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| Daniel Koechlin, undated. |
Born: 4 December 1845, Mulhouse
Died: 2 February 1914, Kingersheim
Father: Jules Georg Michel Koechlin, 1816-1882
Mother: Camille Dollfus, 1826-?
Spouse 1: Catherine Charlotte Alice Gros, 1849-1874
Married in the 9th arrondissement of Paris on 21 April 1873. Alice died just over a year after they were married. They had no children.
Spouse 2: Fanny Bertha Weiss, 1856-1917
Married on 5 August 1882 in Kingersheim.
Children:
- Jules Gaspard Daniel, 1883-1884
- Fernand Gustave, 1885-1965
- Geneviève Emilie, 1889-1958
Biographical information
Daniel was born into one of the main industrial families of Mulhouse. After serving in the 1870-1871 war, in which he attained the rank of Lieutenant (Engel, 1909), he chose to become an artist. His brother Charles also eschewed the family business and became a composer.
His first wife, Alice, was also an artist, and they spent time on the Normandy coast painting, until she died in Montmorency just over a year after they were married.
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| Daniel Koechlin in October 1872, standing, centre back, with his parents and siblings at his maternal grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary (Orledge, 1989). |
Daniel Koechlin exhibited again in the Salon de Paris in 1877, 1878 and 1879. During this time he was living at Place Pigalle 11, and Mr. Ottoz (rue de la Rochefoucauld 35) had taken over as his art supplier.
By 1882, he had met Bertha Weiss of Kingersheim, and they married on the 5th of August that year. They seemed to move regularly between Kingersheim and Paris over the years - it is possible they had a family home in Paris, and also lived with Bertha's parents in Kingersheim at times. They lived for a number of years at Rue de Villejust 40 (now known as rue Paul Valéry), as noted in the death record of their son Jules Gaspard Daniel in April 1884. Interestingly, Bertha Morisot, the Impressionist painter, also lived at the same address at the same time, on the ground floor (Adler, 1989). She was married to Edouard Manet's brother Eugène, and his parents lived on the third floor. One must assume that the Koechlins lived on the second or fourth floor, and we can only guess at the influence their artistic neighbours had on their own painting careers. The Koechlins were still at the address in 1892, when Morisot moved out after the death of her husband.
Daniel Koechlin continued to paint and exhibit, although his work was not chosen for the Salon de Paris after 1879. Articles in Le XIXe Siècle mention his works in Parisian exhibitions from 1901-1903, and also announced his death in 1914. An article in Est Républicain on 28 February 1907 noted Daniel was a charming, delicate pastel artist. Although he failed to gain the fame of his former neighbours and their Impressionist colleagues, his extant artworks show he was not without some talent.
References
Adler, K. (1989). The suburban, the modern and 'Une Dame de Passy', in Oxford Art Journal, 12(1):3-13.
Bellier de LaChavignerie, E. (1882-1885). Dictionnaire général des artistes de l'Ecole français depuis l'origine des arts du dessin jusqu'à nos jours: architectes, peintres, sculpteurs, graveurs et lithographies.
Engel, A. (1909). Guerre de 1870-1871. IV. Documents officiels concernant le 4e bataillon de la Mobile du Haut Rhin; suivis de Notes sommaires sur les autres bataillons du département. E. Meininger, Mulhouse.
Orledge, R. (1989). Charles Koechlin (1867-1950): His Life and Works. Psychology Press.
