14 October 2018

Press photography of 1918/19 exhibited at 'The Hard-Won Republic' (Die erkämpfte Republik) at Wien Museum

From 25 October until 3 February 2019, the Wien Museum exhibition 'The Hard-Won Republic - 1918/19 in Photographs' (German title 'Die erkämpfte Republik - 1918/19 in Fotografien') will spot light on the history of Austria at the end of World War I (ended on 11 November 1918) and the beginnings of the republic (12 November 1918) through the eyes of press photographers and the mass media distribution of images of and for a society living in times of political and social changes. The social, political changes are visualized by images of people living in famine, poverty, showing them as participants in revolutionary protests or activities for women's rights to vote and to work as politicians for society. Wien Museum will span a red thread through the exhibition by following the work of Viennese photographer Richard Hauffe (1878–1933) who counts to the creators of the most impressive visual time documents of the end of the Habsburg Monarchy and the beginning of the Republic of German-Austria (declared on 12 November 1918) - such as the picture on view on this page which is also used as poster sujet for the exhibition.

fig.: 'The declaration of the Republic', 12 November 1918. Photo: Richard Hauffe; © Wien Museum. Another view by Richard Hauffe at the crowds of people in front and around the parliament in Vienna is published at the publication 'Wiener Bilder'. Several of Richard Hauffe's images - like the one on view here on this page, were used respectively published again and again, but without references to the author, his photographic work or the context of its creation such as Wien Museum has found out. Wien Museum has preserved a collection of Hauffe's work which will be displayed for the first time. Richard Hauffe contributed images to media with wide circulation such as 'Das interessante Blatt' (exemplary page with one of Hauffe's photographs), 'Wiener Illustrierte Zeitung' (example), or 'Wiener Bilder' (example).

At the exhibition, the photographs will be accompanied by texts of journalists, authors, politicians and scientists, among them Stefan Zweig or Sigmund Freud as well as memories (personal diaries, letters) written by citizens. Stefan Zweig wrote on 27 October at his diary (translated from German) "In Austria, things rush with nameless speed. The avalanche rolls fast: you want to watch her crash, but she does not stop. It's awful, this rush, this racing pace." (Original text from the press release of Wien Museum: "In Österreich überstürzen sich die Dinge mit namenloser Geschwindigkeit. Die Lawine rollt rasch: man möchte ihr zuschauen, wie sie stürzt, aber sie hält nicht inne. Es ist furchtbar, diese Eile, dieses rasende Tempo.").


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