Lichtenstein Castle, Württemberg
Photochrom Print Collection (Detroit Publishing), c. 1890–1900
Lichtenstein Castle perched on its cliff in the Swabian Jura — fairy-tale fortress, intact.
About this work
This photochrom print, made between 1890 and 1900 and now in the Library of Congress, shows Lichtenstein Castle in Württemberg, southern Germany. The slender Gothic Revival castle, flying a flag from its tower, stands on the very edge of a sheer limestone crag above wooded slopes. The castle looks medieval but is not. It was inspired by Wilhelm Hauff's 1826 novel Lichtenstein, designed by Carl Alexander Heideloff, and built in 1840–42 on an escarpment of the Swabian Jura at about 817 metres, roughly 250 metres above the Echaz valley near Reutlingen. The ruins of its medieval predecessor, destroyed in the fourteenth century, lie about 500 metres away. It is still privately owned. A photochrom is not a color photograph. The process, invented in the 1880s by Hans Jakob Schmid of the Swiss printers Orell Füssli, began with a single black-and-white negative; the photographer's notes on the colors of the scene guided the transfer of the image onto a series of lithographic stones, one for each tone. Photochroms were most popular in the 1890s, before color photography was commercially practical, and sold widely as prints and postcards. The Library of Congress catalogues this one as a bird's-eye view of the castle.
Sources: Library of Congress: Lichtenstein (photochrom, ppmsca.01193) · Wikipedia: Lichtenstein Castle (Württemberg) · Wikipedia: Photochrom
Print facts
- Native resolution
- 2,706 × 3,644 px
- Sharp at 150 ppi up to
- 18 × 24 in
- Sizes
- Small (15 × 20 in) · $100 · 180 ppi
Medium (18 × 24 in) · $150 · 150 ppi
Large (27 × 36 in) · $300 · 100 ppi - Price includes
- Frame and US shipping · 14–21 days · 30-day returns
FAQ
Where can I buy a framed print of Lichtenstein Castle, Württemberg?
Here. Lichtenstein Castle, Württemberg is available as a framed print in three sizes: Small (15 × 20 in) for $100, Medium (18 × 24 in) for $150 and Large (27 × 36 in) for $300. Prices include the frame and US shipping; delivery takes 14–21 days, with 30-day returns.
What size works best for Lichtenstein Castle, Württemberg?
The file is 2,706 × 3,644 px. Medium (18 × 24 in) is the largest size that prints at 150 ppi or more (150 ppi), the sharpest choice for close viewing; Large (27 × 36 in) prints at 100 ppi, fine from a few feet away but softer up close.
Is it legal to print Lichtenstein Castle, Württemberg?
Yes. This photochrom print was made between about 1890 and 1900, and any copyright in it expired long ago; works published before 1931 are in the public domain in the United States. The Library of Congress, which holds it, lists it with no known restrictions on publication.
