The collections of the German Historical Museum

• Title: Postcard on the occasion of the death of Otto von Bismarck
• Publisher: Kunstanstalt J. Miesler
• Place: Berlin
• Date: 1898/1900
• Material/Technique: Chromolithography
• Size: 9 x 13,9 cm

In 1898, the former chancellor of the Reich, Otto von Bismarck, died on his residence, Schloß Friedrichsruh. In 1890, he had resigned from office due to ongoing disagreements with Kaiser Wilhelm II. But only four years later a so-called historic reconciliation took place. This marked the beginning of a patriotic Bismarck cult in Germany that found expression in numerous monuments, statues and an abundance of postcards. The postcard presented above appeared in memory of the day of his death with a black edge, showing Bismarck in front of his castle accompanied by the inevitable great Dane. His portrait on the left hand side is crowned with black oak leaves and a ribbon.