Frederick Kemmelmeyer

Naturalization papers in Annapolis, Maryland, dating from 1788, list a Frederick Kimmelmeiger, who is assumed to be him, although it is not known when or why he came to the United States.

[2] Speculation has centered around a Friedrich Kimmelmeyer who served as a medic with the Hessians during the Revolution, deserted to the Americans, and was briefly married in South Carolina, but no firm connection has been made.

Over the next fourteen years, his travels can be traced through his advertisements, beginning in Alexandria, Virginia, where he opened a school.

Several of his paintings from that period are portraits of George Washington or scenes from battles that feature him.

[2] A combination of age and alcoholism apparently had a serious negative effect on his ability to paint.