Theodor Blatterbauer, born on Christmas Day in 1823 in Bolesławiec, came to Legnica at the age of 31 and died there at the age of 83. He spent his childhood and youth in our town. Jan’s ancestors came from southern Bohemia, while Dorota’s mother’s ancestors came from Żagań in Silesia. As a boy, he showed artistic talent early on, so alongside his regular school activities he took private drawing lessons. During trips with his parents, he eagerly drew from nature. He continued doing so later while working in his trained profession as a bookbinder. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. In 1854, Blatterbauer married the daughter of a hotel owner from Głogów and moved with his wife to Legnica, where he began teaching drawing at the local Royal Knight Academy. In his free time, he travelled across Silesia in search of new experiences and new subjects for his artistic work. The main subject of most of his paintings was Silesian themes, although he also painted Alpine motifs. The artist’s oeuvre comprises thousands of drawings, watercolours, oil paintings, gouaches and pastels. His works are painted with photographic accuracy. The landscapes, vedute and architectural drawings he created possessed a certain, distinctive quality characteristic of all his works. The 19th century, a period of flourishing technology and science, influenced his realism. This can be seen in the reproduction included here (woodcut, 10.5 × 16.2 cm) of a panorama of Bolesławiec.