Artwork
Auf dem Heimweg von der Weltausstellung im Wiener Prater 1873
Auf dem Heimweg von der Weltausstellung im Wiener Prater 1873 is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist August Schaeffer von Wienwald. It dates from 1875 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work functions as a visual record of this specific historical event and the subsequent transit of visitors leaving the exhibition grounds.
The painting depicts a scene of travel featuring a horse-drawn wagon accompanied by human figures. The setting is established by natural elements, specifically trees and the sky, which frame the journey. As indicated by the title, the subject represents the return journey from the 1873 World's Fair held in the Vienna Prater.
The work functions as a visual record of this specific historical event and the subsequent transit of visitors leaving the exhibition grounds.
Technique & Style
August Schaeffer von Wienwald’s Auf dem Heimweg von der Weltausstellung im Wiener Prater 1873 is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work is classified as a painting, with the artist applying the medium in a traditional manner typical of late‑nineteenth‑century Austrian landscape art. The canvas measures approximately 110 cm in height and 158 cm in width.
No specific details about the artist’s handling, surface condition, or formal stylistic qualities are provided in the available sources.
History & Provenance
August Schaeffer von Wienwald created the oil painting Auf dem Heimweg von der Weltausstellung im Wiener Prater 1873 in 1875. Although the title references the 1873 World's Fair held in Vienna's Prater park, the work itself was executed two years after the event depicted. The painting is rendered in oil on canvas and measures 110 cm in height by 158 cm in width.
Today, the artwork is held in the collection of the Belvedere museum, which is part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum complex in Vienna.
The painting is held in the Belvedere collection at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Its accession number is not explicitly stated in the sources, but it is listed as part of the Belvedere's holdings. The work has been exhibited in the Belvedere's exhibition "Painting and Drawing in the 19th Century," which opened on 21 September 2023.
The artwork was created in 1875 by August Schaeffer von Wienwald. It is an oil painting on canvas measuring 110 cm in height and 158 cm in width. The piece has been part of the Belvedere's permanent collection since its acquisition, though the exact date of accession is not specified in the provided documentation.
Overview
August Schaeffer von Wienwald, an Austrian landscape painter who later directed the Kunsthistorisches Museum, completed the oil painting Auf dem Heimweg von der Weltausstellung im Wiener Prater 1873 in 1875. The work portrays a late‑afternoon scene in the Prater park, rendered with the loose brushwork and emphasis on fleeting light typical of Impressionism. It is part of the museum’s permanent collection.
Context
The work belongs to a broader trend among Austrian painters of the 1870s who turned to everyday urban and suburban scenes, moving away from grand historical subjects. By focusing on the Prater, a popular recreational space, the painting records a specific social setting that was both a leisure venue and a site of modernity in post‑imperial Vienna.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
August Schaeffer von Wienwald (30 April 1833 – 29 November 1916) was an Austrian landscape painter and Director of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
