Early Life, Family and Training Born in Copenhagen on 31 July 1821, William Hammer entered a household where the visual arts were a familiar language. He was the son of Peder Pedersen Hammer and Johanne Bistrup. Artistry ran through the family veins, as his elder brother, Hans Jørgen Hammer, also pursued a career as a painter. This domestic environment likely provided the foundational understanding of craft that would define his own l…