Brief Biography-Oskar Georg Adolf Hoffmann was born into a German family living and working in Tartu, Estonia. He began his career in lithography before moving to Düsseldorf to continue his art studies at the Academy of Art, where he studied under fellow Estonians Eduard von Gebhardt, Eugen Dücker and Gregor von Bochmann. He worked with Fernand Cormon in Paris for a brief period before returning to Düsseldorf to set up a studio; however, he left suddenly for St. Petersburg in 1883 due to financial difficulties. Hoffmann lived in St Petersburg for the remainder of his life, visiting Estonia regularly. He undertook many of his works from photographs he took of landscapes on the north coast of Estonia. He led a successful career during his life in St. Petersburg.