“Watch on the Rhine”: Germania Defends the Rhine (1860)

Lorenz Clasen (1812–1899) was a German painter of portraits and historical subjects and a member of the so-called Düsseldorf School. His well-known painting Germania auf der Wacht am Rhein [Germania Defending the Rhine] is the visual correlate to the folk song of the same name. At the time, however, the perception of France was still varied and diverse. Thus, the painting does not attest to a unified perspective; rather it can be read as an attempt to direct the perception and interpretation of the Rhine.