Presentation portrait of Kaiser Franz Joseph I by Carl Pietzner

CARL PIETZNER (Wriezen, 1853-Vienna, 1927). Vienna, ca. 1900.
"Presentation portrait of Kaiser Franz Joseph I of Austria".
Photograph.
Frame in brass and enamels.
Photograph with signature "Franz Joseph" and with information from the studio of Carl Pietzner.
Frame without signature.
Measurements: 20.5 x 11 cm; 30 x 18.5 cm (frame).

This photograph shows Emperor Franz Joseph I (1830-1916), husband of Empress Sisi, standing in field marshal uniform and medals. It is accompanied by an exquisite gilt brass frame with the Habsburg-Lorraine coats of arms in the lower corners and the FJ monogram in its upper corners, as well as with the Austrian imperial crown on its crest. The imperial presentation gift portrait represented an exceptional sign of favor for the Emperor's close circle and persons of high rank.
Carl Pietzner, one of the best-known photographers of his time, specialized in portraying members of royalty and high society, as well as personalities from other fields. Together with Jan Langhans, the two of them were responsible for almost all photographs, mainly portraits, of prominent citizens of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in the late 20th-early 19th century. Their Vienna studio is considered to be the largest of its time in the world.