Doctor and Patient 1899

Adolph Menzel made this drawing, Doctor and Patient, using graphite on paper, likely near the end of the 19th Century. This image offers an intimate look at the social dynamics of healthcare during the period. Made in Germany, the drawing depicts a doctor, complete with cigar and formal attire, examining a string of beads, perhaps a rosary, held out by an elderly, working-class patient, while a younger woman looks on. Menzel’s decision to focus on this interaction raises questions about the social conditions influencing artistic production. Is he critiquing the medical profession? Highlighting disparities in access to care? Or observing the changing role of religion and tradition in German society? To fully understand this work, we might look into the institutional history of medicine in 19th-century Germany and explore the cultural values assigned to health, illness, and faith. Art like this reflects the complexities of its time, and the historian’s job is to unpack those complexities, always understanding that meaning is contingent on social and institutional contexts.