Hermann Ottomar Herzog

Hermann Ottomar Herzog painted for roughly eighty years — a Düsseldorf-trained master who sold to European royalty, emigrated to Philadelphia, and kept painting American wilderness from the Sierras to the Florida swamps until near his death at ninety-nine. Few careers in landscape painting cover so much ground so well.

Revere Auctions provides free auction estimates for Herzog’s work: send photographs and our fine art specialists will tell you what you have and what it is worth.

Who Was Hermann Ottomar Herzog?

Herzog was born in Bremen in 1832 and trained at the Düsseldorf Academy, the most influential landscape school of its day, alongside the painters who would shape the Hudson River School’s second generation. Early success was European: his Norwegian fjords and Alpine scenes found buyers among the nobility, reportedly including Queen Victoria.

In 1869 he emigrated to Philadelphia, prosperous enough to paint what he pleased. He traveled the American West in the 1870s — Yosemite and the Sierras above all — and painted Pennsylvania woodlands, coastal New Jersey, and Maine for decades from his Philadelphia base.

Late in life his son’s home in Gainesville gave him Florida, and the swamps, palms, and herons of the unspoiled interior became the final great subject. He painted almost to his death in 1932, weeks short of one hundred, leaving an enormous, consistent body of work.

What Did Herzog Paint?

Herzog’s range is the point: Norwegian fjords, Alpine passes, Yosemite and the high Sierras, Pennsylvania creeks under hemlocks, and the Florida wetlands he painted in his eighties and nineties — all handled with Düsseldorf finish, glowing light, and often a few cattle, deer, or herons staffing the scene.

He painted in oil at every scale. American collectors particularly seek the Western and Florida subjects; German collectors still compete for the European views.

How Much Is My Hermann Herzog Painting Worth?

Several things determine what a work by Hermann Ottomar Herzog brings at auction:

• Subject — Yosemite and Western subjects lead the American market, with the Florida pictures close behind; European views have their own audience
• Light — his reputation rests on luminous effects — sunset through pines, light on water; the pictures that deliver it stand highest
• Size — large exhibition canvases command clear premiums
• Condition — his fine finish rewards preservation; abraded skies are costly
• Signature — usually “H. Herzog,” often with a number on the stretcher from his own inventory system — photograph the back

The honest answer is that no two are alike, and the difference between an ordinary example and an exceptional one is a conversation with a specialist, not a chart. Send us photographs through our free auction estimate form — front, back, signature, and any labels — and we will tell you what you have.

The Market for Herzog

Herzog trades actively at auction, typically in the four figures, with important Western and Florida subjects reaching five figures and, for the finest, well beyond in recent years. His huge output keeps him accessible; his best pictures keep him serious.

Because subject drives so much of the price, a specialist identification of the location — often possible from his inventory numbers — genuinely moves the estimate.

How to Sell a Work by Herzog

The strongest results for a Hermann Herzog painting come at auction, where national and international collectors bid against each other. Revere Auctions offers free, no-obligation auction estimates: send photos and dimensions and our specialists respond with a current market valuation and a recommendation on how to sell. Consigned works are professionally photographed, cataloged, and marketed through our fine art auctions to a worldwide bidder base, and we regularly arrange shipping for consignors across the country. If you need a formal written valuation for insurance or estate purposes, our appraisal and valuation services team can help; you can also read more about how selling at auction works.

Related: American & Western paintings, our fine art department, appraisal services, free auction estimates.

Reviewed by the fine art specialists at Revere Auctions, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Hermann Ottomar Herzog: Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a Hermann Herzog painting worth?

Typically four figures at auction, with important Yosemite, Western, and Florida subjects reaching five figures and beyond. Subject, light, and size drive the range. Revere Auctions provides free auction estimates.

What did Hermann Herzog paint?

European subjects — Norwegian fjords, the Alps — before emigrating in 1869, then American ones: Yosemite and the Sierras, Pennsylvania woodlands, the Eastern seaboard, and finally the Florida wetlands, painted into his nineties.

What do the numbers on the back of my Herzog mean?

Herzog kept his own inventory and many works carry his numbers on the stretcher or canvas. They help date and identify subjects, so photograph the back along with the front when requesting an estimate.

Where can I sell a Hermann Herzog painting?

At auction with a house that reaches both American and German collectors of his work. Revere Auctions offers free estimates and formal appraisals.

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