Pharmacists in German Cultural History
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Friedrich Wilhelm Justus Baedeker (1788–1865), who owned a pharmacy in
Witten (Ruhr), occupied himself with ornithological studies in his leisure time. 34
coloured tables for Brehm’s natural history of all birds in Germany (‘Handbuch der
Naturgeschichtealler Vögel Deutschlands’) illuminate his artistic talent (16).
Likewise, the pharmacist Berend Goos (1815–1885) (Figure 5) from
Hamburg was devoted to painting. Goos, who was born as the son of a pastor in
Hamburg, spent his time of apprenticeship with Dr. Georg Eimbicke (1771–1843),
a student of the famous pharmacist Johann Bartholomäus Trommsdorff (1770–
1837) from Erfurt. Afterwards he attended the private institute of Heinrich
Wilhelm Wackenroder (1798–1874) in Jena and enrolled at the University of Kiel.
He learned from Christian Heinrich Pfaff (1773–1852), a professor who had
previously worked as a pharmacist. In 1839, he passed the pharmaceutical exam of
Schleswig-‐Holstein. He acquired a pharmacy in Hamburg in 1842, which was
destroyed by a big fire in the same year (17). It was one year later that Goos rebuilt
his pharmacy at the town hall market square. An ear disease forced him to
abandon his profession. From now on, Goos dedicated himself completely to
painting. In the history of art he was highly regarded as a landscapist and in genre
painting. Two pictures – ‘The Raftsmen’ (‘Die Flößer’) and the portrait of a man –
are located in the ‘Gallery of Art’(‘Kunsthalle’) in Hamburg (18).
Figure 5.-‐ Berend Goos.
Without doubt the most important painter originating from the profession
of a pharmacist was Carl Spitzweg (1808–1885). Spitzweg was born as the son of
the merchant and member of parliament, Simon Spitzweg (1776–1828), in Munich.
After Latin School he started his apprenticeship in 1825 in the ‘City Pharmacy’
(‘Stadt-‐Apotheke’) in Erding and continued in the ‘Court Pharmacy’ (‘Hof-‐
Apotheke’) in Munich. This pharmacy was run by Franz Xaver Pettenkofer (1783–
