Gezicht op de Löwenbrücke in de Großer Tiergarten, Berlijn 1868 - 1870

This stereoscopic photograph of the Löwenbrücke in Berlin’s Tiergarten was produced by Johann Friedrich Stiehm, probably in the latter half of the 19th century. This was a time of rapid urban development and industrial expansion in Germany. The Tiergarten, originally a royal hunting ground, had been transformed into a public park, a space for leisure and recreation amidst the growing city. Stiehm’s photograph can be seen in this context. Stereoscopic images were popular and affordable forms of entertainment, and this view of the park captured a romanticized vision of nature. This image offers us a glimpse into the social life of Berlin at the time. We can research the history of the Tiergarten, looking at city planning documents, newspapers, and guidebooks, in order to understand how it became a site of public life and how photography played a role in shaping perceptions of urban space and nature. The meaning of art is always contingent on the social and institutional contexts of its production and reception.