Fotoreproductie van een tekening van een opvoering van Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Iphigenia auf Tauris met Goethe als Orestes door Wilhelm von Kaulbach 1850 - 1900

This photograph reproduces a drawing by Wilhelm von Kaulbach, depicting a performance of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s play "Iphigenia in Tauris," with Goethe himself as Orestes. Though the date is unknown, the original drawing likely comes from the mid-19th century. The image encapsulates the cultural veneration of Goethe in Germany. Here, he is both playwright and actor, embodying the classical ideals of the Weimar Classicism movement, a cultural period encouraging the imitation of Greek and Roman art, of which he was a key figure. The drawing suggests the social conditions that shaped artistic production at the time. The presence of a seated audience of well-dressed individuals implies a cultured elite who are closely engaged with the arts and intellectual pursuits. Note how the location - Weimar - was an important center for artistic and intellectual life, as well as the capital of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar, where Goethe held an official position. To understand this image further, one might research the history of Weimar Classicism, the social dynamics of 19th-century German theater, and the role of cultural figures like Goethe in shaping national identity.