Friedenssäule op de Belle-Alliance-Platz, Kreuzberg, Berlijn 1868 - 1870

This stereoscopic image, produced by Johann Friedrich Stiehm, shows the Friedenssäule, or Peace Column, in Berlin's Belle-Alliance-Platz. Though undated, the photograph speaks volumes about the cultural and political landscape of late 19th-century Germany. The monument, topped with a figure of Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, visually encodes the military successes of Prussia in the 1860s and '70s that led to German unification. Erected in a public space, the column served as a constant reminder of national pride and imperial ambition. The Belle-Alliance-Platz itself, named after a battle in the Napoleonic Wars, underscores the historical narrative of German strength and dominance. Stereoscopic images like this one were popular at the time. Sold as commercial products by companies like E. Linde & Co., they helped disseminate nationalistic symbols and ideas to a wide audience. Through studying such images, along with related documents from archives and libraries, we can better understand the social conditions that shaped the production and reception of art in imperial Germany.