Ole Peter Hansen Balling

Born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Balling was a student of Norwegian artist Ferdinand Jonas Gjøs (1790–1852) and trained under Danish decorative painter Jacob Emilius Wunderlich (1809–1892). He was a student at art academies both at the Academy of Arts, Berlin (1843–1845) and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen (1846–1848) and in 1854 studied with Thomas Couture in Paris. He made his debut at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition in 1852. [3]

Balling volunteered in the Schleswig-Holstein War and became a Danish officer in 1848. He emigrated to the United States in 1856, where he lived until 1874. He commanded the 145th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. Balling painted portraits of several Union Army generals including Ulysses S. Grant, Philip Sheridan, John Sedgwick and James S. Wadsworth. Additionally he created portraits of prominent American statesmen including presidents Chester Arthur and James Garfield.[4][5]

In 1874, Balling returned to Norway to operate a painter workshop in Horten, at the time the site of Karljohansvern, the main base for the Royal Norwegian Navy. Here he painted portraits of several Norwegian naval officers. Additionally he completed portraits of members of the Royal Bernadotte family including Kings Charles XIV John of Sweden, Oscar I of Sweden, Charles XV of Sweden and Oscar II of Sweden.[6][7] [8][9]

Between 1881-90, Balling lived and worked in Mexico City. After returning to Norway in 1890, he became Mexican consul in Kristiania. His last visit to New York City was in 1895-96. He died during 1906 in Kristiania.[9]

Balling is also represented in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C,, West Point Military Academy in New York and the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the Royal Norwegian Navy Museum in Horten and the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo.[9]

• Order of the Dannebrog – Denmark

• 
  Portrait of Ulysses S. Grant
• 
  Portrait of Chester A. Arthur
• 
  Portrait of John Brown
• 
  Portrait of James Garfield

• Carr, Carolyn Kinder; Ellen G. Miles (2001) A Brush with History : Paintings from the National Portrait Gallery (National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution) ISBN 978-1584650805
• Holzer, Harold; Mark E. Neely Jr, (2000) The Union Image: Popular Prints of the Civil War North (The University of North Carolina Press.) ISBN 978-0807825105
• Lewis, R. W. B. ; Nancy Lewis (2001) American Characters: Selections from the National Portrait Gallery (Yale University Press, 1999) ISBN 978-0300078954

• Bricka, Carl Frederik (2001) Dansk biografisk lexikon, tillige omfattende Norge for tidsrummet 1537 – 1814: Bind 7 (Adamant Media Corporation) ISBN 978-0543730701 (In Danish)

• Grant and His Generals (National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution)
• John Brown (National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution)