Argo (Trial proof of Argo. Album for art and poetry)

The annual publication Argo was issued by the artist group Rütli, whose members included Theodor Storm, Theodor Fontane and the illustrator Theodor Hoseman. The Argo, the marvellously fast ship of the ancient Argonauts, with which they hoped to escape the dangers of their journey, became the emblem of the group. While the poets shown in the cover picture of the first issue (1857) appear aboard a sailing ship, wearing idealized costumes, the festive boat in Hosemann’s cover picture of 1859 is shown in the radical calm of the childhood that is the subject here, appearing as if frozen.