1862 Fairytale Maskenfest

The 1862 Fairytale Maskenfest was a German masquerade ball held on February 15, 1862 at the Royal Odeon in Munich[1][2][3]

Organized by the artist's association Jung-München ("Young Munich") and spearheaded by Wilhelm Busch,[1][4] the ball presented as an elaborate celebration of fairytales and folklore[2][3] during the height of German Carnival season[2][3] Advertised as a "German Fairy Tale World," the event featured extensive staging, costuming, and performances during a time when fairytales were experiencing a surge of popularity in Germany.[2]

Photographs by court photographer Joseph Albert document attendees dressed in animal and fairy‑tale costumes, including medieval figures,[4] mermaids, hare‑and‑hedgehog pairs, and Puss in Boots.[2][3]

Not only was the event attended by much of Munich's art world,[4] but it also attracted the Bavarian court, including the 16-year-old heir to the Bavarian throne King Ludwig II, later famed as the "Märchenkönig" (or the "Fairytale King").[2][3]

Background

The artist's association Jung-München (meaning "Young Munich")[3], or "Die Jungmünchner" (meaning the Young Munich Artists),[5] was an informal circle of painters, sculptors, writers, and composers. Notable young artists such as the humorist Wilhelm Busch, painter Moritz von Schwind, and composer Georg Kremplsetzer were among the association’s members.

Active in Munich from 1853 to 1864, this club was less about a strict artistic program and more about camaraderie and festive gatherings. These events were often held during carnival season (also known as "Fasching" or "Künstlerfeste"[3]), reaching its height in the week before Ash Wednesday.[2] Events consisted of costumed parties and parades.[2]

Trending fairytales and folklore included those collected by the Brothers Grimm and Ludwig Bechstein.

Event

Admission for the event was by entry ticket. Lithographed tickets (designed by Jung-München artist Andreas Müller) featured "dancing maidens and two music-making gnomes."[6] An original 21-page souvenir booklet for the 1862 Maskenfest survives in the Bavarian State Library.[7]

Artist and association member Wilhelm Busch was responsible for the program.[8] Busch stipulated that the entire staging (decorations, costumes, props, and skits) should be based on the fairy‑tale illustrations of Moritz von Schwind and Ludwig Richter.[1][4] According to the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, however, the costumes worn by attendees bore little resemblance.[1]

Composer Georg Kremplsetzer, another member of the artists' association, composed[9] and performed the Singspiel "Hansel and Gretel" for the public (including the royal court) during the fairytale masquerade to a successful reception.[5] Busch as also credited as a writer of this operetta.[10]

Photographer Joseph Albert was also in attendance and photographed various costumed guests depicting costumed groups like Aschenbrödel’s entourage, the Hedgehog and Hare, Puss in Boots.[3] Albert's photographs are currently preserved and displayed by the Munich City Museum.[3]

Young architectural painter and stage designer Christian Jank was enlisted and oversaw stage and set decorations for the ball. "In a months-long competition with his friends" and alongside other fellow artists, he painted an enormous backdrop and "transformed the Odeon into a fairy-tale landscape" and staged scenery.[9] On a canvas 800 meters wide and 50 meters high, Jank painted a Romanesque panoramic backdrop featuring a medieval-styled[4] "Märchenschloss" (or fairy-tale castle) perched on rocky outcrop (with towers, battlements, oriels, and drawbridges) and the Rhine in the distance.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Daniela Kromp; Andrew Lang. "Illustrious Heroes: Rare & Unique Books (Catalogue #2)" (PDF). International League of Antiquarian Booksellers. Daniela Kromp. p. 52.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Thea Applebaum Licht (October 30, 2025). "Animal Costumes from the 1862 Fairytale Ball of the Jung-München Artist's Association". The Public Domain Review.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Joseph Albert. "Photography: Artists' Parties in Munich – from the Dietmar Siegert Collection". The Munich City Museum Collection.
  4. ^ a b c d e Freyberger, Regina (October 1, 2007). "Moritz von Schwind's Cinderella (1852–1854): The Beginning of Fairy Tale Painting and Aspects of Marketing Strategies in Germany's Art Scene" (PDF). NineteenthCentury Art Worldwide 6, no. 2. Association of Historians of Nineteenth-Century Art. p. 64.
  5. ^ a b "Georg Krempelsetzer's "Rothmantel" in Rosenheim A Bavarian Lortzing". Opera Lounge Magazine. ... where he met important artists such as Wilhelm Busch ... The singspiel "Hansel and Gretel" was particularly successful, performed as a fairytale masquerade for the public, including the royal court, during Carnival in 1862.
  6. ^ von Boetticher, Friedrich (1901). Nineteenth Century Paintings - Volume Two. Dresden: Fr. v. Boetticher's Publishing House. p. 94.
  7. ^ Maskenfest des Künstlervereins Jung-München. München: Wolf [Verlag]. 1862.
  8. ^ Verlag Braun & Schneider München. "WILHELM BUSCH GESAMTAUSGABE DRITTE AUFLAGE" (PDF). p. 83. Aufruf zum Maskenfest und Entwurf 1862" ("Call/announcement for the Maskenfest and design, 1862)
  9. ^ a b c Holland, Hyacinth (January 1, 1910). "Jank, Christian". Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 55. pp. 503–507.
  10. ^ Theodor Pixis: Wilhelm Busch zu seinem siebzigsten Geburtstag (15. April). In: Die Kunst für alle: Malerei, Plastik, Graphik, Architektur 1902, doi:10.11588/diglit.12080.65.
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