Wilhelm Langschmidt

Wilhelm Heinrich Franz Ludwig Langschmidt, or Willem Langschmidt, (10 January 1805 Grabow, Gustrow - 5 October 1866 Caledon) was a German-born Cape Colony painter and drawing master of 59 Long Street, Cape Town.

[1] He was the seventh child in a family of 4 sons and 3 daughters raised by August Wilhelm Langschmidt (*8 June 1754), a wealthy merchant of Grabow, and his wife Dorothea Elisabeth Höpcker (*6 September 1774).

[2] Wilhelm was expected to take up the profession of merchant, but showed little interest in such a career, and instead had a great passion for painting.

For a while he studied in Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, under Prof. Kretsch, and decided to emigrate to Cape Colony, but not before marrying Dorothea Ahrens from Ludwigslust, 18 years his junior.

Returning to his merchant roots in 1856, Langschmidt bought the farm "Grietjiesgat" and started a trading store, around which in due course the town of Grabouw grew, named for his German hometown.