The Palaeoart of Heinrich Harder
This page profiles the life and work of the German artist Heinrich Harder (1858–1935). Section 1 contains a biography of Heinrich Harder, sections 2 to 7 display examples of his palaeoart, and section 8 contains videos that feature his palaeoart.
Contents
1) Biography of Heinrich Harder (1858–1935)
3) Prehistoric megafauna illustrations from Tierbuch (1908)
4) Illustrations from Die Wunder der Urwelt (1912)
5) Murals and sculpture at the Berlin aquarium (1913)
6) Prehistoric animals from Tiere der Urwelt, series Ia (1916)
7) Prehistoric animals from Tiere der Urwelt, series III (circa 1920)
8) Videos featuring the palaeoart of Heinrich Harder
1) Biography of Heinrich Harder
(1858–1935)
Heinrich Harder was born in Putzar, Pomerania, in Northeast Germany, on 2 June 1858. He was the son of a farmer. He studied at the Royal Art School in Berlin. After his studies, he settled in Berlin, where he spent the rest of his life. He worked as a painter and sculpture. In addition, Harder taught from 1906 to 1923, and from 1913 as an art professor, at the Prussian Academy of Fine Arts (now the Berlin University of the Arts).
Harder’s work included painting landscapes but he is best known for his palaeoart, that is, scientific illustrations of prehistoric scenes and organisms.
In 1906, the German writer Wilhelm Bölsche published articles about the planet Earth in the weekly magazine Die Gartenlaube (The Garden Arbour), with illustrations of prehistoric scenes and animals provided by Harder.
Harder also provided illustrations of prehistoric animals for several books by Bölsche, including the 1908 book Tierbuch (Book of animals) and the 1912 book Die Wunder der Urwelt (The wonders of the primeval world).
In the early twentieth century, Harder created illustrations of prehistoric animals for three series of trading cards for chocolate companies, and Bölsche wrote accompanying descriptions on the back of the cards. The series were called Tiere der Urwelt (Animals of the Primeval World), series IA, II, and III.
When the Berlin zoo added an aquarium in 1913, Harder was commissioned to paint murals of extinct creatures on the outside walls. He also helped to create a life-size sculpture of an Iguanodon that was displayed outside the main entrance to the new aquarium.
Harder died on 5 February 1935, at the age of 76. He is buried in the Steglitz cemetery in Berlin.
2) Earth history illustrations from various articles in Die Gartenlaube (1906), issues 14, 16, 18, 22, 26, 29
Archaeopteryx:
Brontosaurs:
Scene from the Cenozoic:
Early planet, picture 1:
Early planet, picture 2:
Ichthyosaurs:
Mastodon:
Trilobites:
Ursus (prehistoric bear):
3) Prehistoric megafauna illustrations from Tierbuch (1908)
Dinoceras:
Dinotherium:
Elasmotherium:
Glyptodont:
Megatherium:
Phenacodus:
Sivatherium:
4) Illustrations from Die Wunder der Urwelt (1912)
Gigantosaurus:
Mosasaurus vs. Ichthyosaurus:
Pteranodon:
5) Murals and sculpture at the Berlin aquarium (1913)
Berlin aquarium façade, pictured in 2006:
Original Berlin aquarium circa 1935:
Berlin aquarium main entrance with Iguanodon statue circa 1935:
Berlin aquarium main entrance with Iguanodon statue, pictured in 2006:
Ichthyosaurus mural art:
Plesiosaurus mural art:
Pteranodon mural art:
6) Prehistoric animals from Tiere der Urwelt, series Ia (1916)
Ammonoid:
Ancient coral reef:
Archegosaurus:
Archaeopteryx:
Ceratodus:
Dinoceras:
Dinotherium:
Diplodocus:
Duck billed platypus:
Echidna:
Elasmotherium:
European bison:
Glyptodon:
Great auk (Pinguinus impennis):
Hadrosaur:
Hatteria:
Hesperornis:
Ichthyosaur:
Iguanodon:
Limulus:
Long horned European wild ox:
Megatherium:
Moa:
Plesiosaur:
Pteranodon:
Rhamphorhynchus:
Sivatherium:
Stegosaurus:
Trilobites:
Woolly rhino:
7) Prehistoric animals from Tiere der Urwelt, series III (circa 1920)
Aceratherium:
Alticamelus:
Arsinotherium:
Cave lion:
Coryphodon:
Dorcatherium:
Elotherium:
Eohippus:
Hipparion:
Hyaenodon:
Hypohippus:
Hyracodon:
Imperial elephant:
Klippdachs:
Mastodon:
Mesohippus:
Metamynodon:
Moeritherium:
Musk ox:
Oreodon:
Palaeomastodon:
Palaeotherium:
Pantolambda:
Phenacodus:
Protoceras:
Przewalski’s horse:
Sea lilies:
Tarsius:
Teleoceras:
Waldrapp:
8) Videos featuring the palaeoart of Heinrich Harder
Video 1, “Paleo-author Wilhelm Bolsche, with illustrations by Heinrich Harder and others”, from 2009:
Video 2 — ambient music video “Jurassic Sky, 150 million years ago”, from 2025:
Video 3 — ambient music video “Prehistoric Sea, 1 Million Years Ago”, from 2025:
Video 4 — ambient music video “Western North America, 150 Million Years Ago”, from 2026:
Video 5 — ambient music video “Jurassic Sea, 180 million years ago”, from 2026: