Frederick Ernest "Fritz" Triebel was born on December 29, 1944 in Peoria, Illinois. His father, who had been apprenticed to a stone carver in Germany before his immigration to the U.S. likely taught young Frederick the rudiments of stone carving.
At the age of 16 Triebel was apprenticed to a stone carver in Chicago and from there he moved first to New York and then to Boston. In 1882 he won a scholarship to attend the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. He propspered there and also met his wife, Santina Grosse. Their first two children, Dante and Beatrice, were born during his time in Italy.
In the early 1890's Triebel was invited to be part of the international sculptire selection jury for the World's Columbian Exposition. He also exhibited six works at the exposition.
By 1902 Triebel had permanently returned to the U.S. and created a sculptor's mecca at 6 Macdougal Alley in New York City. He leased an old stable and converted it to a studio that soon attracted the likes of Henry Kirke Bush-Brown, Daniel Chester French, James Earle Fraser and others to join him in the same street. Macdougal Alley became known as New York's "Art Alley de Luxe." Following the usual pattern, non-artists started to be attracted to the street and the herald wave of artists started leaving. Triebel moved to Queens in 1910 and died in relative obscurity in 1944.