Artist Index: Ahrendts, Leopold

View of the former "von Hordt'sche Palais", Wilhelmstraße 69, at the corner of Unter den Linden. Early 1860s. Salted paper print with rounded corners. 16,8 x 20,5 cm. Mounted to board (strongly soiled).

Leopold Ahrendts began his career as a painter and lithographer in Dessau, eventually transitioning to photography in the mid-19th century. His photographic oeuvre encompassed urban landscapes and architectural views of Berlin, with an eye for composition and detail. His noteworthy contributions to the field earned him participation in international photographic exhibitions and widespread recognition as an architectural photographer. Between 1818 and 1834, the "von Hordtsche Palais," depicted in the image offered here, served as the Berlin residence of Ernst August (1771-1851), King of Hanover (1837-1851) and 1st Duke of Cumberland. Ernst August was married to Frederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the sister of Queen Luise of Prussia. Ernst August's son, later King George V, spent most of his childhood in this residence. The house remained in the state depicted in this image until 1868. when a third floor was added. – Minimal fading in edges, a few scuff marks, small spot in upper sky area, otherwise in very good condition.

Provenance: The estate of Ernst August von Hannover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland

Lit.: Galerie Berinson (ed.). With a text by Sigrid Schulze. Leopold Ahrendts und die Frühzeit der Photographie in Berlin. Berlin 2011.
Eberhard Mayer-Wegelin. Berlin als Residenzstadt. Photographien von Leopold Ahrendts 1854-1870. Munich 2018, ill. p. 161.

View of "Palais von der Osten" (built 1736), Unter den Linden 4. Late 1850s. Salted paper print with rounded corners. 19,5 x 16,3 cm. Mounted to board (soiled on verso, toning), annotated in ink in lower edge on mount.

As of 1835 the building depicted here belonged to Frederike von Hanover, the sister of Queen Luise of Prussia. After her death her husband, the Duke of Cumberland, sold it and the Ministry of Cultural and Medical Affairs moved into the building (demolished in 1883). To the right of the building the famous Hotel Royal can be seen, where the student Ferdinand Cohen-Blind checked in on May 5, 1866 and two days later, not far from the hotel, attempted to assassinate Otto von Bismarck. A later guest was Mark Twain, who stayed at the Hotel Royal on his third European tour in 1891. – A few light surface scuff marks in lower right, otherwise a strong print in very good condition with a strong reddish-brown tone.

Provenance: The estate of Ernst August von Hannover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland

Lit.: Sigrid Schulze. "Leopold Ahrendts, Photograph" in: Galerie Berinson (ed.). Leopold Ahrendts (1825-1870) und die Frühzeit der Photographie in Berlin. Berlin 2011.
Eberhard Mayer-Wegelin. Berlin als Residenzstadt. Photographien von Leopold Ahrendts 1854-1870. Munich 2018, ill. p. 159.

View of "Palais von der Osten" (built 1736), Unter den Linden 4. Late 1850s. Salt print with rounded corners. 19,5 x 16,3 cm. Mounted to board (soiled on verso, toning).

As of 1835 this building belonged to Frederike von Hanover, the sister of Queen Luise of Prussia. After her death her husband, the Duke of Cumberland, sold it and the Ministry of Cultural and Medical Affairs moved into the building (demolished in 1883). To the right of the building the famous Hotel Royal can be seen, where the student Ferdinand Cohen-Blind checked in on May 5, 1866 and two days later, not far from the hotel, made an assasination attempt on Otto von Bismarck. A later guest was Mark Twain, who stayed at the Hotel Royal on his third European tour in 1891. – A few light surface scuff marks in lower right, otherwise a rich, dark print in very good condition with a strong reddish-brown tone.

Lit.: Eberhard Mayer-Wegelin. Berlin als Residenzstadt. Photographien von Leopold Ahrendts 1854-1870. Munich 2018, ill. p. 159.

Von Hordt'sche Palais, Wilhelmstraße 70, Berlin. Circa 1859. 2 salt prints with rounded corners. 16,5 x 20,3 cm and 20,6 x 16,1 cm. Each mounted to board (soiled in edges).

Leopold Ahrendts worked first as a painter and lithographer in Dessau before moving to Berlin circa 1850, where he presented lithographs at the Academy of the Arts exhibition that same year. In 1856 he began working in the studio of the court photographer Philipp Graff. He exhibited his first photographs under the name of the Graff studio. Shortly thereafter he began signing his photos with his own name. Ahrendts is undoubtedly one of the most important early German photographers who combined high technical standards and artful composition in his photographs.
Between 1818-1834 the "von Hordtsche Palais" was the Berlin residence of Ernst August (1771-1851), King of Hanover (1837-1851), 1st Duke of Cumberland. Ernst August was married to Frederike von Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the sister of Queen Luise of Prussia. The son of Ernst August, later King George V, spent most of his childhood in this residence. The house existed in the state shown in this image until 1868, when the ‘railway king’ Bethel Henry Strousberg had the beautiful palace demolished and replaced by an imposing new building. In 1876 it was rented by the United Kingdom and from 1884 it served as the British Embassy. – One print with some light retouching in lower area, otherwise in very good condition with strong tones.

Lit.: Eberhard Mayer-Wegelin. Berlin als Residenzstadt. Photographien von Leopold Ahrendts 1854-1870. Munich 2018, ill. p. 178.

Equestrian statue of the Great Kurfürst. 1860s. 2 albumen prints with rounded corners. 23 x 17,4 cm and 21,3 x 15,4 xm. 1 with photographer's stamp in lower left corner. Each mounted to board (slightly soiled).

The images show the original location of the statue on the Kurfürsten Bridge in Berlin. In the background one can see the Spree waterfront of the Royal stables (alter Marstall).This and other parts of the large building complex were replaced by the new Marstall built in 1900.

Berlin Castle/Schlüterhof. Late 1850s. Albumen print with rounded corners. 21,8 x 17,8 cm. Mounted to board, annotated in ink and pencil on mount verso.

This image shows the avant-corps (Risalit) with columns and figurative ornaments of the Schlüterhof of the Berlin Castle. Behind it was the famous Giant stairway (Gigantentreppe), also designed by Andreas Schlüter. Ahrendts chose a diagonal perspective to enhance the plasticity of the building structure.