A Life of Illustration and Journalism
Rudolf Daniel Ludwig Cronau was a German-American painter, illustrator, and journalist. Born in Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Prussia, he received formal art training at the Royal Academy of Art in Düsseldorf, studying under Andreas Achenbach. After maintaining a studio in Düsseldorf, he moved to Leipzig in 1877 to work for the illustrated magazine Die Gartenlaube.
As a correspondent for the magazine, Cronau traveled to the United States, arriving in New York City in 1881. During his time in the Dakota Territory, he documented and illustrated the Sioux, befriending Sitting Bull while the latter was a prisoner of war. Much of his work from this period consists of pencil and pen drawings, along with some watercolors, several of which were transferred into collotypes for his book Von Wunderland zu Wunderland.
Later Years and Publications
Cronau eventually settled in Washington DC with his wife, Margarethe Tänzler, and their daughter before relocating to New York. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1901. His career included numerous publications in both German and English, covering subjects ranging from the history of the Sioux to American resources and political topics.
His written works include:
- Fahrten im Lande der Sioux
- Im Wilden Westen
- Illustrative Cloud Forms for the Guidance of Observers in the Classification of Clouds
- Our Wasteful Nation
