Gefængnis für die Schaubühne (Scenographic Design for a Prison) c. 1785

Abel Schlicht created this scenographic design for a prison, sometime between the late 18th and early 19th century. Consider the era in which Schlicht lived, a time defined by significant social upheaval and philosophical re-evaluation. The late 1700s marked the age of revolutions, of questioning absolute authority, and of a growing emphasis on individual liberty. Schlicht’s image of a prison presents not merely a place of physical confinement, but also a stage upon which themes of justice, power, and human suffering are explored. The design invites us to contemplate what it means to be incarcerated, both physically and metaphorically. It asks us to consider the identities and histories of those confined within such spaces, and the societal structures that perpetuate such confinement. In this context, Schlicht’s prison transcends its immediate function, becoming a mirror reflecting society’s own entrapments and moral quandaries.