 Friedländer's entire family embraced Protestant Christianity in 1820.After studying at the universities of Bonn and Berlin, and traveling in Italy (1838–1839), he obtained a position at the "Königliche Sammlung der Antiken-Münzen" in Berlin in 1840.During his travels to Italy (1844–1847) with his friend Theodor Mommsen he acquired further numismatic material which he brought to Berlin.