Born in Holstein, Germany, Carl L. Brandt was introduced to art at the age of seven by his father, and later studied in nearby Hamburg and in Copenhagen, Denmark. He came to New York City in 1852, where he exhibited at the National Academy of Design in 1853, 1860, and from 1862 to 1884. In 1864 he settled in a home and studio in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, although he returned to Europe from 1865 to 1869. Brandt was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1872, and the following year moved to Savannah, where he became the first director of the Telfair Academy, a position he held until his death. During this time, he helped to transform the Telfair family mansion into a cultural institution by acquiring a collection of art and antique plaster casts, while offering instruction to local artists. Brandt worked in a detailed and realistic academic style, creating portraits, historical paintings, landscapes, and genre.

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