Joseph Oberbauer

Having demonstrated artistic talent in his childhood years, Oberbauer's desire was to enroll at the Academy of Fine Arts in the imperial capital Vienna.

[2] In 1889, Oberbauer arrived in Sofia, the capital of the newly liberated Principality of Bulgaria, where he joined the Cadastral Office of the municipality.

[1][2] Afterward he briefly worked at Bulgaria's Construction of State Railways and Harbours Office, though he returned to a municipal job due to layoffs.

Impressed by the ambience of Sofia, he left behind numerous paintings of the newly liberated Bulgarian lands, with their still-oriental features, antique architecture and ancient ruins.

Oberbauer's works are accurate depictions of Bulgaria's (and particularly Sofia's) appearance in the early post-Ottoman period, capturing the characteristic features of the age and location.