Primary sourcePainting7 September 1789
Silhouette and Inscription of Goethe in Anthing's Album
Johann Friedrich Anthing · 7 September 1789
A silhouette profile of Goethe with his handwritten verse, made for Johann Friedrich Anthing's album in 1789.
This silhouette and handwritten verse by Goethe were made for a friend's album, showing a personal, informal side of him.
About this source
What it is
This is a silhouette profile portrait of Goethe, made in 1789 and kept in an album belonging to Johann Friedrich Anthing, with a handwritten verse and signature by Goethe beneath it.
Why it matters
Silhouette portraits were a popular fashion of the period, valued for capturing a likeness simply through outline. That Goethe contributed both his profile and a short verse shows the social custom of exchanging personal keepsakes among friends and acquaintances.
Look closer
- Why might people in the 1780s have preferred silhouettes to detailed painted portraits?
- What does the handwritten verse add that the image alone does not?
- What does keeping such items in a personal album tell us about friendship and memory in this period?
This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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