Humboldtuniversiteit in Berlijn 1880

This photograph of Humboldt University in Berlin was captured by Johann Friedrich Stiehm around 1880, a period of significant transformation in German society following unification. Universities like Humboldt were instrumental in shaping national identity and intellectual thought. But who had access to these institutions? Photography at the time became a powerful medium for documenting and disseminating images of progress and power. Stiehm's photograph, with its formal composition, presents the university as a symbol of order and knowledge. Look closely, and you may ask yourself about the absences in the picture – the lack of diverse faces. Who was included, and perhaps more importantly, who was excluded from the narrative of German intellectual life at the time? Consider how images like these played a role in constructing a particular vision of national identity, one that often marginalized the experiences and contributions of many.