Milster, Ernst (1836-1908; German)
William I, King of Prussia

Lithograph
Presented by the Prussian Government (by 1871?)
Unidentified; present location unknown

William or Wilhelm I (1797-1888), king of Prussia from 1861, was crowned German Emperor at Versailles in 1871, following the formation of the German Reich. For another pre-Felton portrait of him, see Unknown (German 19C?) Wiliam I, Emperor of Germany {1870} SLV [PA]. Bismarck (1815-98) was his influential Prime Minister (from 1862) and then Imperial Chancellor (from 1871).

See also * Feckert after Winterhalter Victoria Adelaide, Princess Royal… {by 1871?} Loc? [PR] and * Rohrbach after Hellwig Frederick William of Prussia {by 1871?} Loc? [PR].

Milster, apparently best known now for a lithograph of the 16th-century anatomist Vesalius (reproduced here), worked as both photographer and printmaker.

[comparative photo: Milster’s portrait of Vesalius]

Refs.

NGV 1894, p.103 (V.Buvelot Gallery, 1st bay, no.71)

For William I, see e.g. https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-I-emperor-of-Germany. For Milster (not listed in AKL), see Bénézit 9, p.1015; and for his print of Vesalius (after E.Hamann 1849) see https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Andreas_Vesalius._Lithograph_by_E._Milster_after_E._J._C._Ha_Wellcome_V0006630.jpg (Wellcome Collection)