The Napoleonic Code, which had been in force since the French occupation of his native town of Hanau, made it possible for the Jewish artist to attend the drawing academy and study in Munich and Paris. Oppenheim became one of Frankfurt’s most esteemed portraitists. He shows Goethe, whom he knew personally, in front of his house in the Park an der Ilm. Oppenheim based his portrait on a statuette by Christian Daniel Rauch. Surrounding Goethe are scenes from his works, including Werther, Wilhelm Meister, and Faust.