August LAUX
1847–1921, Germany/USA

Laux was born in the Rhine Pfalz, Bavaria (now part of Germany), in 1847. He began studying art in New York City shortly after his family moved to the United States in 1863. His initial interest was in sculpture, but in 1867 he began studying painting at the National Academy of Design in New York. During the same period he worked as a decorative painter of frescoes for hotels and large private houses. He specialized in landscapes, still-lifes and genre pictures, giving particular attention to cats and goldfish. He exhibited at the National Academy of Design, showing still lifes and genre scenes, as well as at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia and the Brooklyn (NY) Art Association. The Smithsonian Institution's Inventory of American Paintings lists a number of his works, including Chickens in the Barnyard and Dog in the Chicken House.

Laux died in Brooklyn, NY, on 21 July 1921.

Source: http://www.redfoxfineart.com