The watchtower in Sachsenhausen 

Heinrich Rumbler created this watercolour painting of the watchtower in Sachsenhausen, Germany, sometime in the 19th century. This unassuming landscape carries historical weight. Rumbler’s choice of subject—a watchtower— evokes the history of military architecture and social control in Germany. Consider the cultural associations with watchtowers: surveillance, defense, and the regulation of movement. What narratives do these structures tell about power and authority? Rumbler painted during a period of nation-building, and his landscapes reflect the increasing sense of national identity. But what might the watchtower represent for the local inhabitants? Was it a source of security, or did it represent oppression? Art history helps us understand how artists engage with the politics of imagery and the social conditions of their time. By consulting historical archives, and local histories, we can better understand what this image meant to its original audience.