Ruiterstandbeeld van Frederik Willem III in de Lustgarten in Berlijn 1876

This is Sophus Williams’s 1876 photograph of the equestrian statue of Frederick William III in Berlin's Lustgarten. Reflecting the political climate of 19th-century Prussia, the statue and photograph serve as potent symbols of power and national identity. Frederick William III ruled during a transformative period marked by the Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna. While celebrated for his role in liberating Prussia from French occupation, Frederick William's reign was also characterized by autocratic conservatism and the suppression of liberal reforms. Here, the statue monumentalizes a narrative of strength and authority, typical of the era's veneration of monarchy. But who does this narrative serve, and whose stories are silenced by such grand displays of power? This photograph reminds us to look critically at how history is constructed and whose voices are amplified in the process.