Kolowrat-Ring No. 14, Zinshaus des Herrn S. Lippmann c. 1860s

This photograph of Kolowrat-Ring No. 14, Zinshaus des Herrn S. Lippmann, was created by an anonymous photographer. It captures a moment in Vienna's history, a city undergoing rapid transformation and grappling with questions of identity and belonging. The photograph presents a stately apartment building, its classical architecture embodying the aspirations of the bourgeoisie. Yet, the building's owner, S. Lippmann, reveals a complex interplay of class and identity. As a member of Vienna's Jewish community, Lippmann navigated a society marked by both opportunity and antisemitism. The building itself becomes a symbol of this duality, a testament to Jewish achievement and integration, shadowed by the ever-present threat of exclusion. Consider the gaze of those who would have encountered this image. Did they see a symbol of progress, or a challenge to the established order? This photograph captures a moment pregnant with possibility and tension.