An undated image by German photo Pioneer Alb. Giesler shows the view from the Bruhnskoppel near Malente-Gremsmühlen in Germany. © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com/Photo: Alb. Giesler
The story behind the image
Recently I could obtain a good print by photo pioneer Albert Giesler showing the view from Bruhnskoppel near Malente-Gremsmühlen, taken between 1885 and 1899. The property was owned by my great-great-grandfather, Johann Hinrich Grebien (1826-1903), father of Dorothea Christine Grebien (my great-grandmother).
This image is very similar to this postcard published by John Lahrsen u. Co., and sent in 1899. However, there are two significant differences: 1) The print by Alb. Giesler is waaaay better than the postcard, and 2) Alb. Giesler’s image must have been taken before John Larsen’s image, because it shows a row of large trees in the center that is not visible in the 1899 shot. This is sad, not just for the trees, but for the composition. In Giesler’s shot the large trees mirror beautifully in the calm water of the Krummsee right next to Bruhnskoppel. The lack of the mirror image removes the visual hint that there is a lake at all.
Needless to say, I prefer Albert Giesler’s image as it shows the unaltered, older view across the landscape, which had always been the key attraction for tourists and hikers to visit Bruhnskoppel.
At the time of writing, I cannot exactly determine the capture date. The image must have been shot between 1886 (when Giesler opened his studio in Eutin) and 1899 (the postcard by John Larsen & Co..) It is well possible that Giesler took a number of photographs on the same day for a larger shooting, which would make the summer of 1887 a likely production date.
In any event, it is exciting to see how Johann Hinrich actually lived in Bruhnskoppel.
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | c. 1887 |
| Photographer | Alb. Giesler |
| Location | Bruhnskoppel, Germany |
| Image Source | 17 x 11 cm print |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 13430 x 7554 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Alb. Giesler/Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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