Niklaus Pfyffer (1836-1908) was born in Lucerne, Switzerland, and trained in Geneva under Jakob Joseph Zelger and Alexander Calame, and under Schirmer in Karlsruhe. He also worked in Düsseldorf. The Royal Collection has seven landscapes by Pfyffer, dating from between 1868 to 1885 (RCIN 407500, 407875-407879, 403741).

A view of Lake Lucerne from Achsenstein across to the Pilatus, at evening time; the calm waters surrounded by mountains, with grass, rocks and wild flowers in foreground. This is probably one of two views ordered from the artist, by R Löhlein on behalf of Queen Victoria. They were to show a view from the Queen's quarters at the Pension Wallis in Lucerne, where she had stayed in 1868. On 9th August 1869, Löhlein wrote to the artist to confirm delivery of one of these commissions.

Queen Victoria's fourth daughter, Princess Louise, painted two watercolour views of Lake Lucerne, during her stay at Pension Wallis in 1868; RCIN 980709, 980725.