Reinforcing the idea of the new empire as a voluntary union of princes, not something based on the will of the people, required the “performance” of monarchical rule by Kaiser Wilhelm I—above all in Berlin, but also in the capitals of Germany’s individual federal states. This contemporary woodcut from Leipzig’s Illustrirte Zeitung (October 7, 1882) is based on a sketch by Hermann Lüders. It depicts the “Imperial Days” [Kaisertage] in Dresden, specifically the Kaiser’s entry into the city on September 14, 1882. Wilhelm I (seated at the left) is accompanied in the royal carriage by his former battlefield foe from the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, King Albert, who ruled in Saxony from 1873 to 1902.