During the same period he attended an evening modeling class at the McMicken School of Design, taught by Louis Rebisso.

He continued his training in Munich at the Royal Academy from 1880 to 1884, studying oil painting with Ludwig Löfftz.

He was attracted there by his friend, Alexander Drake (the art editor Scribner’s Monthly).

In 1892 and '93, he turned from figure painting to miniatures (both portraits and other subjects), initially under the patronage of Alfred Corning Clark, and soon Baer not only became the most renowned miniaturist in the country but also spearheaded the miniature-painting revival that began at that time.

Among his miniatures are The Golden Hour, Daphne, In Arcadia, and Madonna with the Auburn Hair.