Schneewittchen nach rechts, das Kleid leicht raffend c. 1860 - 1865

Victor Müller made this pencil sketch of Snow White in Frankfurt, likely sometime in the mid-19th century, at a time when the Brothers Grimm fairytales were gaining widespread popularity. The image seems simple enough, but its cultural significance runs deep. In the early 1800s, the middle classes were gaining prominence, and industrialization was changing people’s everyday lives. Fairy tales like Snow White became popular because they helped Germans define what it meant to be German, and what values to cherish. Thinkers at the time were very interested in creating a sense of national identity, and folk tales were seen as an authentic expression of the German spirit. To fully understand art like this, we must understand its moment. Consider researching the role of folklore in nation building and how ideas of gender and class were reflected in popular stories.