He then entered a private painting school, after which, through the recommendation of his teachers, he attended the Munich Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

Museums and galleries rejected his paintings and only a few private commissions secured him a modest living, however, his work was appreciated by the critic Adolf Bayersdorfer.

In 1894, through intercession from the Academy, Haider was granted a small state pension, after which his artistic reputation and financial success increased.

[1][2] Haider showed three paintings as a member of the Deutscher Künstlerbund (Association of German Artists) in the 1904 Königsplatz exhibition, organized by the Munich Secessionists.

Katharina died in 1882; Haider could not raise money for the funeral which was financed by the painter Franz von Lenbach.