Gezicht op de Oude Brug, te Frankfurt am Main 1738

Georg Daniel Heumann made this print of the Old Bridge in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, sometime in the first half of the 18th century. The image presents us with an ideal vision of urban life. A busy thoroughfare connects either side of the river, and we can see people are actively trading and socializing in the foreground. But such a calm image belies the powerful influence of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Free City of Frankfurt’s important position within it. Frankfurt was, at this time, the seat of imperial elections and coronations, a fact which brought the city both prestige and economic fortune. This print is therefore part of the cultural machinery which supported Frankfurt’s status. By studying such prints, alongside trade records, civic documents, and maps, we can better understand the relationship between the city's self-image, and its political and economic life.