Anna Stainer-Knittel

Anna Stainer-Knittel (28 July 1841, Elbigenalp - 28 February 1915, Wattens) was an Austrian portrait and flower painter. An incident from her life served as the basis for the novel The Vulture Maiden by Wilhelmine von Hillern.

Biography Her father was a gunsmith who had a quick temper but who encouraged his daughter's talents and ambitions. The sculptor, Josef Alois Knittel, was her uncle and the painter, Joseph Anton Koch, was her great-uncle.

She began her studies in 1859 at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, but she was not allowed to attend the main school because she was a woman. Later, it was recounted in Wolfs Illustrirter Rundschau.

Finally, in 1875, it was depicted in a novel by Wilhelmine von Hillern called Die Geier-Wally (The Vulture Maiden in English; eagles were often derisively referred to as "vultures"). The author had become acquainted with Anna and her husband in Innsbruck and decided to render her story in a dramatic, Shakespearean style, naming her heroine "Walburga" (Wally) and dramatizing her conflicts with her father. Alpine Landscape with Floral Wreath; one of her most popular paintings. In 1892, the story was adapted for an opera: La Wally, by Alfredo Catalani. It has been filmed multiple times, notably: The Vulture Wally (1921), directed by E. A. Dupont, starring Henny Porten. The Vulture Wally (1940), directed by Hans Steinhoff, starring Heidemarie Hatheyer. The Vulture Wally (1956), directed by František Čáp, starring Barbara Rütting.