Portret van Eduard Schlagintweit

Carl Mayer made this print of Eduard Schlagintweit, a Captain in the Royal Bavarian General Staff, sometime in the mid-19th century. Schlagintweit’s military honours are proudly on display. We might consider the social function of the image in solidifying the power and prestige of the military institution. The visual codes here operate within a culture of nation-building, militarism, and perhaps even colonial ambition. Bavaria at this time was on the cusp of becoming integrated into the German Empire. To fully understand this print, we need to situate it within a history of German political and military history. Was it commissioned to commemorate a military campaign? Was it distributed among the officer class? In answering these questions, we can better understand the complex and dynamic relationship between art and society. Historical sources in state archives and regimental histories may shed further light on its purpose.