nature of the process, please allow 3-4 business days for printing before we can dispatch.