 Born the son of a confectioner in Lübeck, Höppener demonstrated artistic talent at an early age.Around 1886 he met the "apostle of nature" and artist Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach (1851–1913), and joined Diefenbach's commune near Munich.On Diefenbach's behalf, he served a brief prison sentence for public nudity, earning him the name Fidus ("faithful").