Ludwig Pietsch

Ludwig Pietsch (25 December 1824 – 27 November 1911) was a German painter, art critic and feature writer and a friend of Theodor Fontane.

He also reported on his own travel experiences, art and handicraft exhibitions, and served as a companion to the Crown Prince Frederich in the Franco-German war of 1871.

He associated daily with actors, artists and politicians, and had an intimate knowledge of Berlin's social scene, cafes, restaurants and balls, and was much admired by his female readers.

Alfred Kerr wrote of Pietsch: He is a daredevil, shrugging off his seventy years, and draws in all the joie de vivre to live life to the full.

Humorous and gallant, he chatted about everything having to do with old families and new images, exhibitions, on the dresses of the ladies, suppers, and studio visits.The most important of Pietsch's close acquaintances were labor leader Ferdinand Lassalle, the sculptor Reinhold Begas, the painter Adolph Menzel[2] and the writers Theodor Storm and Ivan Turgenev.