Trautmann entered the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in 1905 he was appointed Vice Consul in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In 1911 he left his position in St. Petersburg and joined the manpower division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He studied law studies in Berlin, initially was interested in various subjects of legal history and legal philosophy before becoming interested about constitutional and international law, something that would later lead to his career.

He collected various contemporary art, meeting important Chinese artists at the time, such as Xu Beihong, Qi Baishi, and Zhang Daqian.

Trautmann took his painting collection back to Germany, and included them in various exhibitions he organized.