Fotoreproductie van Goethe in Frankfurt door Wilhelm von Kaulbach 1865 - 1890

This is Andries Jager's "Photoreproduction of Goethe in Frankfurt by Wilhelm von Kaulbach," made sometime in the mid-19th century. The image captures Goethe, the celebrated German writer and statesman, seemingly in motion on an ice rink surrounded by onlookers. It’s a reproduction of an earlier work, and in that act of reproduction, we can consider the enduring power and romanticization of the male genius. The act of portraying Goethe in such a dynamic, almost heroic pose, speaks to the cultural veneration of intellectual figures during this time. Think of the work as a window into the 19th-century German cultural landscape, grappling with questions of national identity and the legacy of its intellectual giants. The very act of reproducing Kaulbach’s image through photography democratizes it, making it accessible to a wider audience. It’s not just about Goethe; it's about how society chooses to remember and celebrate its heroes. How these images shape our understanding of history and cultural values.