Panorama of Berlin

This is a detail from a Panorama of Berlin painted by Eduard Gärtner (or Gaertner) at a time when the prosperous Bierdermeier city was booming. The eminent looking gentleman with grey hair gesturing from the roof of the Friedrichswerder Church is none other than Alexander von Humboldt (whose writings I discussed here ten years ago). The panorama's six panels can be seen in the Schloss Charlotteberg, and I will quote here their wall description:With its joy in detail, it conveys to us a lively notion of life in the city as it was in 1834. The roof of the church, completed in 1831, afforded an excellent standpoint for a panoramic view to Berlin's residential and representational buildings. The panorama assumes this gaze and shows the city not only as a royal residence, but also as a center of culture and science. Standing inside this angular panorama, viewers are drawn into the goings-on as if they were part of the group of visitors atop the church. Renowned personages have gathered…