Born in an ethnically mixed part of
Alsace, France, on January 17, 1826; Hetzel's family spoke primarily
German and emigrated to the United States when he was aged two. They traveled from a Baltimore port to a neighborhood in
Allegheny City (
Deutschtown), in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Hetzel attended Allegheny City school and was apprenticed to a local sign- and house-painter. also studied art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Pittsburgh School of Design. George was sent to the
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf between 1847–49 and studied Da Vinci's
Chiaroscuro (the use of light and dark shadows to heighten depth and drama), which He was then an instructor at the Pittsburgh School of Design for Women and encouraged his colleagues and students to make Scalp Level their summer retreat and work "
en plein air". Hetzel exhibited at the
National Academy of Design in
New York City from 1865 to 1882; and at the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia from 1855 to 1890. His work was included in the 1876
Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, and shown in the first
Carnegie International in Pittsburgh in 1896. He also exhibited at the
World's Columbian Exposition, 1892-1893. The J. J. Gillespie Gallery sold his works and he kept an independent studio. His career was established before the Scalp Level works, but they are currently foremost in his legacy. ==Other Scalp Level artists==