early life and training carl spitzweg, a renowned german romantic painter, was born in unterpfaffenhofen, near munich, bavaria, on february 5, 1808. he was the second of three sons to franziska (née schmutzer) and simon spitzweg, a wealthy merchant who had carl trained as a pharmacist. artistic career spitzweg is considered one of the most important artists of the biedermeier era, a period characterized by its focus on the domestic and the everyday. he was self-taught as an artist, starting out by copying the works of flemish masters. his early contributions to satirical magazines marked the…