Christian von Schneidau (1893–1976) was a well known California portrait painter who was recognized for his paintings of Hollywood stars and the Los Angeles elite.

In addition to his portraiture, von Schneidau was also a landscape painter and a private teacher who passed on the French principles of instruction, which he learned at the Art Institute of Chicago to his students.

While there, he shared a studio with a younger artist, Theodore Lukits, whom he would be linked to and remain friends with for the rest of his life.

He then met the American Impressionist Richard E. Miller who had been a member of the Giverny School and began to paint vigorously brushed landscapes as well as figurative works.

When he returned from Massachusetts, he worked up a large number of paintings from his sketches, and in February 1921, had a solo exhibit at Kanst Gallery in Los Angeles, titled 'Portraits, Figures, and Landscapes by C. von Schenidau.'