Young tree 

Peter Becker made this sketch of a young tree with pen and ink at an unknown date. Becker was associated with the Städel Museum here in Frankfurt. He was a student, then an instructor, and finally the secretary of the institution. In nineteenth-century Germany, the museum and the art school served to promote a shared cultural identity. Landscape became an important genre for thinking about collective identity because it was seen as a reflection of the national character. As a student, Becker would have learned to sketch landscapes, and he later taught the same techniques. We can only guess what his intentions were when drawing this tree, but it is likely that he created it as part of this institutional context. Art historians can learn more about the function of these drawings by researching the history of the Städel Museum and the art school, as well as by examining student exercises from the time. Looking at these institutional contexts helps us to better understand the meaning and function of art.