Born in Rhineland, Germany, Beyer received his academic training at Düsseldorf Academy and traveled to America in the wake of the German Revolution of 1848. He worked briefly in Newark, New Jersey, and Philadelphia and then traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he collaborated on the creation of a large panoramic landscape. He also painted panoramic views of the German Revolution of 1848 and of Italian scenes. In the 1850s Beyer and his wife began to frequent the healing springs of Virginia. During his visits, he painted several panoramic landscapes, including this 1854 view of Lewisburg. The artist published a portfolio edition of Virginia scenes in "The Album of Virginia: An Illustrated Description of the Old Dominion" (Richmond, Va.: 1857). Beyer returned to Germany, probably before the outbreak of the Civil War, and died at Munich in 1865.

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