Buste van J.W. von Goethe door A. von Trippel 1884

Sophus Williams made this photograph of a bust of J.W. von Goethe in Berlin in 1884. It is an albumen print, a popular method for reproducing images that allowed for a high degree of detail. The image shows a reproduction of a sculpture of Goethe, who was one of the key figures of the artistic and intellectual movement known as Weimar Classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Photography allowed institutions to reproduce and disseminate artworks beyond their original location. This affected the institutions which shaped the production and reception of art, as well as the politics of imagery. The photograph and the bust raise questions about how we approach and interpret art history. To understand images like this, we have to look into how these social and institutional practices shape our understanding.