Gezicht op Rue Berger te Parijs 1913

Erna Frank’s lithograph captures the Rue Berger in Paris with a unique atmospheric quality. The sketch-like style, typical of early 20th-century printmaking, emphasizes the transient nature of urban life. Made in Germany, this image evokes the artistic exchange between Germany and France during a period marked by shifting cultural identities. Erna Frank, a Jewish woman artist, found herself at a disadvantage in a male-dominated art world and as antisemitism was growing across Europe. The lithograph hints at the socio-economic disparities within the city, its attention to the commerce of the street, and the lives of ordinary people. Historical records, artists' biographies, and exhibition catalogs can provide deeper insight into Frank's artistic choices and her position within the cultural landscape of her time. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.