Abstract

This 1779 etching by German artist Johann Wilhelm Meil (1733-1805) depicts a heterogenous population of imprisoned people. Both men and women, young and old are shown crowding around a pastor imprisoned with them. The barred windows identify the space as a prison while the destitute condition of the other prisoners hints at their poor treatment. The image was inspired by Friedrich Nicolai’s satirical novel Leben und Meinungen des Herrn Magisters Sebaldus Nothanker [The Life and Opinions of Master Sebaldus Nothanker], whose protagonist is a Protestant pastor.

A Clergyman and Other Prisoners in Jail (1779)

Source

Source: Johann Wilhelm Meil, A Clergyman and Other Prisoners in Jail, etching, 1779. Staatliche Museen Berlin Kupferstichkabinett. Photo: Volker-H. Schneider.
bpk-Bildagentur image no. 10017751. For rights inquiries, please contact Art Resource at requests@artres.com (North America) or bpk-Bildagentur at kontakt@bpk-bildagentur.de (for all other countries).

bpk / Kupferstichkabinett, SMB / Volker-H. Schneider

Recommended Citation

A Clergyman and Other Prisoners in Jail (1779), published in: German History in Documents and Images, <https://germanhistorydocs.org/en/the-holy-roman-empire-1648-1815/ghdi:image-5281> [December 20, 2024].