Show all records
Click image for high resolution zoom or multiple image views.

Biographical/Historical Information

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was a prominent early Romantic composer and conductor. He was born in Hamburg in 1809, and his family moved to Berlin in 1811. From a young age, Felix was considered a musical prodigy. The family converted from Judaism and adopted the surname Bartholdy. In 1829, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy visited England to conduct his first symphony at the London Philharmonic Society. He founded the Leipzig Conservatory of Music in 1843 with Robert Schumann. Following the death of his sister, Fanny in 1847, his health deteriorated, and he died the same year in Leipzig.

Wilhelm Hensel - born in Trebbin, Germany in 1794 – was a highly acclaimed painter and graphic artist around the time of the 1848 Revolution. He was a professor and a royal court painter. Hensel was married to the pianist Fanny Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1805-1847), the sister of Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847). Wilhelm Hensel died in Berlin in 1861.

Reproductions and Permissions

We welcome fair use of this content. Please credit the Leo Baeck Institute in your citation. For usage policies and to request higher resolution images, see Reproductions and Permissions.

Citation

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy on his deathbed / drawing by Wilhelm Hensel, circa 1847, Leo Baeck Institute, F 2801L.