Binnenplaats van het Pellerhaus te Neurenberg c. 1875 - 1900

This anonymous photograph captures the Binnenplaats, or inner courtyard, of the Pellerhaus in Nuremberg. The image presents a view of German Renaissance architecture, an idiom associated with wealth and civic pride. The Pellerhaus itself was built in the 17th century, but this photograph might have been taken later. Consider the social conditions that made the documentation of architecture desirable. Photography as a medium was critical to processes of historical preservation in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as the marketing of cities to tourists. Nuremberg, in particular, with its rich medieval past, became an important site of heritage tourism. However, it’s important to remember that the appreciation of architectural heritage is often connected to contemporary political concerns. To understand this image more fully, we might investigate the archives of the city of Nuremberg as well as histories of photography and tourism in Germany. This would provide more context for understanding the role this image once played.