Born in
Ins as the son of
veterinarian Samuel Anker (then a member of the
constituent assembly of the
Canton of Bern) and Marianne Elisabeth (born Gatschet). In 1836 his father became veterinarian in
Neuchâtel, and the Anker family moved there. He installed a studio in the attic of his parents' house and participated regularly in exhibitions in Switzerland and in Paris. Anker married Anna Rüfli in 1864, and they had six children together; the four children who did not die at an early age – Louise, Marie, Maurice and Cécile – appear in some of Anker's paintings. In 1866, he was awarded a gold medal at the Paris Salon for
Schlafendes Mädchen im Walde (1865) und
Schreibunterricht (1865); in 1878 he was made a knight of the
Légion d'honneur. In 1870–74 he was a member of the
Grand Council of Bern, where he advocated the construction of the
Kunstmuseum Bern. Apart from his regular wintertime stays in Paris, Anker frequently travelled to Italy and other European countries. In 1889–93 and 1895–98 he was a member of the Swiss Federal Art Commission and in 1900 he received an honorary doctorate from the
University of Bern. A stroke in 1901 reduced his ability to work. Only after his death in 1910 was there a first exposition dedicated to him, held at the Musée d'art et d'histoire in Neuchâtel. ==Works==