Gezicht op een tuinzaal aan de Schlesischestrasse 22 in Berlijn, Duitsland before 1877

This anonymous image shows a garden hall at Schlesischestrasse 22 in Berlin. Though undated, we can assume it was made during Germany's imperial period. The photograph is of a page from a book, and the building is recorded within the formal conventions of architectural photography. Note the elaborate decoration of the ceiling, with its classical motifs. These details speak to the aspirations of the wealthy bourgeoisie who commissioned such buildings, aspiring to the status of royalty. The garden room itself, visible through the doorway, blends the controlled and the natural, a popular style for the time. The Schlesischestrasse itself, where this building stood, provides a crucial context. Researching the history of this street, one can find records of its development as a space for both opulent residences and burgeoning industry. This image, therefore, is a document of Germany's complex social fabric, as expressed through its architecture.