Carl Spitzweg was a German artist of the Late Romantic and Biedermeier periods and is considered one of the most well-known painters of the 19th century. A central theme of his work was the petit bourgeois life of small German towns, which he often captured with humor and meticulous detail. His depictions of eccentric characters in everyday scenes and his idyllic landscapes in his later works were particularly popular. Paintings such as The Poor Poet, The Bookworm, and The Cactus Friend satirically critiqued bourgeois life with subtle wit and social commentary. Although Spitzweg was not formally trained as an academic artist, his paintings found a broad audience during his lifetime. However, his popularity increased significantly after World War II, further cementing his influence in art history.