Later, he and his mother moved to Santiago, where he enrolled at the Instituto Nacional and studied drawing with Ernesto Kirchbach.

After three years, due to his exceptional talent, he was admitted to the Academy of Painting (Santiago, Chile) in 1874, aged only seventeen.

He managed to earn a decent living doing commissioned portraits, but soon decided that he would need to expand his technical knowledge to be truly successful.

He also collaborated with the writer, Juan Rafael Allende, on works for several satirical publications, including El Padre Cobos [es].

A large part of his output consisted of illustrating historical episodes, naval combat, and famous battles.