Painter. He was a German-born painter who was one of the first artists to interject social questions into his artwork. He was known for his oil on canvas paintings of "Holy Day Occupation" in 1891, "First Snow" in 1895, and on exhibit in Berlin at the Museum of History, "The Socialist" in 1883 and "The Strike" in 1886. By the time he was age four, his family was living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1871, he came New York City in need of eye surgery, and after the surgery he decided to stay. After studying drawing in the night classes of the National Academy of Design, he traveled back to Germany twice, in 1873 and 1879, to study under a host of artists. While in Munich, he received the silver and bronze awards from the Academy and Bavaria's Cross of the Order of St. Michael in 1888. It was during this time that he started his art school for private students. He began to exhibit in the National Academy in New York in 1877 along with being in charge of exhibits in Germany. Returning to New York City, he became a successful portrait artist by 1892. After relocating to Minneapolis in 1893, he accepted an offer to be the director of the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts, which is now the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. In 1902 he painted "Rainy Evening on Hennepin Avenue," which clearly shows the artist's wife, Marie, their son, Edwin, and the family dog with the Minneapolis Public Library in the background. Koehler played a pivotal role in the creation of the Minneapolis' Museum of Fine Art, which is now the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. He retired as director in 1914. He retired after his 1915 portrait of painter Herbjorn Gausta. He died suddenly from a heart attack. Other honors are an honorable mention at the Paris World's Fair in 1889 and a bronze medal at the International Art Exhibition at Buenos Aires in 1910. His major pieces have sold at auction in the 21st century for prices as high as $20,000. The "First Snow" was sold for $15,000 in 2008.