Hans Bohrdt

1857-1945

German (Berlin, Germany)

A renowned German painter, Bohrdt was appreciated by Kaiser Wilhelm II, who was a patron of the artist's works and also a private student. His specialty was marine paintings and he designed numerous posters for different German shipping companies. In 1915 Bohrdt created his most famous illustration which is called The Last Man. The image shows a German navy officer holding up a German flag as his ship sinks during the Battle of the Falkland Islands because he would rather go down with the ship than surrender. Bohrdt was accepted into the Imperial Yacht Club in Kiel. World War I, Bohrdt made a living drawing maritime postcards, book illustrations, magazines, and supplied images for newspaper articles.