Willy Stöwer

Willy Stöwer (Wolgast, 1864 - Berlin-Tegel, 1931) was a German painter and illustrator of the Imperial period, best known for his nautical paintings and lithographs. His name is closely linked to the sinking of the RMS Titanic. His image of the disaster, published in the magazine Die Gartenlaube shortly after the event, won him considerable popularity. Although it contained minor inaccuracies, the picture became iconic and was reprinted many times.

The son of a sea captain, he first trained as a metalworker and worked as a technician in the engineering offices of several German shipyards. He soon received commissions as a draftsman, illustrator and painter, and his painting technique was self-taught. In 1892 he married Henrietta Dettmann, from a wealthy family, which allowed him to devote himself entirely to art.

His output was remarkably large. Between 1892 and 1929 he produced numerous book illustrations, as well as posters, postcards and calendars. His works include the yacht SMY Hohenzollern I, the liner SMS Cap Trafalgar of the Hamburg-South America Line, the return of U-9 to Wilhelmshaven in 1914 and the attack of U-21 on the Linda Blanche in 1915. His style pairs nautical precision with dramatic compositions of ships, sinkings and naval scenes.

His great patron was Kaiser Wilhelm II, who regarded him as his favourite naval painter. Stöwer accompanied the Emperor on several voyages between 1905 and 1912, sat on the board of the Flottenverein and received an honorary professorship in 1907. With the Kaiser's abdication and the end of the imperial era, his most creative period came to an end. He later worked mainly on a few commissions from steamship lines and died in relative obscurity at his villa in Berlin-Tegel. His images, especially his Titanic scenes, continue to be reproduced.