Daniel Nicholas Chodowiecki (October 16, 1726 - February 7, 1801) was a Polish-German engraver and painter active in Berlin during the second half of the 18th century. Chodowiecki was born in Danzig (Gdansk), Poland of a middle class Huguenot family. When is father passed away Chodowiecki relocated to Berlin, Germany. In 1764 he enrolled in the Berlin Academy where he mastered drawing, engraving, and printmaking. By 1788 he had become Vice-Director of the Academy. He rose in prominence as one of the finest graphic artists of his day, producing a broad corpus of work that ranged from political commentary to literary and scientific illustration. In printmaking, he is credited with the invention of the deliberate remarque, a small sketch on a plate, lying outside the main image. These were originally little sketches or doodles by artists, not really meant to be seen, but Chodowiecki turned them into "bonus items" for collectors. He was exceptionally known for his trade card size miniatures which he issued serially on topic ranging from Shakespeare to the French Revolution. Historically, his most important work is most likely his 12 card set illustrating the events of the American Revolutionary War which rank among the earliest printed images of the war. More by this mapmaker...

Gottfried Daniel Berger (October 25, 1744 - November 17, 1825) was a German engraver. Born in Berlin, Berger was the son of Friedrich Gottlieb Berger who was also an engraver. In 1757 Berger was being instructed by the French painter Blaise Nicholas Le Sueur, who at the time was the director of the Prussian Academy of Arts. In May 1774, his training was further supplemented by Georg Friedrich Schmidt until the artist's death eight months later. Berger received professional support from Le Sueur, who provided contacts with influential figures including the painter and director of the Sanssouci Picture Gallery Matthias of Austria, the bank director and art connoisseur Carl Philipp Caesar, anatomy professor Johann Friedrich Meckel, and artist Daniel Chodowiecki. Berger received numerous important commissions, such as the production of illustrations for medical and biological works or reproductions of paintings. By 1778, Berger was a full member of the Academy of Arts, and in 1787 he was inducted into the rectorship and was appointed professor of engraving. In 1816, Berger became Vice Director of the Academy. He died November 17, 1825 in Berlin. Learn More...