Three good patriotic illustrations of the two Kaisers, Wilhelm I and his successor, Wilhelm II.
At the time that these early drawings/engravings were produced, commercial photography was just gaining ground in the field of graphic arts. We're just starting to see photographic images coming into their own. The recently complete American Civil War was the testing-gound that proved the camera's viability. After that time a good photo could capture and stimulate the imagination as well as any of the finest of artistic, illustrative mediums. Sadly, something profound was lost. With the advent of this or any other new technology, old ways and methods are superceeded and eventually discarded, for better or worse ...
Though, what photograph could surpass your third rendering of what looks to be Wilhelm and Bismarck sharing the limelight among the heads of state and military captains - no doubt celebrating their victory of the Franco-Prussian War of 1871? The complexity of this drawing and attention to detail is nothing short of astonishing, the shield and crown study in the foreground is a work of art in itself! The battle flags and standards that compose the background are simply amazing. It seems this artist's talent was almost boundless. How did he ever remember this colossal scene so well as to produce this vivid masterpiece? What about those ever-so-subtle personal touches, for instance, highlighting the Kaiser and his Iron Chancellor among all those bodies? Somehow the artist immediately draws our attention onto the two main subjects, there's a pre-planned yet very natural flow and movement there. Exceptional. There's so much symbolism depicted in there that truly it's cup runneth over!
It's hard to imagine that artwork like this wouldn't bring out the national patriot in everyman..? "united we stand..." and all that good stuff.., all brought to you by mind's eye.
Some mighty fine examples so far fellas!
Remember that famous line from "Night of the Generals," when Gen. Tanz says, "I must see decadent art ..!" ha!
