bavarikon4UDescription
As a "picture reporter of the Biedermeier era" (Eugen Roth 1942), Gustav Kraus (1804-1852) drew and lithographed everything of interest to Munich’s middle class for various publishers from 1824 onwards: portraits, vedute and events. One special feature was the care with which he reproduced even the smallest details.
In 1835, on the occasion of Ludwig I’s (1786-1868) 25th wedding anniversary, the Oktoberfest was to be topped off with a grand procession. Inspired by parades in Augsburg (1829) and Nuremberg (1833), around 80 decorated floats and almost 1,000 riders paraded across the Theresienwiese for more than two hours on 4 October 1835. Led by a Bavaria figure, they represented the Bavarian regions, traditions, seasons and products, which together paid homage to the King. For reasons of cost, all floats and participants were provided by municipalities from Upper Bavaria. The aim was not for accuracy, for example in the traditional dress.
Commissioned by the publisher Johann Christian Hochwind (1792-1854), Kraus had sketched the procession on site. A lithograph showing two floats passing in front of the ruler’s tent appeared the following week; due to its great success, depictions of the entire procession were to follow on 24 sheets. Despite intensive advertising, the venture dragged on well into the next year due to lack of interest; today the cycle is a rarity. It is considered the high point of Gustav Kraus’ oeuvre.
Author
Friedrich Röhrer-Ertl