Bavarian Royal Palaces in Color

In 1887, the Swiss Hans Jakob Schmidt, employee of the Zurich company Orell Füssli & Co, invented a novel process for color reproductions. The photographic archive of the Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte (ZI) contains several such "photochrom prints" showing the Bavarian palaces of the so-called fairytale king Ludwig II.

A photochrom is not a photograph but a planographic print reproduced photomechanically in a screenless multicolor printing process. This process gives the individual colors exceptional luminosity. In particular, gold ink was used. Photochrom prints from Photochrom Zürich can be identified by a serial number followed by the letters P. Z. and a caption in gold lettering at the bottom of the image.

Firstly, a black-and-white negative, which is exposed onto a lithographic printing plate coated with asphalt, is required. Then the individual color layers are printed separately. The ZI's collection also includes prints of the original photographs that served as a template.

The photographs of the royal palaces were taken by Joseph Albert (1825-1886), court photographer of the Bavarian royal family, in 1886, shortly before his death on May 5.

Comparing the photographs and the color prints, it is noticeable that some of the photochrom prints are laterally reversed. In these cases, a copy had been used instead of the original negative.

When Ludwig II (1845–1886) was crowned King of Bavaria, he was just 18 years old. As a patron of the arts, he pursued a lively and costly building activity. The palaces Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee and Neuschwanstein, as well as the King’s House on Schachen, are today among the most visited architectural monuments in Bavaria.

There is no lack of gold and splendor in the wall and ceiling surfaces of the interiors. The interior design combines Baroque and Rococo motifs and quotes both French and southern German architectural styles.

In the dining room, there was a so-called Tischleindeckdich. The table could be lowered into the kitchen below, set there, and elevated again by hand. The royal bedroom is the largest room at Linderhof Palace and is based on that of the French king Louis XIV.

A theatrical dream world comes to life in the interior decoration. As an admirer of Richard Wagner's operas, Ludwig II chose motifs from musical dramas such as Tannhäuser and Lohengrin for some of the scenic decorations. 

The Throne Hall extends over the third and fourth floors. Besides, the Singers' Hall is the second most important room of the castle and was one of the king’s favorite projects. The picture program shows the saga of Parzival and the Holy Grail.

In the exceptionally richly decorated bedroom, the legend of Tristan and Isolde is depicted. Swans, a leitmotif of the interior, can be seen on the carpet.

The grand staircase in the south wing is a reconstruction of the Versailles Ambassador’s staircase. Its counterpart in the north wing is still in a skeletal state today.
The second antechamber of the Parade Bedroom is also called the Œil-de-bœuf  Hall in allusion to the salon de l'Œil-de-bœuf  in Versailles. Two oval “bull’s eye” windows in the cornice zone give the room its name.

While the living rooms on the first floor are wood-paneled, the upper floor is a stately room with gilded and richly ornamented furnishings. The so-called Turkish Hall is based on a hall in the Eyüp Palace of Sultan Selim III.
The photochromic prints show particularly impressively the brightly colored fabrics and the golden decorations.