Otto Antoine

For almost half a century, Otto Antoine was considered an important representative of cultural Berlin. In countless descriptions, he documented Berlin from the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century - for artist friends, he was "The Painter of Berlin". Otto Antoine gained his fame as a "post painter". The postal authority, in whose service he had been since 1883, recognized the artistic talent of the young official early on and generously supported him. He was born in Koblenz to Georg Antoine, a watchmaker, and his wife, Marie née Roesgen. While still very young, he displayed an aptitude for art, and was apprenticed to a local painter after completing his secondary education. Economic circumstances prevented him from pursuing that goal so, at the age of eighteen, he entered the civil service and became a clerk at the post office in the Lützel district of Koblenz. He continued to practice drawing and painting after work, and was often assigned to do calligraphy, due to his elegant handwriting. When the Secretary of the Post Office, Heinrich von Stephan, became aware of his talent, arrangements were made for him to study in Berlin.