Early Life, Family and Training

Friedrich Salathé enters the world on January 11, 1793, in Binningen, near Basle, Switzerland. He is born into a family of modest means, the son of the farmer Joseph Salathé and Eva Gysin. The rural surroundings of Binningen provide the backdrop for his earliest years, long before his name would be associated with the urban landscapes of Paris or the vistas of Brazil.

The trajectory of his life shifts in 1807. At fourteen, he begins his formal training under the Swiss painter Peter Birmann. For three years, Salathé studies under Birmann’s guidance, absorbing the technical foundations of his craft. This period of instruction establishes the discipline required for his later work as a painter, draftsperson, and etcher.

By 1814, the quietude of training gives way to movement. Salathé travels through Central Switzerland and Graubünden, eventually reaching the Upper Italian lakes. He is not alone; he makes this trek alongside Jakob Christoph Bischoff. These landscapes become the first subjects to meet his eye, transitioning him from a student in a studio to an artist observing the natural world firsthand.

Years Spent in Italy

The Italian landscape pulls Salathé away from his Swiss roots. In 1815, he arrives in Rome, settling into the city for several years. He spends his winters within the Roman atmosphere and moves toward the mountains during the summer months. By 1817, the scope of his travels expands with a trip to Naples. The following summer, the heat of the season finds him in Ariccia and Terni. There, he works alongside Samuel Amsler and Johann Christian Reinhart, capturing the terrain through drawing and sketching.

The year 1819 brings a sudden shift from artistic observation to physical danger. While at the villa of Baron Karl Friedrich von Rumohr in Olevano, Salathé is abducted by robbers. He remains held until his release on June 24. This period of upheaval occurs alongside his growing presence in the Roman art scene; earlier that same year, he participates in a group exhibition at the Palazzo Caffarelli. These years in Italy place him in the company of artists like Joseph Anton Koch and Carl Vogel von Vogelstein, moving through a landscape of ruins and fortified towers.

Return to Switzerland and Move to Paris

The Italian years end in 1821. Salathé returns to Binningen, settling back into the Swiss landscape after his time in Rome and Naples. The focus shifts toward technical precision and the burgeoning market for topographical views. In Basle, he finds work as a vedute engraver, producing detailed cityscapes and landscapes for the firm of Falkeisen and Huber. This period demands a disciplined hand, translating the sketches of travelers and local scenery into formal prints.

The momentum shifts again in January 1823. Salathé moves to Paris, a decision that defines the remainder of his life. He enters the bustling center of European printmaking and lithography, establishing himself within the city's professional circles. His presence in the French capital is permanent; he remains in Paris until his death in 1858. During this long residency, his personal life becomes intertwined with the local art community when he marries the painter Friederike Neuhaus in 1829.

Professional Commissions and Engravings

Paris becomes the center of Salathé's professional life. He establishes himself as a skilled aquatint etcher, working closely with the publisher Jean-Frédéric d'Ostervald. His technical precision attracts high-profile commissions, including work for Noël Marie Paymal Lerebours. These engagements cement his reputation within the competitive French print market, where his ability to translate landscapes and views into detailed engravings is highly valued.

His reach extends far beyond the borders of France. He serves as a vedute engraver for various publishers, providing specialized imagery for a wide European network. His professional output includes commissions for Friedrich Kaegelmann in Magdeburg and Johann Ludwig Bleuler in Schaffhausen. The demand for his graphic work continues through collaborations with Johann Heinrich Locher in Zürich and Victor von Zabern in Mainz.

• Caminho dos Órgãos
• Nova Friburgo
• Igreja de São Sebastião
• Plantação de Café
• Vista de Nossa Senhora da Glória e da Baía do Rio de Janeiro
• São João de Icaraí, a Praia Grande

Collaborations and Artistic Circles

In the heat of the Italian landscape, Salathé moves through a circle of significant contemporaries. He associates with Joseph Anton Koch, Carl Vogel von Vogelstein, and Johann David Passavant. These connections place him within a specific milieu of artists navigating the transition of landscape traditions. His presence in Italy is marked by these professional and social ties, weaving him into the fabric of the era's artistic exchange.

The focus shifts toward the Atlantic as Salathé engages in a deep collaboration with his friend Johann Jacob Steinmann. After 1833, Salathé provides the visual substance for Steinmann's lithographic albums, which feature various views of Brazil. This partnership is not merely a matter of reproduction; Salathé translates the imagery into watercolor, recreating eleven of the twelve engravings found in Steinmann's collection. This work bridges the gap between the printed graphic and the painted hand.

His professional reach extends to the decorative and the structural as well. In one instance, he works alongside the German artist Johann Moritz Rugendas, contributing to the creation of a frame for a landscape. This intersection of graphic precision and decorative art highlights the varied nature of his professional output during his years in Paris and his connections to international artists.

Key Works and Subjects

Salathé’s output shifts between the meticulous precision of a draftsman and the atmospheric qualities of a landscape painter. In the Italian countryside, his focus often settles on the intersection of nature and ancient architecture. A graphite and brown wash drawing, View of the Islands of Nisida and Capri, probably from 1819, captures the coastal geography of the region. During this same period, his watercolors explored more rugged, vertical compositions, such as the 1816/1821 work Ruins of a Fortified Tower among Wooded Hills, which utilizes graphite and gray ink to define the structure against the surrounding terrain.

As his career progresses, his subjects expand to include more complex natural scenes and urban environments. Around 1835, he produced An Ancient Tree with Figures in a Landscape, a graphite work on wove paper that places human presence within a larger natural setting. His later focus also encompasses the topography of South America, specifically the Brazilian landscape. His catalog includes depictions of Botafogo, reflecting a shift toward the coastal and urban vistas of the Rio de Janeiro region.

• Caminho dos Órgãos
• Nova Friburgo
• Igreja de São Sebastião
• Plantação de Café
• Vista de Nossa Senhora da Glória e da Baía do Rio de Janeiro
• São João de Icaraí, a Praia Grande

Later Years and Death

Paris remains the center of Salathé's existence. In 1841, he brings his technical precision to the Paris Salon, exhibiting two aquatints. His professional life continues through various graphic engagements, even as he maintains ties to his homeland. He returns to Switzerland on several occasions, visiting in 1834, 1836, and 1848 to participate in the Swiss art exhibition in Bern.

The artist's movements continue across Europe. In 1845, he travels to Wörlitz and Dessau. These excursions mark the later chapters of a life spent translating landscapes and architecture into print and paint. He remains in Paris until his death on May 12, 1858.