Biography
Hermann Oskar Rückwardt (German, 1845-1903) attended the Königliche Kunstgewerbeschule (Royal Academy of Arts and Crafts) in Berlin from 1860 onwards. In 1868 he took over a photographic studio in Berlin and worked as a portrait and architectural photographer. He became a member of the Photographic Society in Berlin and founded a publishing house. In the years following he published various portfolios focusing on Berlin architecture. By the mid-1880s, in his studio and his publishing house he employed more than 20 employees. From 1876 onwards he was Royal Prussian Court Photographer for emperor Wilhelm II (Königlich Preußischer Hofphotograph) and since 1885 also for the Bavarian king Ludwig II (Königlich Bayerischer Hofphotograph).