History of Herman and his family is as following: Hermann Rabenek was the son of Franz Heinrich Dietrich Rabeneck (1787-1858) nd Anna Wilhelmina (in Russian: Анна Вильгельмина) Broegelmann (born 1786). Hermann's father , prominent German textile magnat in producing and dyeing of linen and woolen fabrics, and later cotton. According to the family traditions of brothers Franz and Ludwig Rabeneck, their business further stalled due to increased competition. They began to look for new ways of developing production. The search led to Russia, where Franz Rabeneck arrived around 1827, leaving the leadership of the his fabrics in Elberfeld to the brother Ludwig. From the Moscow Committee for the Trustees of the Poor, he rented a plot of land for a factory near the village of Bolshevo, Moscow district. This land was part of the vast lands bequeathed to the committee by Prince P.I.Odoevsky who died in 1826. Franz Rabeneck set up his enterprise by 1829, the first in Russia to start making paper yarn of European quality, dyed in Adrianople red and pink. The quality of the products was soon noted - at the Moscow Exhibition of Manufactured Products (1831) the manufacturer received a large silver medal. Also Franz's brother Ludwig (in Russian Lev Andreevich) Rabenek in 1833 moved to Russia and founded not far from his brother's factory a yarn-dyeing factory in the village of Sobolevo, which later grew into the partnership"Ludwig Rabeneck", most famous and successful cotton dyeing manufacture in Russia.

After death of Franz Rabeneck his son and our sitter Hermann Rabeneck , founds the partnership F. Rabenek and Sons ”. By 1885, Panteleev's textile factory also fell into the possession of Rabenek and was included in the Partnership. Thus, all paper-spinning, paper-weaving and paper-dyeing production was concentrated in one hand. In the future, the Lapin mill is not traced separately according to the documents, but appears as the Bolshevik paper mill of the F. Rabenek Partnership.

Also Franz's brother Ludwig (in Russian Lev Andreevich) Rabenek in 1833 moved to Russia and founded not far from his brother's factory a yarn-dyeing factory in the village of Sobolevo, which later grew into the partnership"Ludwig Rabeneck", most famous and successful cotton dyeing manufacture in Russia.

Due to the dating of portrait (1832) this extra ordinary portrait was executed in Russia after 3 years of moving of family to Moscow. Similarities in the style and time of creation are very close to the portraits by famous Russian painter Wassili Tropinin (1776 - 1857) and this fact gives us reason to assume that it was painted by him or by a Russian artist from the Tropinin school. Literature: different Russian monographies "Wassili Tropinin" , German and Russian on-line sources about Hermann Rabeneck , Franz Rabeneck and history of their fabrics in German: Wogau & Co.: Das größte deutsche Handelshaus im russischen Zarenreich; and in Russian: https://korolew.livejournal.com/4088.html http://mosjour.ru/20200110273/ Inscription: signed lower left. Technique: oil on canvas . Original Classicism gold-plated frame. Measurements: unframed w (23 x 23 cm), framed w (37 x 37 cm ). Condition: in good condition, original canvas professionally cleaned.